The years roll by
Too quickly now.

Where has it gone:
That spark of youth?

My eyes grow dim
My hearing fades.

Yet there is respite
From my ills.

When I am tired
And filled with pain,

I dream of you
And youth again.

Much time I spend
In rest - asleep.

For there I live
Anew, refreshed.

I romp in fields
Chase rabbits, squirrels.

I am not old
But young again.

And in my thoughts
I hear once more

Your echoed voice
In joyful play.

I will not stir
From sweet repose.

So do not taunt
These mortal coils.

The guardian dogs
Watch over me,

And will dispatch
Thee, cursed flea!

And when these guardian dogs
Strike out,

They do not halt
My dreams of you.

Long practice
Has so honed their skill.

With teeth and jaw
And growl most fierce,

The flea is gone,
No sleep is lost.

My merry romps
Continue on.

I dream of you
And youth again.



james e. seltzer - june 20, 1997