Suddenly

Ed Belzer, circa 1983

The team is fresh and stepping along,
And the Cockshutt Giant cuts its five-foot swath.
But progress is slow.
Despite mower, mares, and me
The stand withstands
And the day grows short.
Then, suddenly, the end is in sight
And--it happens every time--
The stand falls with surprising speed.
It is finished.

Like the early rounds of a hayland
The seasons of youth were long.
Now time hastens
But still I cannot see the end.
When I do
How can I fail to be astonished
At how quickly it is finished?

 

Posted April 2008