Hourglass

By Janae Smyth

She was born in a desert

Theory was stay on the same path do not divert

Surely one day she’ll find grass covered dirt

But instead stumbled upon people and opinions

Soon enough the baron wasteland became her prison

She’s wondering if her dream will live on

So many options, choosing just one would be a phenomenon

Now she feels life is a test

To be different from the rest

Learn a skill become the best

But don’t forget to stay modest

Be ambitious or your dream will stay fictitious

But remember to slow down and enjoy the stillness

Time is a funny thing

Back then so slow and rewarding

Back in the booster seat

Best spent with a sweet treat

From a young age working for her parents praise

Started to mature was told to get a job that pays

Losing her way through this sandy haze

Far from an easy Sunday

She started leaving a trail of cigarettes in ashtrays

Hoping this modern world passes like an emo phase

She’s been walking and searching for days

Maybe she’s stuck in her ways

She prefers her world sweeter than honey

But cash is king and time is money

With all the hustle and bustle

Time is like a bad joke trying to be funny

Precious to the people in places

Stolen from those walking the paces

She’d rather keep her leather boots

And leave you to your electric coupe

Old boots worn down to the sole

Old socks with just as many stories as holes

Craving depth in a disposable world

Her old soul into a shallow time she was hurled

Time is a funny thing

To some as valuable as a shoestring

To others means more than a wedding ring

Nothing if it doesn’t belong to you

In a way it’s a shame what we’ve come to

The digital time in a busy lunch room

Holds more value than the family heirloom

Collecting dust the old grandfather clock

Working by the hour it’s formalities she mocks

She grew up in a world of his

She knows why the world is as it is

She doesn’t condone but was beaten into acceptance

Her lungs weren’t built for an air so dense

But it is what it is

Healthcare keeps her here as is

Without it she’d be no more than a eulogy

Slowly she’s damned to a society

It really is a bittersweet symphony

A double edge blade to reality

She’ll stay healthy but never be truly free

Condemned to live in a society

Hierarchies and pyramid schemes

Amongst people with morals unclean

A pay check has wriggled its way to first priority

Freedom these days is a rare commodity

Anything it takes to build your glass city

Perfect image on the internet

Fake smiles put our minds to rest

No space left for the family crest

Made to feel guilty for grieving loss

No time to admire art she comes across

Appreciation comes from just a quick scan

Memories have a shorter lifespan

No time left in the day for depth

In this modern world her old soul wept

From the bedroom straight to the courtroom

A few minutes to take a relationship to its tomb

From the factory to landfill

Anything for a quick thrill

In the blink of an eye not taking their hands off the till

Time is a funny thing

So it’s wearing old boots to her heart she clings

Embarks on her journey like needle and string

With no thimble mending the tears along the seam

Off to build a future where we can all dream

But time is fleeting and her skin is wrinkling

When her time came to be put to rest

She saw the glass underneath the dessert

For this life was no more than a fragile keep for sand

Letting go of her hand as the time passed

Nothing more than a simple hourglass

By Janae Smyth