"Allegory of Time Unveiling Truth" by Jean François de Troy‘Memento Mori’: A Sonnet by Sasha A. Palmer The Society April 6, 2021 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 6 Comments . We stick to what we know, what we can touch, Hold in our hands; unable to foretell What lies ahead, denying Time with such Abandonment, pretending we are well Aware of the truth, we close our eyes To reason, snapping pictures of the here And now, though, all the while we do realize There’s more to carpe diem than a mere Old book of snapshots on a dusty shelf, Spring blooms pressed ‘tween the pages—in despair We cling to them, as Time proceeds by stealth To do his silent work, and when we care __To listen, we can hear the silence and— __If only for a moment—understand. . . Sasha A. Palmer is a Russian-born writer and translator, who currently lives in Baltimore, MD. Sasha is the recipient of international awards in poetry and translation. Her work appeared in Writer’s Digest, Slovo/Word, Cardinal Points and elsewhere. Her website is www.sashaapalmer.com NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 6 Responses Cynthia Erlandson April 6, 2021 I love this treatment of the subject of Time, which is a universal concern! Reply Sasha A. Palmer April 6, 2021 Thank you very much for your comment, Cynthia. Reply Joe Tessitore April 7, 2021 This poem keeps drawing me back. It resonates with me in an unsettling way, on a level of myself that I’m not all that comfortable with. Reply Sasha A. Palmer April 7, 2021 Thank you, Joe, I appreciate your comment. Reply Susan Bryant April 7, 2021 Sasha, this thought-provoking sonnet taps into the ever-present shadow of death and the melancholy of our own mortality perfectly. I like the way that Time hovers like the Grim Reaper throughout and the poignancy of your closing couplet is powerful, indeed. Thank you! Reply Sasha A. Palmer April 7, 2021 Thank you very much, Susan. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Cynthia Erlandson April 6, 2021 I love this treatment of the subject of Time, which is a universal concern! Reply
Joe Tessitore April 7, 2021 This poem keeps drawing me back. It resonates with me in an unsettling way, on a level of myself that I’m not all that comfortable with. Reply
Susan Bryant April 7, 2021 Sasha, this thought-provoking sonnet taps into the ever-present shadow of death and the melancholy of our own mortality perfectly. I like the way that Time hovers like the Grim Reaper throughout and the poignancy of your closing couplet is powerful, indeed. Thank you! Reply