Siddhartha in Switzerland
by Richard Hacken
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Siddhartha in Switzerland
I admire the skill with which you can kill
Time, my friend,
The matchless way you slay the day
In make-pretend:
I've often seen you roofing sundials,
Running miles and miles around.
For you the sand of hour glasses passes
Through your hands in touch and sound.
I prefer the stream of time
While sitting on the banks of yestermorrow,
Sipping sips of cherry wine
And learning to accept the rules of sorrow.
I prefer the stream of time
While sitting in the dust,
Shaking hands with old man death
As time dictates I must.
And I prefer the stream of time
While flowing with the flowing of the current.
You may walk your path and take your wrath
On age, my friend,
And you may cease your search for peace
In make-pretend:
I've seen you fight the flight of time,
I've heard you curse the watch works of the Swiss.
You view the wilted flowers' breath and death
And think that nature's all amiss.
But I prefer the stream of time
While sitting on the banks of yestermorrow,
Sipping sips of cherry wine
And learning to accept the rules of sorrow.
I prefer the stream of time
While sitting in the dust,
Shaking hands with old man death
As time dictates I must.
Yes, and I prefer the stream of time
While flowing with the flowing of the current.
- R. Hacken
Hacken Main Page > Poetry Index > 1970s > Siddhartha in Switzerland
