New Time

New Time
by Gabe Redel


I’m having a hard time
seeing my favorite stars
from TV shows and bands
reminisce about their prime.

I see their faces today,
a little rounder and grayer,
next to who they were
when they made me smile the most
and I feel
like I’ve lost something.

The younger generations
do not adore Jerry Seinfeld
like I did.
They do not hurt
because Chester, Scott, and Chris
are no longer in this life.

But, of course, I enjoy
the youth.
I enjoy their enthusiasm
for the things
they have never seen
and the things
they have never done.

I would like to find
new heroes.
I would like to hold
the ones I love close
and enjoy what is bright with life today.

And I believe
it was the connection
that I had
with my family who was in the same room with me
that truly made my childhood heroes
hold tightest to my memories.

The passing of time
and the aging of those
we love
does not
and will not
truly pass from our thoughts
and our hearts.

But if we don’t wish
to be alone in our heads
we need to continue
to live as humans
were intended to live.

We are explorers.
We need to search
to find new stars
and new loves
and new loved ones
and new desires
that keep our speech fresh
and our courage alive.

Our minds do not travel
forward in time
if we are not able
to let go
of what we once had.