Hourglass

It is not blood

That runs through our veins,

But sand.

There you are sitting in a coffee shop

Across from a precious soul,

And you want to wrap it in a blanket

And keep it near to you

So you can read by its light

When the darkness sets in,

But you're watching the clock tick:

Tick tock. Off to college. Tock tick.

Soon the world will kill you.

We don't use anesthesia here,

But we get the job done quick.

You're going to die one day

And you won't take an ounce of it with you.

It belongs to the world and God.

Nothing is yours except yourself,

But what a burden even that is to own.

Hush now. You talk too much.

Now is the time for listening.

Do you hear it?

It is the sound

Of souls dropping

Irretrievable

Down an hourglass

Into the void.