My Life: A Week of Years

The Biblical book of Genesis poetically recounts the undetermined time of creation as happening in a week of seven days. As I look back upon life, which has gone by so quickly, it seems that eighty-six plus years have been accomplished in a week of years, i.e., a long life in earth terms, yet seems it began only seven weeks ago. I’ve entitled the following poem “My Life: A Week of Years.” It summarizes a long life and measures it as only seven weeks in time. During the first week of years of life I looked in the mirror for the first time There gawking back was a seven-year-old lad Full of energy and the grin of a playground champion On the second week of years of life In the mirror was a naïve, immature, lanky teenager Neither a child nor an adult, just a rack of emotions Thinking he knew it all, but knew nothing at all On the third week of years of life A young adult fixed upon the image in the mirror Trying to discover who he was and who he might be Anxious about today and wondering about tomorrow On the fourth week of years of life The mirror revealed a husband and father Shoulders loaded with responsibilities and expectations Struggling in a world of work, unrest, fear, and war On the fifth week of years of life The mirror was full of a middle-aged man Children grown, educated, employed, and gone Empty nest, much debt, and baskets full of memories On the sixth week of years of life The mirror showed a grey-haired man Who had accomplished much, yet not enough Facing retirement and its uncertainties On the seventh week of years of life The mirror reflected a foggy view of an old man One that had traveled and experienced so much Standing side by side with Father Time The last hours of that seventh week Are ticking away in double time As the hour hand nears the number twelve A vision of that energetic boy appears