The Passage Of Time Poems

Published: October 2017

The passage of time is something we all experience. For some, time passes slowly. For others, it goes by way too quickly.

12 Poems About Time Passing

The Old Mill
- By J. R. Eastwood
Famous Poem

The Old Mill's by J. R. Eastwood captures the essence of a century-long journey through the life of a mill, using poignant imagery and repetition to convey the constancy of nature's rhythms amidst the passage of time. Through the mill's enduring presence, the poem reminds us of the unchanging beauty of the world, the cycle of generations, and the eternal embrace of love and faith.

in Famous Poems

One hundred years the mill has stood:
One hundred years the dashing flood
Has turned the wheel with roaring sound,
Through foaming waters, round and round.

One hundred years the mill has stood:
One hundred years the dashing flood
Has turned the wheel with roaring sound,
Through foaming waters, round and round.

One hundred years: and overhead
The same broad roof of blue is spread;
And in the meadows, bright and green,
The miller's children still are seen.

And thus the world is still the same:
The sunset clouds are turned to flame;
And while we live, and when we die,
The lark still carols in the sky.

And others rise to fill our place;
We sleep, and others run the race:
And earth beneath and skies above
Are still the same; and God is love.
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The Door Of Dreams
- By Jessie B. Rittenhouse
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The poem "The Door of Dreams" by Jessie Belle Rittenhouse explores the theme of missed opportunities and the transformative power of seizing the right moment. The narrator reflects on their past hesitations and missed chances to explore the possibilities presented by the Door of Dreams. The open door symbolizes opportunities and aspirations that the narrator has previously overlooked. However, on one fateful day, the narrator discovers that the door is open, and this time, they encounter someone, "You," standing there. This encounter signifies a turning point where the narrator decides to take a chance and step through the door. The poem uses vivid imagery to convey the allure of the Door of Dreams and the significance of encountering someone who inspires them to take action. The repetition of the open door motif emphasizes the recurring opportunities in life, urging readers not to miss their chance for personal growth and fulfillment

in Famous Poems

I often passed the Door of Dreams
But never stepped inside,
Though sometimes, with surprise, I saw
The door was open wide.

I often passed the Door of Dreams
But never stepped inside,
Though sometimes, with surprise, I saw
The door was open wide.

I might have gone forever by,
As I had done before,
But one day, when I passed, I saw
You standing in the door.
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In Time's Swing
- By Lucy Larcom
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"In Time's Swing" by Lucy Larcom is a lyrical exploration of the passage of time, conveyed through the metaphor of swinging through the seasons. The speaker is a passive observer, carried along by Father Time on a rhythmic journey through the year. The poem celebrates the beauty and transience of each season, from the hopeful promise of spring to the melancholic surrender to winter. Larcom's vivid imagery and musical language create a sense of wonder and acceptance of life's cyclical nature. The poem ultimately suggests a bittersweet resignation to the inevitable march of time, even as it invites the reader to cherish the beauty of each passing moment.

in Famous Nature Poems

Father Time, your footsteps go
Lightly as the falling snow.
In your swing I'm sitting, see!
Push me softly; one, two; three,

Father Time, your footsteps go
Lightly as the falling snow.
In your swing I'm sitting, see!
Push me softly; one, two; three,
Twelve times only. Like a sheet,
Spread the snow beneath my feet.
Singing merrily, let me swing
Out of winter into spring.

Swing me out, and swing me in!
Trees are bare, but birds begin
Twittering to the peeping leaves,
On the bough beneath the eaves.
Wait,—one lilac bud I saw.
Icy hillsides feel the thaw.
April chased off March to-day;
Now I catch a glimpse of May.

Oh, the smell of sprouting grass!
In a blur the violets pass.
Whispering from the wildwood come
Mayflower's breath and insect's hum.
Roses carpeting the ground;
Thrushes, orioles, warbling sound:—
Swing me low, and swing me high,
To the warm clouds of July.

