Living

“I only exist in the present,”
The child announced with conviction:
“I don’t know the past, I don’t think of future.
I’ve no need for reflection, and none for prediction.”

Said the elderly lady, “Oh, surely
I live in the past, not your time!
My friends are all fading; I know I’m departing
I’m certainly well past my prime.”

The businessmen laughs, and retorts,
“You’re certainly both in the wrong!
I’ve forgotten my friends and I ignore my wife
But my prospects are certainly strong!”

But what of the youth—in the moment, and yet
Still glimpsing what has not yet passed?
With memories of the past and hopes for the future
Their potential must surely be vast!

Look to all history to guide your decisions
And always consider what’s coming
But still live in the present; that’s how one survives:
By not to just one time succumbing.