A GOLDEN DAY

The subtle beauty of this day

Hangs o'er me like a fairy spell,

And care and grief have flown away,

And every breeze sings, "All is well."

I ask, "Holds earth or sin, or woe?"

My heart replies, "I do not know."

Nay! all we know, or feel, my heart,

Today is joy undimmed, complete;

In tears or pain we have no part;

The act of breathing is so sweet,

We care no higher joy to name.

What reck we now of wealth or fame?

The past--what matters it to me?

The pain it gave has passed away.

The future--that I cannot see!

I care for nothing save today--

This is a respite from all care,

And trouble flies--I know not where.

Go on, oh, noisy, restless life!

Pass by, oh, feet that seek for heights!

I have no part in aught of strife;

I do not want your vain delights.

The day wraps round me like a spell

And every breeze sings, "All is well."

I was not eager to turn 23 today. I was simply wondering if this next year of life will bring another story to tell in the long saga of my personal life. 23 is not an age that beckons excitement nor does it make you feel old...you are simply there at 23 and most of the milestones that age opens to you, have passed. And I realize that it keeps going from here. And I realize that I better make full use of what I have and the time ahead or else what good is all of it?

Inside I'm just as unsettled and ready for adventure and the rest of my life to be lived as I was when I was 18 and trotted off to New York to have some fun. But the interim 5 years have opened up these eyes to a better understanding of the way things just are...but it still leaves me open to what more there just is...