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The Poetry and Short Stories
of
Paul Curtis
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The Writing Forum’s Poet of the Month - October 2008
~ THE WRITING FORUM’S WRITER of the YEAR - 2011 ~
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AUTHOR’S BIO:
I live and work in Woking, Surrey in southern England although I was born in Caterham in the same county but have never returned to the town of my birth since I left as a small child.
I have been writing for over twenty years and my wife and my three children are my greatest inspirations.
I began writing principally for my own amusement although over the past few years I have had some success in getting my work published in a variety of journals and periodicals.
I have epic poetry, flash fiction, and several short stories published here at The Writing Forum. To access any, please click on the appropriate link below:
EPIC POETRY
A COLLECTION OF SIX SHORT STORIES
“THE ABBOTSFORD CHRONICLES - parts 1, 2, and 3”
“THE HOUSE GUEST - parts 1 and 2”
FLASH FICTION (4)
My Email: paul.curtis1956@btinternet.com
POETRY BY PAUL CURTIS
Click on the button next to any poem title in the list below
to be linked to that poem’s location on the page:
 WHEN LOVE FILLS THE HEART
AT LONG DISTANT HILLS
WITH SALT WATER BLOOD
TRUE COOL
SOLITUDE IS NOT A NEGATIVE
DARKNESS EVADES THE LIGHT
TRUE LOVE ARRIVED
THEY WALKED IN SILENCE
MOTHER NATURE DRESSED
THE SHADOW OF GOLGOTHA
ON A HILL IN CALVARY
VIA DOLOROSA
WHEN CHILDREN LEAVE THE FAMILY HOME
GOD’S DEVOTEES
EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD
UNDER THE BLUE AND SUNNY SKY
GOD’S COUNTRY
THE VERY FIRST LOOK
WITH MY PETTY JEALOUSY
TALES OF THE RIVERBANK
PLUVIAL SEATTLE
SHADOW DWELLER
SUMMER RAIN
ST. ANTHONY
LOOK AFTER HER
THE HARDEST THING TO SAY WAS GOODBYE
A BOOK ON THE SHELF
IN THE MEADOW
WE LIVE IN A CYNICAL WORLD
WHAT GREATER COMPLIMENT
THE SEASONS COME AND GO - SPRING
GREEN BELT
WHAT WILL BECOME OF OUR DESIRE?
I HAVE GIVEN UP FOR LENT
WHAT CAN I GIVE UP?
WHO LOVES US?
I REMEMBER LINDA
THAT’S LOVE THAT IS
AT THE ANNUAL PANCAKE RACE
I THOUGHT I’D TRY TOSSING A PANCAKE
TOSSING A PANCAKE
JANE AND I
BE GENTLE WITH THE EARTH
ONLY SKIN DEEP
BENIGN SPIRIT
THEY FOLLOW THEIR HEARTS
BUT DON’T TELL ME
AS JOYOUS AS A SONG
HAND HOLDING
THREE KISSES
WINTER’S GRIP
DO YOU REMEMBER DANCING ALONG WITH HARRY?
WHEN DID ACQUAINTANCE
A NEW DAY DAWNING
ARTISTIC PRACTICE
WHEN WILL I REACH THE MAIN EVENT?
