Forty-First

Another second passes, another minute. You close your eyes, and when you open them again, another month, year, decade has vanished. Your youthful vigor fades in your memories; it seemed you could sail the seas, move mountains, save the world. Now you must be serious, responsible, adult. Office – home, work – sleep. Another vacation, TV, car. You watch as life slips through your fingers. Stress increasingly weighs on your shoulders, bends your spine toward the ground. Is it fatigue or old age?