Time is an enemy of those who fear
the things they do not know
It's an ever growing burden
of more things they can't control
To them it's boundaries as sure as stone
one edge their birth the other unknown.

When young we run for time's our friend
When one is young time is no fence
that stops us short with life half spent
But as years go by all see an end
not clear... but still as sure as stone

It does not surprise the one who thinks
that older people slow their gait and
look around... and now.. can wait.
At times closing their eyes to turn and view
the horizons of their past
The mirage of memories has no bound
'til fading eyes reopen
seeing times boundary ever closer

Some lose their hope they only fear
the things they do not know
An ever growing burden of the
things they can't control

I too know time, I respect its pace
how it meters pain and joy
But I don't fear the great unknown
though death is a mystery that commands respect
it is a force at work in all we see

Time has many beginnings
mine more personal to me
but important to my family...
and the friends I know and see

But time's end is not a boundary
not the last word or final look
It's just a doorway to eternity
through which every soul must pass
the exit of time's cycle
I pray that what you've done will last. 

~ Calvin Bergsma