HOPE SITS
A ROSE
I LOVE YOU DARLING WARTS AND ALL
WHAT RICH TAPESTRY
DRAWN LIKE A MOTH
ON THAT AND THIS
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WHEN LOVE FILLS THE HEART
When love fills the heart
Until it overflows
There is but one thing to-do
As everyone knows
And that is to share it out
With friends and foes
AT LONG DISTANT HILLS
In my youth I looked fearlessly
At long distant hills
Squinting to bring them into focus
With a feeling of contempt
But old age has quickly delivered me
To those once distant hills
As now I stand before them
And I am fearful
Feeling contempt for myself
For not embracing every step
Along that short journey
But its only idle reflection
And regret is useless
For the hills are no longer distant
And now the race is almost run
WITH SALT WATER BLOOD
With salt water blood
The valiant mariners
Are bound to the sea
By unseen chains
And serve their mistress
In sun and rain
But when gales blow
And storm and tempest
Batters and bloodies
They pray to the master
To be carried to shore
And when land sits
Beneath their feet
They crave a deck
And a rolling sea
And are drawn back
To their mistress
TRUE COOL
They’re the “in crowd”
The cool ones
The clique
Wearing the right clothes
Saying the right things
Defining cool
The un-cool sit
On the outside looking in
Wishing to be “in”
They bully and barrack
And show off to the crowd
The shallow crew
Sneering at cleverness
Shaming the boffins
In front of their crowd
Soon they will know
They have no future
They’re the cool fools
Don’t be envious
Stay with your peers
Friendship rocks
Just stand fast
Stick with your friends
That’s true cool
SOLITUDE IS NOT A NEGATIVE
Solitude is not a negative
That’s something I’ve always known
And for the sake of your sanity
Escape the combat zone
And once in a while
Spend some time alone
DARKNESS EVADES THE LIGHT
Darkness evades the light
It retreats into tight corners
And hides just out of reach
Where the light stops short
And the darkness waits
Patiently biding its time
As the day ebbs away
And the shadows lengthen
Until the darkness rules again
TRUE LOVE ARRIVED
True love arrived
Like a bolt from the blue
In a chance encounter
At a place and point in time
Someway distant
From that which they should
Separately have occupied
But the fates conspired
A serendipitous event
To bring them, unwillingly,
To that blessed point
Of momentary symmetry
When they glimpsed
Their separate histories
And shared future
THEY WALKED IN SILENCE
They walked in silence
Two halves of a whole
Palm against palm
Soul against soul
MOTHER NATURE DRESSED
Mother Nature dressed
In her splendorous gown
Brings forth the beauty
Of spring’s abundant pallet
Awakening the meadows
From winter’s slumber
Bathing them in sunlight
Drawing the flowers forth
THE SHADOW OF GOLGOTHA
Our lord beaten and bloody
Sent to die like a criminal
To add insult upon injury
Atop his tousled curls
Was set a thorny crown
Pressed into his scalp
He carried his cross
Upon his bloodied back
Through narrow streets
To the baying of the crowds
Then onto the hill of Calvary
Where the prince of peace
Was nailed to his cross of pain
And dealt the final blow
His side pierced by a spear
His earthly life ebbing away
Through the open wound
He called out to God
But not for vengeance
He asked that they be forgiven
And his cross of pain
Cast a Holy shadow
Across the world
That reached every corner
But the shadow cast
Was not one of darkness
But one of light
A divine light
The light of love
Which still shines today
For it is the eternal light of God
ON A HILL IN CALVARY
On a hill in Calvary
In a savage unenlightened time
Nailed upon a rugged cross
By brutal hand
They thought to kill a man
To snuff out his light
That light of purest love
Unquenchable, indestructible
On that hill in Calvary
He died for us
The shadow of that cross
Cast upon the bloody land
Was an illuminating shadow
That spread light and love
Shining across millennia
Unquenchable, indestructible
On that hill in Calvary
He died for us
In that savage unenlightened time
Murdered by brutal hand
Humiliated, dehumanized
But through his love for us
And his sacrifice for us
He redeemed us
VIA DOLOROSA
The path that Jesus walked
Carrying his cross with him
Was the Via Dolorosa
In the old city of Jerusalem
It was the way of sorrows
The way of grief
The way of suffering
For his life so brief
WHEN CHILDREN LEAVE THE FAMILY HOME
When children leave the family home
No matter where the children roam
Despite the passing of the years
Its mum they want to wipe away the tears
When the world slaps them in the face
They head straight to that one special place
Where the door is always open wide
Where they know they can safely abide
Safely ensconced in that special place
That is a mother’s warm embrace
GOD’S DEVOTEES
You will find in any holy place
Every up turned face
Of the congregation there
With the power of prayer
Can achieve both great and small
With faith and prayer is all
A fellowship on their knees
A family of God’s devotees
EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD
From the Bell Rock Light House
And the North Sea swells
To the Newfoundland grand banks
Were the hardy seamen dwell
I will follow you to the ends of the earth
Because you’re my special mademoiselle
UNDER THE BLUE AND SUNNY SKY
Under the blue and sunny sky
I open my heart and sing
In praise to the heavenly father
For the beauty of the morning
And raise up my hands in worship
Of my one true God and King
GOD’S COUNTRY
The breeze on my face was still warm
Though the sun was setting
With the horizon a kaleidoscope of colour,
There would be more rain before morning.
