The Lilac Thief

These days are blooming trees
Hours branches, minutes leaves
Moments flowering sweet and ripe
I plucked one for my own
And another, and some more
And decorated myself in blossomed time

I inhaled in the moments, pressed my face in deep
Let a while pass me by, exhaled with dew upon my cheeks
I couldn't help myself when the seconds smelled so sweet
With steady hands I stole a moment more than I should keep

I know these moments cannot stay, they wilt and they decay
A scent enjoyed in gentle breezes passing by
But my thieving ways are here to stay
So I'll be making minute hand bouquets
Bound with knowing smiles and with twine

I'll be wherever you always found me
Living in past tense, counterclockwise

We catch ourselves inside our heads
Asking if we remember when
And the details blur a little worse each time
So who could blame me for attempting
To retain those moments tempting us
With an amber snapshot of a former life?

Nostalgia melts my edges
And I refine my shape in turning counterclockwise

I'm living in the moment, just maybe not this current one
I'd only just got settled as my time was passed and done
And as moments stream on by I hold on for dear life
Searching for a fixed place to stand in the shifting sands of time

And I will not fade to softer lights
Nor dissolve before your very eyes
I will simply be and then I won't
I swear I've made my peace
I've just so truly loved to be
And so pinched some moments more than I was owed

I know these moments cannot stay, they wilt and they decay
A scent enjoyed in gentle breezes passing by
But for a little longer I will be wherever you always found me
Living in past tense, counterclockwise

I know these moments cannot stay