Circle
by Ron Olsen
Does any of it really matter?
Beyond the golden moment of now?
It seemed so important at the time
Irreplaceable
Unforgettable
Even immortal
A circle with no beginning or end
Protagonist on one side
Antagonist on the other
A story told ten thousand times
Somehow new with each new telling
Never to be forgotten
Leaving onlookers stunned
And silent
Pondering the profound new implications for their lives
Never to be forgotten
Except that it was
Eventually it vanished
And no one remembered
Immortality washed away
By several generations
Of the newest thing
The oh so meaningful
Newest thing
It seemed so important at the time
But as the circle continued to turn
None of the performance held fast
Only the truth of the golden moment
Which was gone as quickly as it had appeared
Until its next appearance
A story told ten thousand times
Somehow new with each new telling
As greatness and nobility continue to exist
Only so long as we remember
Only so long as we have one another
Only so long as we continue to care
Otherwise it dies with us
A phoenix that cannot rise
Meaningless
Finished
Without purpose
With no golden moment left
To give us another chance
At now
To care more for one another
Than for the story
And yet
It seemed so important
At the time
© 2015 Ron Olsen / All rights reserved
Ron Olsen is a Los Angeles based essayist and poet. More of his work can be found here.