My last post, “When Time Stands Still,” about the difference between perceived time and real-time, prompted Reader, Marie-Claire to share with me her brilliant poem entitled “Soon.” It speaks to our very human ambivalence regarding time, and I’m delighted to share it below.

Soon…
by Marie-Claire Lander

Soon, but no sooner,
As soon as we can.
We’re trying our best.
Sorry for the delays.

Soon teeters on the brink of now…
And retreats once more
Into the past and future
Soon, a broken chain link of promises…

For some soon is never enough

But for others, soon half rhymes with doom.

Soon is a ball you want to kick forever
Forward, as long as you can
As hard as you can
As far as you can.

Nobody wants to hear the diagnostic,
The prognosis, the uncertainty.
Soon is always too soon.
And later becomes a cherished word. 

And so it goes.
We bargain with time,
Plead, cajole it into action
Or inaction.

Soon,
Is a balloon
Floating,
Hovering in wishful skies.

A native of Anjou, France, Mrs. Lander received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the Université Catholique de l’Ouest. Her sense of adventure led her to New Zealand where she studied at Auckland Teachers College and began teaching French in high schools. It was while in New Zealand, that her first poems were published in the University Journal.
She now resides with her husband Hal in Wilmington, NC where she continues to pursue her life long passions of poetry, nature photography, and French translation.

All poetry copyright Marie-Claire Lander 2018. All rights reserved.