The Shape of the World as I See It

For all the problems
I see around me,
I prefer no time
to my time(really,
they were all the same
but now you can see
both light and dark. No
longer do we sit
in complete ignorance
while others tell us
how great we are);
no age to my
present age(though
sometimes in the aches
and pains, it sounds nice
to be a younger self--the pain
of the fire that burns
too intensely and forgets
more frequently that life is
the only real gift far
outweighs these signs
that I've come far enough
to delight in what the world
offers);  no place but my
place(the spirit
of wandering sings
loud and the lure of having
ever more and more
persuades, until I think
of the hours and days and weeks and years
expended in keeping
all fine and catch a glimpse
of me as servant to all
that owns me,
and know that however
far I go, I long still
for a place of retreat).

In short, I can be
content if I settle
down to be.