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Saturday, December 31, 2011

An end of year poem

TIME: A Hare Raising Tale

from gloriana casey

That MARCH HARE, he was chasing me
and flogging his watch clock.
With TIME’s arrow, he poked at me.
Astounded, I yelled” STOP!”

Picoseconds–nanoseconds!
March Hare, you are unkind.
For TIME’s alive and circular,
and Life is not clock TIME.

“What is the TIME? ” he asked of me.
Upon him I did sit.
“You need a Nature lesson, Hare,
clock TIME will make you sick!”

A New Year comes, an old one goes,
what is this thing called TIME?
In tasks — we have so many now,
but thinking’s so sublime.

Eighty-six thousand, four hundred—–
our seconds in a day.
Who thought of TIME and counting it?
Can TIME be slowed some way?

The moon we can be sure was used,
for keeping track of months.
with waxing, waning, on to full,
and marking down TIME jumps.

Although that true inconstant moon
 she  has a bag of tricks,
for 13 moons are in some years
so counting’s in a fix!

But now we live with twelve month years,
though moon shapes show her range.
Of course the sun was hard to count,
for sun’s shape didn’t change!

The seven day calendar, some think
 did come from Babylon.
The Incas used an  8 day week,
just like that Beatle’s song!

And don’t forget that ancient Rome,
their week was 8 days too.
But Constantine, he changed all that;
seven day week’s still rule!

The stars, of course, immensely helped,
 charted planting’s  season.
So Nature, it was used by all
 in factoring TIME’S reason.

The Ancients used bee TIME to count
and flowers  blooming too.
Now Earthling TIME can seem so strange,
as Nano TIME tracks you!

The ancient Greeks, within their TIME,
 two  purposes  inclined.
Chronos — was god of sequences;
we know as Father TIME.

But Kairos —-was that other god
in which TIME could stand still;
expedience of action then,
and hopefully good will.

Time Absolute was Chronos then.
Kairos? Chance and mischance.
Choose for your life a clock step one,
or—- stop that march and dance!

In Newton’s TIME , the world’s was  clock,
 in  Classically named law;
but Einstein put a stitch in that,
For space TIME bends, he saw.

The 19th century brought to  us
our Greenwich TIME, called “mean.”.
Twenty-four hours, quite precise.
Exactness  makes us scream

And calendars, and talking clocks,
computers and cell phones.
Just where has gone sweet Nature’s TIME?
We’re in a killing zone!

The Ancients years began in spring,
as  green new growth was blessed.
 New Year now comes at frozen TIME,
with Janus —two- faced jest!

Sweet Nature’s TIME is sung by birds
the  beasts and  flying bats.
And oysters living in the sea,
plus spiders, even ants!

And games too—they once shared with Earth
sports timed by COCONUT!.
A hole was poked, in water raced—,
when sunk—– game TIME was up!

There’s forest TIME, and planting TIME,
for Nature  shows Life’s clock.
So stop your rushing speed,  MARCH HARE,
for living—you are not!

And while I spoke a butterfly,
it  sat upon Hare’s brow.
He’d never stopped for one before.
Hare’s  living in the NOW!

As I’d completed now my tale
of TIME and history.
Hare hopped and followed through the grass
a lovely lady bee.

I smiled to know my tale had stuck
Hare  hopped so happily.
He’d dropped his pocket watch I saw,
I crushed  it —– merrily!

WHAT IS THE TIME? You may well ask,
Heed advice said gently.
Seek  words in  ancient writer’s script.
MAKE HASTE SLOWLY:  ” Festina Lente! ”