The Hourglass Crucible

    In the haze stands a lone hourglass
    The granules falling
    onto the ever increasing dune below
    Each grain a moment in time
    Passing from future - to present - to past

    As the haze lifts
    One sees not one
    But hourglasses
    as far as the eye can see
    With time flowing rhythmically

    The moments miraculously
    arise from the sandy shores
    Passing through the hourglass crucibles
    The new dunes stand but a moment
    Before the tide returns them to the sea

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Comments: Upon writing this poem, I shared it with a small poetry group with whom I meet every couple of weeks. (By the way, a very talented group!) They struggled with it, trying to ascertain its meaning. I was in shock as I wanted to blurt out its explanation. After all, I understood it. (The rule is that when the poem is being critiqued, you listen and do not respond -- sometimes difficult.) Finally, after some discussion back and forth, they came close to dissecting my intent. I am curious if you were able to ascertain my meaning. Please let me know if you figured it out or if you had to go to the explanation. Or, perhaps you had a different interpretation. Click here to send a response.

To read my explanation, click here.

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ETERNITY

"How long does eternity last?" the Seeker queried.
"A thousand, a million, a billion years?"
"Surely, the soul cannot live forever?"
What happens in billions of years
when the sun becomes nothing but dissipating gases?
What shelter, in what home does the soul now reside?"

The quiet voice within retorts, "My child, the physical
and ethereal are not the same.
You do not understand what the next day will bring
let alone eternity."

"Forgive me, but my feeble mind is all I have
continually questioning and seeking.
Trying to deduce the logic of this magnificent dream."

"Soon, in cosmic time, a twinkling of an eye
you will comprehend.
For no question will go unanswered.
For now, enjoy your moments.
Your finite mind can only touch the infinite.
Imagine seeing as far as you can see
then arriving at that distant point.
Seemingly endlessly moving from point to point.
After thousands, yes, millions of journeys
dissolving back to where you started.
By sensing an awareness of that magnificence
you can begin to fathom eternity."

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Comments: Just a little wondering about a BIG topic.... (If you want to see the poem with a nebula background, click here.)

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