A Poem a Day (562): Fast-forward in slow

Happy International Women’s Day!

I was planning to write a poem about women down the ages and their fight for equality, but I found that nothing I wrote really said what I wanted to say or gave the issue full justice. I ended up finding a lot of facts such as: in 2021, 26% of all CEOs and MDs were women, compared to only 15% in 2019. So, instead, I spent a happy time reading some of my favourite female poets instead. In the end I wrote a poem about ageing, living, nostalgia and just life in general.

 
Fast-forward in slow
 
We come and go, ebb and flow,
wildest dreams and bygone years
remembered. Star bright and sky burn,
some lives lived too close to the sun.
 
We try not to lose our individuality,
collecting alternate patterns to stand out,
colours full-raze, imitating a craze,
and languid days we draw resplendent.
 
Here is truth in our hands, and we hold it
aloft, clear waters, reflecting our real selves.
We glance back from our fast-forward,
thankful to have known those we miss,
 
curious to know who has yet to arrive,
opening doors and closing the well-worn,
to bring us knowledge and fulfilment
on our journey to the edge of the world.
 
Copyright Vickie Johnstone, March 8, 2023