In this Time

Where has it all gone, that awe and amazment we once all held,

A time when we could lay back and listen to the quiet of the rustling trees,
Or watch the sun as it reflected across the stillness of the lake,
A time when we ran outside as soon as we saw the graying clouds,
So that we could feel the first drop of rain upon our skin,
A time when we would stare upwards beneath the night skies,
Waiting in anticipation for that eventual shooting star.
When we would greet the morning by taking a deep breath,
As we watched the golden rays of the sun burst above the horizon,
Or hear the waves as they tossed themselves upon the soft sands beneath our feet.
The crackling of the dried branches as we stared deep into the brilliant flames,
Hearing the laughter of young children as they roll like logs down the steep hill.
Feeling the softness of the fallen blossoms between our toes as the fruit ripens,
And the scented headiness of the Spring, filling our lungs with every breath we took.
All these things we once possessed and we cherished them above all else,
Only to give them away for pursuits that bring us far less as we lay claim to the envy of others.
Avrom Aryeh-Zuk Kahana