A realization has been clarifying
Surfacing amid currents of incubation
From which my truths and convictions
Emerge, fix, and enlighten my ways
Living feels increasingly like
The experience of a one-night stand
So many—perhaps all—of my enjoyments
Lack permanence, will depart; will leave me bereft
Five years adjusting—enjoying—a life in a new city
Friendships I made, vocational commitments
Departing to another new city
Making friends, vocational commitments
And even persisting in one place a long time
Businesses grow, downsize, lay off
Long-established establishments adjust
To the market’s demands, aging demographics
When a person is young, time feels long
One year is like an eternity
And few things change in one year
So it looks like things will always be
But with the perspective of many years
And the witness of businesses, clubs, and restaurants that close
Friends who move away, get terminally sick
One sees that happiness is subject to fortune
And so one takes the pleasure that the moment affords
Knowing that it may end precipitously
And that enjoyment may be over
Yet one partakes in full, aware that it is fleeting
Awake to its transitory nature
Courageously enjoying, not denying
What happiness a given situation affords
David Fekete 