An Elegy
Poem A Day Challenge - February 3, 2024.
Here lies my youth;
Gone before I could realize it,
Stripped away
Before I had the chance to say "goodbye."
-
It's hard to pinpoint the moment...
The ending entirely unclear;
Blurred, faded, lost in time.
But the feeling I'm left with is obvious.
-
Punch in,
Punch out.
Punch in,
Punch out.
-
Watch the days
Turn into weeks
Turn into years,
Turn into dust.
-
Watch my hair turn grey,
And my skin gain wrinkles,
And the youth around me
Come into their own realizations of loss.
-
Live vicariously through others
Until it's not possible to relate.
Hopefully find it again
When the rat race is finally over.
***
Day 3... Prompt: An elegy of a concept.
I'm fortunate to have stable employment, but at the same time, my job is killing me inside. This poem is about that. I can't enjoy things like I used to because it eats up so much of my time. There's a sense that I've lost my youth and I'll be stuck in this position until I'm (hopefully) lucky enough to afford retirement. So, RIP to childhood wonder lol.
About the Creator
Ashley Lima
I think about writing more than I write, but call myself a writer as opposed to a thinker.
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Comments (5)
Ah, I feel you. I'm so sorry you're experiencing this but I hope you have moments of levity to ease the burden. I try not to notice the changes that come with aging, the shifts in perspective, the future looking pretty much the same, the dread of prioritizing things that don't fill me up...but eventually it all comes to mind in a big group, and it's not a great moment. May not mean much coming from someone you don't know well at all, but remember that you're in control. 💗💗💗
This is very relatable, a true elegy for something I think many of us have lost... or at least lost track of. Brilliant piece. :)
Wow, I know this is about your job, but it also represents a wider conversation about life as a whole. Incredibly well done.
Take it from someone who's been there many times with jobs and life in general. Nothing is ever what you imagine it should be, it's what you turn it into. Only you can make life worth living. Okay, I'm done preaching.
Goodness, I just feel this way in general. So relatable and well said. Sorry thought that your job makes you feel this way :(