Almost Over

I saw the starry night sky whirling about up above me once again, long ago

And I knew that it was almost over for me just the same as for all of you

As I turned the pages in your wondrous books with a warm satisfaction

It slowly came to me that it would not always be like this

Gliding down the hills with thoughtless skill and senses still intact

It grew so much sweeter as I felt my time grow ever more quickly, shorter

Listening to the soft music as the million snowflakes fell

Tears filled my eyes from gratitude as well as the approaching emptiness

Standing still but quivering with every sense on fire

It grew stronger the more I realized how soon it would be no more

Immersed in the observation of one of earth’s tiny wonders

Great hunger arose within me to see them all before the darkness bound me

As the gentle melodies brought moments of peace to my angry life

How hard I tried to stay there even though they arrived without an effort

As I heard the thunder roll about from east to west through that gentle rain

I grew so full with its meaning I might have left in peace right then

Just as anger poisoned every thought and life seemed completely pointless

A song would come to calm me and I saw again how it was almost over

When my skull was too long pierced by violent, random, pointless noise

Then proper harmony and rhythm slowed me down to show me once again

As each new world opened up to me in endless interesting possibilities

With so much left to do I knew my time must seem to come too soon

Leaping out of ordinary circumstance like some psychedelic trout

I tingled in that other atmosphere gathering brief but shining images

In your arms I lay in peace and happiness with the world held briefly at arm’s length

I flashed upon many billions of years and knew that, it was almost over

Gazing up with every molecule of every cell at peace for just one moment

Those intervals were too few in the fleeting blur that was the passing of my life

I tried to string together those brief instants when everything made sense

Tried to wear them like some beads, walking on towards rushing darkness

Got lost and turned around, cried out and stumbled blindly

Awoke inside strange dreams pointing unavoidably towards the precipice

Shattered your harmony and trampled finely-wrought creations underfoot

Awoke at intervals to apologize, unable to pay for all my guilt with simple shame

And just as I achieved the apex of my tiny leap

Glancing quickly about I sensed all at once that, it was almost over

It has always been almost over and nearly time to slip back to nowhere

My short life spent in preparation for a return to a nothing filled without even emptiness