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Time in a Bottle

So many years ago I placed the bottle
On a kitchen shelf out of reach
From any of the little ones.

At first a day wouldn’t pass
Without me craving
What was inside
But the urge would fade
Convinced I’d be a better man
For keeping my thoughts
Clean of mean spirits.

As time wore on I flipped through
Photographs of baptisms
And vacations and graduations
Less worried today
About anyone’s safety
Mindful of placing a few calls
On Sunday afternoon.

Sometimes when I sit alone
Rereading novels I first studied
In college I wonder
How alive I’d be
If that bottle
Had ever been emptied.


september two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved