Hour Glasses

I held that delicate device in my hands
watching the grains pour out my life,
knowing I couldn’t control their flow,
aware they moved so steadily,
slowly keeping tract
of the falling seconds in my existence.

Yet, I felt a certain illusion of power
just keeping that timepiece in my fingers
as if not letting go might prevent
my rendezvous with the hour
those sands stopped moving in my heart.

Wasn’t enough to keep it in my clutches
so I reached over to set it on a shelf,
but accidentally let go before
it was completely on the wood.

Then it hit the floor and shattered
my eyes couldn’t change that image,
aware there was no way to undo
what gravity had turned into trash.

All I could do was watch
unable to alter that reality,
inside I might forget the memory,
but never the guilt over my carelessness.