They say it’s not possible to travel in time, but I know differently.

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I have seen the past

…in the gnarled root of a tree, winding its way round ancient walls

like a snake devouring its prey;

… in the mournful eyes of an old man,

a man who can no longer watch the setting sun;

… in a boat that drifts quietly through the floating village,

as it’s done for countless years.

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I have heard the past

… in the wind that echoes

through the walls of a vanished realm;

… in the words of the taxi driver

mourning the loss of his father, a man he barely remembers.

… in the gentle voice of the young monk

who speaks of ancient rituals.

__________

I have felt the past

… in that which is conspicuously absent,

a generation vanished, in logic that defies all reason.

__________

I have seen the future

… in the movement of the dancers,

free once more to bring the past alive.

… in the face of a child, too young to remember,

eyes glowing with the simple joy of life.

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© Barb Mayer 2007