Pause For Poetry:
Michael Hawkes /94
Go West, young man, and don’t look back
July 7, 2025
A poem by Michael Hawkes
When one travels westward
One leaps ahead in time;
You put your best foot forward
And leave the past behind.
So, plot your courses to the west,
Get your vessels underway;
It’s clear to all that the West is best,
Where tomorrow is a brand-new day.
As one travels eastward
One moves into the past
And if one travels fast enough,
Without undue delay,
One ends up feeling pretty rough,
Back there in yesterday.
Then you live that time again
Re-run the old affray,
With its attendant pain,
Deja vues and old refrains
Until you catch up with today.
Now, I’m severely jet-lagged,
You can see it right away,
My mouth’s agape, my eyes are bagged,
My mind wanders far astray…
Because I’ve landed in the past
Where good memories tend to last,
But I can’t remember fast enough
What day it is today.
Feature image: Walt Stoneburner via StockPholio.net
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