This piece is available from my first volume of poetry, Seasons, Vol. 1: Salt of the Earth, available on Amazon! Pick up a copy today! Now! Don’t wait any longer!
Days Grow Shorter
The roar of the county fair
Laughter and conversation fill the air
Usually signaling the unofficial end of summer
Those damp nights in August, the unyielding heat giving way to the slightest chill.
A Polish sausage in one hand.
Deep fried cookie dough in the other.
Leaving the fairgrounds, I notice how the days grow shorter.
The first Friday night of the season.
Humid haze, an aura around stadium lights.
A shiver runs down my spine as I realize I left my jacket at home.
Probably would’ve been a good night for one.
The games kicks off, there’s a roar from the crowd, and I couldn’t care less.
My brain’s preoccupied with the new girl from third period.
Nerves, awkwardness, the plights of growing up.
It’s early in the season, but a lesson in being prepared for when this time of year sneaks up on you.
A few days off after midterms…
“Fall break,” they call it.
I think about the county fair, football games on a Friday night back home.
It’s a reminder of where I’ve been.
Dead leaves rain down across campus.
Soggy air fills my nose.
I hop on the bus at 5PM, noticing the impending nightfall enveloping the university.
Holding my backpack.
Accounting for all of my textbooks.
It’s a reminder of where I’m going.
Shutting down the office.
Closing sales. Working late.
The dullest headache creeping in from staring at a screen all day.
I step outside and the frigid night slaps me across my face.
I wonder where the time has gone.
Yet, I’m thankful I can realize it’s going, if not only for this moment of recognition to slow down and live in the moment a little while longer.
The things they tell you when you’re younger.
Those things you largely ignore.
About the fleeting nature of time.
It sinks in with age, like a cinder block in the back of your mind.
I haven’t worn a costume in years.
Nowadays, Halloween is a lot calmer.
But, the sight of a jack-o-lantern takes me back.
I think about those carefree days, the excitement of a party.
Planning, organizing, enjoying.
Those days are bottled up now, but I remember to uncork one every once in a while.
Years pass and yet this remains the same.
The seasons serve as checkpoints.
Just listen to what the sun and the moon are telling us.
This is a time to rest, and a time to reflect.
We can appreciate what we’ve accomplished.
We can savor fond memories.
We can cherish time spent with family and friends.
We can look forward to what’s to come in all our grandest plans.
The change in season offers a chance to regain perspective.
It’s a chance for closure.
To reset our feet beneath us.
And, it’s the type of thing that can restore you, if you’re wise enough to let it.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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