And the thunder would return.
The grass was still wet underfoot
And the air was heavy with that earthy
Just rained on fragrance
Overhead through the leafy canopy
Was the quiet whispering of the breeze
Followed by a hail of displaced raindrops
And I smiled to myself and thanked God
That I should live in such a place
THE VERY FIRST LOOK
The very first look,
Little more than a glance really,
Is almost cursory in nature
Yet seems to be one of recognition
But you are a stranger to me.
So why if that is the case,
When our eyes meet,
Do the hairs stand up?
On the back of my neck
Now my skin is tingling
Like I’m full of electricity
My mouth is dry
And I think I’m actually blushing
I see confusion on your face
Is this the same for you?
Do you feel it too?
Why does a stranger affect me so?
What is this feeling?
What’s happening?
Who are you?
Now you are smiling
You do feel it too
Well, smiling stranger
Is this love at first sight?
Or is it déjà vu
WITH MY PETTY JEALOUSY
Sibilant whisperings
Greeted me
For it was I
Who stole their glee
The gathering
Looked upon me
As the architect
Of their misery
They could barely
Keep their hate inside
At this wedding
Without a bride
It was all my doing
With my petty jealousy
And with it in me
I had made her flee
TALES OF THE RIVERBANK
A bee sipping nectar from a flower
A sparrow sipping dew from a leaf
A butterfly on his way to somewhere
Pays us a visit but it was only brief
A duck quacks out on the water
And we hear a Kingfisher splash
An elegant swan glides effortlessly by
And the dragonfly makes a dash
PLUVIAL SEATTLE
I am a sun worshipper by nature
An inclement climate doesn’t suit
But I love you with all my heart
You’re pretty and witty and cute
But now you’re off to Washington
You have decided to totally uproot
And relocate to Seattle of all places
A place of frequent rain by repute
So should I trade the Californian Sun?
For the long wet winter commutes
I worship you more than the sun
You’re pretty and witty and cute
So even Seattle’s pluvial reputation
Will not deter me from pursuit
SHADOW DWELLER
I have always been content
To live in the shadows
Avoiding the limelight
Keeping out of the sun
Living on the fringes of life
Bathing in the reflected glory of my peers
Living life vicariously
Keeping the world at arms length
And keeping a low profile
Laughing at other people’s jokes
Rejoicing in other peoples good fortune
Cheering on other people’s success
Crying at other people’s weddings
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride
Always the uncle, never the father
Always the friend, never the lover
And why not? no harm no foul
Its safe wrapping yourself in Clingfilm
Living a sterile life, protected
Against the pain and hurt
That fills the world
And I was more than happy to do it
And I thought myself the better for it
But now I realise
I am incomplete
I have lived a half-life
Taking no risks
Not opening my shell
By not exposing myself to the dangers
I have denied myself the pleasures
Well no more will I be content
I will no longer inhabit the shadows
No more will I view life from the fringes
I want to be blinded by the limelight
I want to walk in the sunlight
Before it’s too late to live a full life
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SUMMER RAIN
It rained an hour ago
Short and sharp
Now in its wake
The air is clean, fresh
Summer's rich scent
Heavy in the evening air
And from the tree tops
Moving gently in the breeze
Undelivered rain drops fall
Like a maiden's tears
ST. ANTHONY
St. Anthony is a patron saint
Of lost things, articles and bits
I once had a St. Anthony Medal
But I don’t know where to find it
LOOK AFTER HER
Look after her
While you still have her
For there will be no other
So cherish her
And appreciate her
For no one can replace your Mother
THE HARDEST THING TO SAY WAS GOODBYE
The hardest thing to say
Was goodbye
But it had to be said
It took resolve
As hard as granite
But it was said
It wasn’t for the want of love
There was love aplenty
On both sides
But we had grown apart
Sought different goals
And though the regret was deep
The last thing we said
Was goodbye
A BOOK ON THE SHELF
A book on the shelf
Passed by, passed over
Rejected by browsers
Ignored by casual trade
Over looked by readers of discernment
Often handled but never understood
A book on the shelf
Unwanted and unappreciated
Unloved and forlorn waits patiently
For that one special wordsmith
Who will see the small tome
Among the vast bibliotheca
And admire the cover,
The quality of the fabric
Its exquisite binding
He will handle the book
Feel its weight and worth in one carress
And will appreciate its quality.
