Time,

Knows not any bound

nor distinction it ever makes,

some maybe wealthy,

others may not,

some of us are young,

others are not,

but time cares not any of the above,

for it cuts through the entire fabric of space,

cuts clean across our entire existence in it,

 

cuts like a sharp razor it does,

cuts fast and deep as it goes,

like the sharpest of swords in rows,

the finest of filaments like foes,

the most intense of lasers without any woes,

 

distinguishes it does not,

strong or weak it cuts very relentless,

fast or slow it cuts with intense exactness,

big or small it cuts through very meticulous,

you may run but you can never hide,

for it finds you no matter where you be,

 

the tallest of mountains,

the deepest of oceans,

the stillness of night,

the heat of a midsummer day,

 

one of the most intense of weapons in God’s arsenal it is,

yet to you belongs the power to do with it at will,

it is yours to wield yet you have no control over it,

it is built into every molecule of your body yet you have no say in its movements,

it will never leave you yet you may never be able to seize it,

it envelopes you entire existences yet it consumes,

 

consumes at a speed unintelligible,

yet slow enough not to be noticed,

it creeps up on you whilst you were not looking,

knocks at your door when you least expect,

the ultimate paradox of all paradoxes in all reality,

 

such is time,

nice to some,

not so to many,

no emotions nor feelings it declares,

it is with you regardless of your preference,

it has been there since the beginning,

will not leave until the end,

being intricately woven into the fabric of space as one,

 

many time you may try with might,

try to understand it with might,

but never will you solve this awkward riddle,

the riddle of timeless significance,

the riddle as vast as the universe in all its magnificence,

 

so use your time wisely I do say to myself,

like a lover from a land far away unknown,

keep your eyes fixed on her do not even blink,

keep all your dreams with her alive do not forget,

follow her closely like a shadow do not fall behind,

give her you utmost attention do not flinch,

handle her with care do not be reckless,

for she will come and steal your life away if you are not diligent,

taking it away to a land far away never to be seen again,

to be like a story with no end,

 

and you left with nothing but regrets,

regrets of an incomplete life,

regrets of forgotten dreams,

regrets of unfinished business,

regrets of meaningless existence,

regrets of the unspoken word,

regrets of not having tried,

regrets of being forgotten,

regrets of all the could have been,

regrets of being regretful,

regrets of the past – as time continues to pass you by,

pass you by like light through space,

 

this be the ultimate tragedy of all times,

tragedy caused by the mere passing of time,

no one to hear your woes for they simply do not have the time,

for you inability to best use your time,

leaving you with the deep wound from the razor of time,

the only wound that can never be healed with time,

except that you should be firm in handling the double edge razor of time,

the one and only gift from the God to all since the beginning of time,

so we use it with care all the time.

 

Dr Yunus Yasin
A Cambridge-educated engineer based in Kuala Lumpur