Mistress Time

Her wrath will wither the most exquisite, disintegrate formidable structures and prolong endlessly the suffering of the lonely,
She is the maker, the keeper and the reaper of all living things, she is the one and only,
A more ingenious woman never existed; nothing in this world ever has, nor ever will, manage to surmount her,
Inexplicable and mysterious, her reasons are her own, ages upon age of wisdom yet still, we doubt her,
Keen is her eye, inescapable her impact with a memory of infinite capabilities,
She affords no favours, allowances or breeches; she holds no friends and yet strangely, has made no enemies,
I have pleaded with her, I have bargained with her, I like you, require less or more of her at any given moment,
Yet for each and every stipulation or recommendation I make, she remains forever, knowingly absent,

A woman beyond anyone's control, manipulation or coercion, she outshines them all, a pure paradox,
No man has access to her chest of secrets; she is one riddle, man will continually fail to unlock,
To the young and restless, she is abundantly available, as their flittering lives she lovingly sustains,
Too the old and frail, she slips quickly through whitened knuckles as they try to capture what little of her remains,
Her ways seem to be a matter of personal interpretation, her effects differing from one to another, with little regard for fairness,
Yet accountable she is not, for her rules manage to leave her completely and utterly crime-less
Who should we blame?
For our experiences and suffering as we age, drawing nearer and nearer our final judgment,
Time herself or the efforts we apply, to try and cheat her of her natural born entitlement,

Innumerable in age, wise beyond belief, yet no less incredible than the day of our first convergence,
She is the only one, no other could imitate her beauty, no other could hold a substantial semblance,
An eternity I have studied her, still many more shall pass, no clarity received, for this unambiguous individual,
I will witness her passing, with little more to do, the constant ticking of the clock as I observe and marvel,
Yes she has aged me with merciless affliction; yes she has healed me gently with patience and affirmation,
Yes she has taught me like no other I have know, yes she as earned my respectful awe and perpetual adoration,
Now the mistress passes, a mistress I wish that if only for a moment, I could have called mine,
Lady of the past and present, a future to be made, she is the one and only, the unending mistress time.

Time is precious make the most of every second you have.

J. Sheridan