To every soul a time shall betide
An ever flowing river of delight and dismay.
Time does not favour nor abide,
Its unseen hand potent and incapable of decay.
Bodies flourish with joyous song and dance,
Reeds swaying in the whispering breeze.
A cocoon of embrace and love, more than a glance.
O river of delight, hear the pleas to freeze.
Alas bodies bound to weep and mourn,
A stormy sea brimmed with wailing.
Uprooted and piece-by-piece torn.
O river of dismay, hear the pleas for bailing.
And yet time, bearing our continuous whine,
Cannot deny, He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Meaning behind it → This is a poem I submitted for my English assignment in my first year of university. We were given three themes to choose from, and out of all of them, I was most drawn to ‘time’. This alone was very vague, and I remember struggling for such a long time to figure out what I wanted to do with this single word. That is when inspiration struck, and I was reminded of Ecclesiastes 3, a whole chapter dedicated to how there is a time for everything. This poem is a reminder how there are times of both delight and dismay, but that does not make it an enemy. Rather, it is a blessing to have time, and the importance is how we use and react to it. My reminder to you, wonderful reader, is to appreciate time in both the highs and lows of life. Make the absolute most of each second you have: smile at someone, hug the people in your life and even strangers, tell the people in your life that you love and appreciate them. Time is only an enemy if you make it one.
This poem is profoundly moving. I love how you personify time as an ever‑flowing river—impartial, unstoppable, and yet deeply intertwined with our joy and sorrow. The contrast between “delight and dismay” feels so true to lived experience, especially in how you capture both the urge to freeze beautiful moments and the plea for rescue in times of loss.
Knowing this was inspired by Ecclesiastes 3 adds even more depth. Your closing lines beautifully echo that truth: time is not cruel in itself—it simply is, and meaning comes from how we meet it. This poem feels like both a reflection and a gentle invitation: to be present, to love more intentionally, and to honour each season as it arrives.
Thank you for this reminder that time is only an enemy if we treat it as one. This was a gift to read.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful words. It is good to be reminded that time granted to us is a gift and neither an enemy nor an entitlement. I am eagerly looking forward to future posts.
May your talent be used in service of our Heavenly Father.