Sands of Time

I let the soft blanket caress my skin 

as I sink deep within 

the border between life and death,

hanging loose on a thread.

The rain outside was a constant shower

and with no light from the sun

to comfort me with its warmth, 

I lay here, pondering at my state .

The red line on the monitor 

beeped pace by pace,

gradually getting slower 

within my space.

The hourglass stood on the table-side,

the sand slowly slipping away.

My eyes watched it lose 

every last grain.

The sand slowly slithers 

between its glossy gap,

reminding me 

of what has been gained 

and what has been lost.

Time acts a grain of sand,

trapped within a liminal space,

slipping away from our hands,

beating us in its race.

I wonder 

how much of the sand I had wasted; 

how much I had let go 

because no matter how much I grasp,

it still falls away in its gaps.

But time beyond the border 

is endless.

Life is temporary,

preparing us for the next.

And like an hourglass 

which can be turned to start over,

we can forge a new path.

A paradise, that can last forever.

I close my eyes,

a tear runs down my cheek.

My body, light and frail,

reaching its peak. 

The sand finally finishes,

heaping up into a pile.

Then, a flatline 

as I drift into an eternal slumber 

which will last for more than a while.

By Zarrin Ahmed