When he turns the pages
He will engage with the contents
Understanding its language
Each perfect word on each pristine page
This will be a story of such worth
When the wordsmith finds
This book on the shelf
IN THE MEADOW
I so remember that perfect day
When I first saw you
You were walking in the meadow
When you came in view
I so remember that perfect day
When I knew you were the one
As we danced in the meadow
In the afternoon sun
I so remember that perfect day
When you won my heart
And we held hands in the meadow
I never wanted us to part
I so remember that perfect day
When first we met
And we made love in the meadow
As the sun began to set
I so remember that perfect day
When you won my heart
I scatter your ashes in the meadow
And my heart breaks apart
WE LIVE IN A CYNICAL WORLD
We live in a cynical world
So why should we believe
We think our politicians
Are programmed to deceive
We distrust anyone wearing
Their heart on their sleeve
So is it any wonder that
On the whole we disbelieve
Now doubtless you will tag me
As impossibly naive
But for me it is impossible
For me to ever conceive
Of a universe where God
Is absent from the weave
WHAT GREATER COMPLIMENT
What greater compliment
Could be bestowed
On any man
Than to say of him
At the end of his life
“He was faithful and true,
And discharged, with fidelity,
Every trust
Confided to his keeping”
I would settle for that
THE SEASONS COME AND GO - SPRING
The seasons come and go
Almost monotonous I know
One after another, as planned
Like the sweep of a clock hand
Each season reminding us all
That from winter to the fall
Is yet another year slipped by
A step closer to when we die
A depressing thought I know
But let the seasons come and go
For I think it would be a crime
If there was to be no springtime
GREEN BELT
Planning regulations only apply
It seems, to the ordinary people
The rank and file
Those without power or influence
Or the means to fill brown envelopes
Because to politicians and developers
The only green they understand
Is cold hard cash
And they think that the green belt
Is just an inferior grade in Judo
WHAT WILL BECOME OF OUR DESIRE?
What will become
Of our desire?
Will it take us?
Ever higher
To heights only gods
Dare to aspire
What then
Will it just expire?
Or will it perish?
By ice or fire
Or will it deflate
Like a leaky tire
What will become
Of our desire?
I HAVE GIVEN UP FOR LENT
I have given up for lent
Pate de fois gras
Lobster thermadore
And Beluga caviar
Well in a way
I’ve never had them ever
But I won’t have them
Between now and Easter
WHAT CAN I GIVE UP?
For lent you have to give up
Something that you enjoy
Well that gave me a lot more choices
When I was but a boy
Now it’s not quite so easy
I don’t enjoy too much at my age
So I will have to give up being cantankerous
Or just give up road rage
WHO LOVES US?
Who loves us without condition?
Who loves us in their admonition?
Who loves us despite the dirt?
Who do we go to when we’re hurt?
Who shares in all our joys?
Who buys us the best toys?
Who keeps us warm and fed?
Who would prefer a puppy instead?
Who cheers us up when we’re sad?
Who else but mum and dad
I REMEMBER LINDA
I remember way back when,
And my first schoolboy's crush
When just to look at Linda
Was like being hit with a sugar rush
I remember when she said
“I really like your shirt by the way”
Well I was so in love with her
That I wore that shirt every day
THAT’S LOVE THAT IS
My big sister really loves me
I know this because, you see
All her old clothes she gives to me
But that’s not all, I’ve just begun
Because when she is all done
She has to go and buy new ones
That’s love that is
AT THE ANNUAL PANCAKE RACE
At the annual pancake race
The winner is always smug Trace
I’m always at the rear of the chase
Limping home in last place
Then I must congratulate Trace
And engage in a false embrace
When I really what to hear the base
Of the frying pan hitting her face
I THOUGHT I’D TRY TOSSING A PANCAKE
I thought I would try tossing a pancake
Well that turned out to be a big mistake
The first three didn’t leave the pan at all
The next two were sliding down the wall
The only one dispatched with any grace
Then splashed hot fat right in my face
TOSSING A PANCAKE
Tossing a pancake
I can do that
Just get a fry pan
Heat up the fat
Mix up the batter
As easy as that
One on the ceiling
One on the cat
One on the door
One on the mat
One on my head
Like a sweet sticky hat
Webmaster Note: Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Tuesday, Pancake Day,
Mardi Gras, and Fat Tuesday. These are the days preceding Ash Wednesday, the first
day of Lent. In most traditions the day is known for the eating of pancakes before the
start of Lent. Pancakes are eaten as they are made out of the main foods available,
sugar, fat, flour and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during
the former ritual fasting associated with Lent.
