THE SANDS OF MY HOURGLASS FIGURE
IN MY TIME
By Stephany Spencer-LeBaron

THE SANDS OF MY HOURGLASS FIGURE
IN MY TIME

The sands of my hourglass figure
Gradually disfiguring me
Say my time is almost up,
I’ve little left
To complete Life’s journey.
Still Time ticks away the minutes
Like the hands
On my inner circadian clock.

I can’t make the sands stop,
Nor my heart 
Pit-pattering tick-tock
Like raindrops dripping
From the window panes of life
And the pain in my soul
Running down my cheeks
Like teardrops on the lenses 
I look through.

I wonder what’s wrong.
Where have all the hours gone!
Why won’t the sands 
Quit running out on me,
Try as I may to catch up, 
Get with Time, not behind it.
Time let me be!

But each day
Continues its rush from me.
Impermanence can‘t be stopped, 
Neither the sands of time
Running through my hourglass
Decorating my door-stop
In my time.

(Second Version:)

THE SANDS OF MY HOURGLASS
IN MY TIME

In my time,
The sands of my hourglass figure
Running through me
Figure I haven’t much time 
Left in my she-roe’s journey.
Still Time ticks away the minutes
As quickly as hands 
On my inner circadian clock.
I can’t make the sands stop,
Neither my heart pattering tick-tock
Like raindrops dripping
From the window panes of my life,
Like the pain in my soul
Running down my cheeks,
And the teardrops on my lenses 
I look through.

I wonder what’s wrong,
Where’s all my time gone?
Why won’t the sands
Stop running through me
And away with me,
Hard as I try to catch up, 
Get with Time, not behind it.
 Time, you let me be!

But Time keeps running out on me.
 It’s synonymous with Life’s impermanence:
Change cannot be stopped.
Nor the sands of time
Running through my hourglass 
Decorating my doorstop
In my time.

My original version of “Hourglass” poem:
THE SANDS OF TIME

The sands of time are running
Through my hourglass,
Telling me I don’t have much time; 
Taking away my time 
As surely as can
Any hands on a clock.
I can’t get the speed to stop
Neither my heart going tick-tock 
And pitter-pat like raindrops
On the window pane of life
And the pain in my soul
Running down my cheeks
Like teardrops on a looking glass 
Or the glasses I look through.

I wonder what is wrong;
Where has the time gone?
Why won’t it let me be,
Stop running away with me
And from me, 
Hard as I try to catch up with it, 
Get with it, not behind it,
And just see.

It’s synonymous with 
Life’s impermanence
Which I also want to stop
But cannot 
Any more than the sands 
Running through the hourglass
Of my life 
On my doorstop.