Regarding Time

 

 

Time is so intriguing

In particular, the things we say,

And what is most engaging,

We say them every day.

 

Time had a beginning

Thus, the beginning of time,

And as a result, I must conclude,

There must be a timeline.

 

But what is its origin?

I mean the origin of time

And, I suppose it has an ending;

This too is on my mind.

 

The ending of time

Provokes much discussion,

It is a constant contemplation

In Christendom.

 

It is biblically derived

Per the belief of Christians

And according to Genesis chapter 1

The first item of creation.

 

 

 

In the beginning, God…

God must be the first cause

Or else tell me my dear Mr. Watson,

Who else but God?

 

Two are out of the way:

Beginning and ending of time,

Now I hurry on to the other sayings

That now occupy my mind.

 

In no particular order,

I shall list the other nine

So that we can have a great debate

Before running out of time.

 

For everyone

That is born on planet earth,

There is a definitive timeline

Beginning at their birth.

 

A beginning and ending

Re one’s timeline,

Though some vehemently will argue

One can die before his time.

 

In contrast to this

Some will take a different line

And will often suggest to us

The idea of borrowed time.

 

 

Thus, we’d have a bank

From which to borrow time,

Such a loan will be guaranteed

To stop the next chime.

 

And so, as in borrowing time

There is also finding time,

All I can say is if you ever lose yours

Don’t you claim mine.

 

For then, for sure,

I would be behind time

For even now I’ve so much to do,

Time is on my mind.

 

If I had a time machine

I could try making time,

I could then put up with long queues

When standing in line.

 

Of course, as you know,

This is wasting time

Especially at Government offices

When we wait in line.

 

This one takes the cake

And is always on my mind,

Some people have so little to do

They end up killing time.

 

 

There should be a penalty

For people that kill time,

And so, I do declare at this juncture,

Killing time is a crime.

 

Like as for a homicide

The penalty is incarceration:

A lifetime behind the iron gates

Of Barbados’ state prison.

 

Now to time’s funeral

In the following obituary,

For given the amount of killing time

There shouldn’t be any.

 

 

We regret to announce

The death of time,

So many people are killing it

It’s the end of the line.

 

A service to be held

And its burial thereafter,

After which there’s no more time!

Please, no laughter.

 

Time is a line segment

With a beginning and end,

It’s straight from one to the other

And there is no bend.

 

No diversions,

Just “will happen events”,

Can’t go back and change a thing

However much one repents.

 

 

There is no such thing

As infinite time,

Time has a beginning and end,

It’s time we fall in line.

 

Regarding spending time,

It’s not dollars and cents

And those who attempt to buy it

Are not making sense.

 

 

Buying time is a ‘no-no’,

I am sure you know

But due to the fact we forget,

I must tell you so.

 

There’s no borrowed time,

No finding or losing,

No buying time or spending time

No chance of refusing.

 

There is no killing time,

No behind time or in front,

But a definite running out of time,

Sorry to be blunt.

 

There is wasting time

And we do this a lot

Such that when we should be walking

Then we have to trot.

 

All this we do with time

Though mostly in our mind,

They are usually impossible ways

In which we regard time.

 

Stewart Russell © March 8, 2025