A Day In The Strife

The alarm clock tolls
earlier than I need

Out of bed I roll
with all my aches 
and creaky joints
that scream out middle age 

I feel old

Thread bare and worn

Way too much time spent
on self induced detours
that took me 
to my home here in nonessential 

Not enough minutes left
for a course alteration
to offset the accumulation  
of time wasting trips 

Missing out on all the things
I should have done 
and could have been
when I was young
and full of potential

The die is cast
in the sins of the past
saddled down
with all these
useless regrets