JANE AND I
“I’ve been to Wales with Jane”
I was told by my friend
“Then tomorrow Jane and I
Are going to Lands End”
“And I will probably take Jane
To London at the weekend”
I didn’t like to shatter his illusions
But I had to in the end
“Jane is the voice on your SatNav
She’s not a proper girlfriend”
BE GENTLE WITH THE EARTH
Be gentle with the earth
It matters such a lot
Look at the landscape
And don’t be the blot
Be gentle with the earth
It’s the only one we’ve got
ONLY SKIN DEEP
You are truly beautiful
But beauty is only skin deep
Isn’t that what they say?
Only skin deep?
But looking through my eyes
Who ever said those words
Would think that they
Now sound quite absurd
For to say of you
That beauty is just skin deep
Must stir the angels hearts
And make them weep
You are truly beautiful
To the core of your being
It’s not just your skin
That I am seeing
Your beauty emanates
From your soul,
Gracing every atom,
That makes the beautiful whole
From the marrow of your bones
It outwardly flows
So on your lustrous skin
Your beauty glows
BENIGN SPIRIT
Let me surround you
Like a benign spirit
Comforting and protecting
Let me envelope you like a cloak of love
Wrapping you in a goose down quilt
To warm your soul from winters grip
Let me nourish and nurture
And blow gently on the embers of love
In your sad and lonely heart
THEY FOLLOW THEIR HEARTS
They follow their hearts
A congregation of one accord
Singing the heartfelt lyrics
To make sweet music to the lord
BUT DON’T TELL ME
I know you want to end it
But don’t tell me at the hotel
Don’t tell me at the café
I know I won’t take it well
Don’t tell me at the restaurant
Don’t tell me by the pool
Don’t tell me on the beach
Don’t make me look a fool
You can tell me in the ocean
And realize all my fears
Tell me as we swim in the sea
Then you won’t see my tears
AS JOYOUS AS A SONG
My love for you
Is as joyous as a song,
Sung in congregation
With the faithful throng
HAND HOLDING
I always hold my wife’s hand when we’re out
People think it’s so romantic, but it's not
I hold her hand all the time because I know
That if I let it go she’ll start to shop
THREE KISSES
~Number One~
The first nervous kiss,
When tentative
And hesitant lips
Lacking confidence
Lacking conviction
Miss their mark
And teeth collide
~Number Two~
The second kiss
More eagerly awaited
Full of conviction
Yet over confident
Hearts race unchecked
When over eager lips
Engage like spaceships docking
And both parties forget to breathe
~Number Three~
The third kiss
Is eager yet restrained
Slow yet purposeful
And when lips meet
Hearts start racing
But each moment is savoured
This kiss, though not life changing
Will be remembered
WINTER'S GRIP
The snow has settled on us
Like a shroud.
Each day growing deeper
Silence fills the emptiness of the landscape
But for the ghostly sound of the wind
High in the tree tops
The meadows and fields have vanished
The river flows mute beneath the ice
The next valley is unreachable
The mountains as unattainable as the Moon
But soon spring will release the land
From its icy captor
And the winter we be no more
Than remembered conversations
Beside the roaring hearth
DO YOU REMEMBER DANCING ALONG TO HARRY?
Do you remember?
When first we met
When we were set up
By our so called friends
Tony and Gwen,
Who quickly abandoned us?
A quick introduction
Then they were gone
Leaving us with each other
How awkward was that?
