Tyranny of Time

Text:

© RJ
Loud from the jump, full of wonder and mess,
Built rockets from boxes and call them success.
Believed in the moon-men and the monster below,
Asked questions too fast for the grown-ups to know.
The summers endless, Scraped knees proud,
Laughed like a storm and sing too loud.
No thoughts of tomorrow, no fear of fall
The world was a game, and you want it all.

Life as a teenager, where you first get burned,
With pages half-written and lessons unlearned.
Fall for the thrill, for the smoke and the sound,
For late-night escapes when no one’s around.
Friends are a lifeline, chaotic and true,
They swore they’d stay close and, some of them do.
Hurt and healed in the same set of days,
Thought growing up was just phase

Then comes the hard parts, drifting from job to bar,
From one broken heart to the next passing car,
Living out of boxes, books by the bed,
Wrote poems for people who left them unread.
Chase what is loud and ignore what was kind,
Mistook feeling lost for expanding the mind.
Still, joy found its way in the mess and the fights,
In dancing with strangers on humid spring nights.

But then it all slows down, just enough,
Less need to prove and more room for the rough.
Called your mom back, and paid all your fines,
Start to notice the warmth in between the lines.
Date with purpose, Listened for real,
Learned trust isn’t words — it’s how people feel.
Build something steady, settle down into the flow,
And let go of versions you longer know.
Time passes by, now sway in your stance,

Carrying your age, like a well practiced dance,
Watched your friends marry, Watched some fall apart,
Hold grief in your chest like a well-played part.
Seen your fair share of action at your doors,
But sip your black coffee, and still yearn for more,
Laugh the past, but not with regret —
Just love for the chapters still to close yet

The kids all grown up, families of their own moved away,
The house has a hush at the end of the day.
Read more in silence, take drives without aim,
Wave at the neighbours who knew you by name.
Forget where you leave things, but remember old songs,
Feel time in your knees and righted old wrongs.
No rush in your voice, no need to pretend,
Just slow conversations and weekends with friends.

But now, the world has grown smaller in size,
But you still see wonder in the cloud-shifting skies,
Your steps unsure, but your spirit still tall,
Still crackong the same jokes, still answering each call.
Missing some old faces, forgetting a few names,
But still knew the rules to your favorite games.
And when people asked if your fear what is near,
You smile and say, “Nah — I just like it here.”

Passed in the night with the window left wide,
A breeze on the cheek, no pain in the side.
No spotlight, no speeches, no fortune or fame —
Just love in the room when they whispered you r name.
They opened a drawer with your notebooks and lists,
Found photos and poems and soft little gifts.
And scribbled in ink, on the back of a kiss:
“I lived how I could. One life like this.”