(The Stages of Life (German: Die Lebensstufen): oil painting, 1835 by the German Romantic landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich.)- wikipedia
Dreams, hopes, aspirations
A mind full of expectations
Looking at the world starry-eyed
The world was your oyster, for you to decide
On the road unknown you could embark
You had the will, you had the spark
You were naive to the world’s crooked way
Never heeded what people had to say
You felt like a reservoir of energy vast
You assumed enthusiasm would forever last………..
*
Voices around you clamored for attention
The chatter got louder, causing distraction
Draining the sea of energy from you
Seeping unnoticed as the years flew
Unrealized dreams just withered away
Your existence grew mundane day after day
You narrowed your path to the tried and tested
You embraced the ennui you once had detested
And one day, your gray hair made you realize
You were now middle-aged in the world’s eyes
Boring, predictable but considered respectable
You now had a lifestyle that was fairly stable.
*
As you descend towards life’s twilight
Weakened in limbs, with failing eyesight
You hear faint sounds of death at your door
The initial fear gives way to something more
You do not have anything left to lose
Once more, you feel liberated to choose
To rekindle your passion, your dreams reignite
Through all these years you have earned the right
To be oblivious to what others opine
You are free once again, your life to design
Just like your youth, the difference being one-
You live life each day, and then you are done
You have no aspirations for the future
Only the present that you nourish and nurture.
Passion...unbridled 