Being left with a complete stranger
You would never have chosen me
In a million years
And you were not my perfect choice
I had someone different in mind altogether
But there we were
Having to make small talk
With an unsuitable partner
Making do for the moment
While planning an escape
Then the music started
And I asked you to dance
You reluctantly agreed
I wasn’t bothered either way
I thought just one dance
Then I could desert you
With a clear conscience
Then just as we walked, hesitantly,
Onto the dance floor
The up tempo number ended abruptly
And for a moment there was nothing
Just the two of us feeling foolish
And wondering just how
We could leave the dance floor with our dignity
Then the music began again
And Harry Nilsson started to sing
We looked at each other briefly
And resigned ourselves to our fate
There was an awkward coming together
I gingerly put my arms around you
And we shuffled along to the music
Hoping that time would speed up
And the experience be over quickly
But as we danced along to Harry
The gap between us slowly decreased
Inch by inch until we were as one
And at that moment I felt at home
All thought of escape melted away
I never wanted to leave again
And now I wanted time to stand still
So the dance would never end
We hardly left the dance floor all evening
And when we did it was brief
So eager were we to return to our embrace
“Without you” was the song
That we first danced to
And I have not been without you since
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WHEN DID ACQUAINTANCE
When did acquaintance
Turn into friendship?
When did friendship become affection?
When did affection change to love?
There were no obvious signs
That I can recall
No waves crashing on the rocks
No rockets in the sky
No bells and whistles
No brass band playing
No symbols crashing
But it has happened anyway
Was it when I saw you enter the room?
Or when I first heard you speak
Was it when I heard you laugh?
Or when you first spoke to me
Was it when I saw you smile?
Or when I made you blush
Was it when we danced?
Or when we first held hands
Was it when I stared deeply in to your eyes?
And saw into you soul
Perhaps it was while we kissed
Or when we made love
There was no obvious cause
It was not any one of the above
Yet it was all of them and more
A NEW DAY DAWNING
On the distant horizon
The embers of the dawn
Brightly glow
As God blows gentle breath
Upon the glowing coals
And lights up another day
ARTISTIC PRACTICE
The potter breathing life
Into cold dead clay
An artist and his canvas
Killing the white
The sculptor seeing visions
In the lifeless stone
Wordsmiths weaving
Elaborate fabric with their words
Wood carvers releasing
The image hid within the wood
The unity between hand and mind
Artists and artisans all
WHEN WILL I REACH THE MAIN EVENT?
When will I reach the main event?
I’m tired of dainty canapés
I’ve had too many hors d'oeuvres
They are getting on my nerves
When will I reach the Entrée?
When will I meet the one I seek?
My life long dining companion
HOPE SITS
Hope sits
Upon its primordial throne
A constant, in a sea of change
An unquenchable thirst
An unsatisfied yearning
An unscratchable itch
When all else fails
Hope waits for us all
Since time immemorial
Till the end of time
A ROSE
I thought you pretty as a Rose
A sweet scented beauty
So I gave to you my heart
But you left it broken
And it now lies dying
On a Rose’s bloodied thorns
I LOVE YOU DARLING WARTS AND ALL
I love you Darling warts and all
Though I can’t seem to recall
When we first met at the mall
And we chatted in the food hall
You ever mentioning warts at all
WHAT RICH TAPESTRY
What rich tapestry
Has nature weaved,
This thing of beauty
Crafted by artisan hand
Each stitch and thread,
Singularly ambiguous,
Contributes to the whole
And into this creation
Life was breathed
And light was shone
And there you stand
DRAWN LIKE A MOTH
I moved toward the light
Drawn like a moth to a flame
It was a benevolent light
Not dazzlingly bright
But soft and easy on the eye
And when the vista opened wide
It emerged into serenity
With sweet music everywhere
And love enveloped me
Like a soft blanket
In the place of perfect peace
I stepped among the angels
Where no shadows fall
ON THAT AND THIS
Many hours spent
A whole lifetime lent
Time spent remiss
On that and this
Times sands run
And can’t be undone
Too late to wish
Now stood at the abyss
Time never fails
To balance the scales
Regrets too late
Surrender to fate
Time to repent
Your lifetime lent
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