Slower now, for at my side
White pond lilies open wide.
Underneath the pine's tall spire
Cardinal blossoms burn like fire.
They are gone; the golden-rod
Flashes from the dark green sod.
Crickets in the grass I hear;
Asters light the fading year.

Slower still! October weaves
Rainbows of the forest leaves.
Gentians fringed, like eyes of blue,
Glimmer out of sleety dew.
Meadow green I sadly miss:
Winds through withered sedges hiss.
Oh, 't is snowing, swing me fast,
While December shivers past!

Frosty-bearded Father Time,
Stop your footfall on the rime!
Hard you push, your hand is rough;
You have swung me long enough.
"Nay, no stopping," say you? Well,
Some of your best stories tell,
While you swing me—gently, do!—
From the Old Year to the New.
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Time
- By Joe Massocco
- Published by Family Friend Poems February 2015 with permission of the Author.
Although I am only 26 years of age, I feel as if (in reference to The Rolling Stones' great song) time is no longer on our side. My family gets smaller as the years pass. I no longer have any grandparents, and the rest of the family rarely talks or gets along. I'm sure each reader thinks about how they really wish they appreciated their youth more, but we can't stop time; we can only cherish it.

Poem About How Time Flies

in Poems about Life Struggles

Tick tock...tick tock...
Life is counting down on your internal clock.

Memories that feel as if they occurred yesterday

Tick tock...tick tock...
Life is counting down on your internal clock.

Memories that feel as if they occurred yesterday
turn to flashes of moments that seem to fade away.

People you once knew
walk by without a clue.

The times you once shared
exist as if you were never there.

Years fly...friends die...
and you never know when you'll say your last goodbye.

Oh, how I wish I could turn back time,
spend it with loved ones and cherish what once was mine.

Or to go back even more,
being a kid in a candy store.

How I miss the way I used to feel
on Christmas day when Santa was real.

But back to reality...back to today,
family is scarce and memories continue to fade away.

Tick tock...tick tock...
How I wish I could control this clock.

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It’s not that we forget to live. We always have this thought in our mind, but the sad reality is that even after knowing how precious our time is and realizing our limited time on earth, all...

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A Poem About Time
- By Anxhelo Llangozi
- Published by Family Friend Poems October 2016 with permission of the Author.
I wrote this poem while I was wasting time when I could have been doing something productive, so it is kind of a motivational poem to me. It also explains how time is infinite and the only thing that is consistent in life. No matter what someone is going through in life, time will keep on moving.

Reflective Poem About The Perception Of Time

in Meaningful Poems

Time is slow, time is fast.
It never stops, but it always lasts.
It's time for bed, it's time for school.
To waste your time is to be a fool.

Time is slow, time is fast.
It never stops, but it always lasts.
It's time for bed, it's time for school.
To waste your time is to be a fool.

If the time is right, the timing will be perfect.
Having the time of your life will always be worth it.
Some spend their time mad,
Some spend their time sad.
For some people time is all they ever had.

Some spend their time and some people save it.
Some love wasting time and some people hate it.
People waste time being in jail
People waste time being mad when they fail.

Some people have lots of time to spare.
Others spend their time not having a care.
It's time to stop, it's time to go.
Time can move fast or it can move slow.

You can lose yourself or lose your mind,
But as life goes on you will never lose time.
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Sisters made a great impact on my life. In 1949, at age six, I was brought to St Clara's Orphanage because neighbors found me alone in an empty house. It just so happened that I was born with...

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Time
- By Ebony Black
- Published by Family Friend Poems October 2021 with permission of the Author.
This poem came to me when I was thinking about my childhood. Everything seemed simpler then, but now things are harder. People who were once close friends have drifted away, and I feel the time that's gone.

Time Goes Too Fast

in Change Poems

Time is endless but goes too fast.
You long for the future, then yearn for the past.
Summer's heat quickly turns to frost,
A child grows, their innocence lost.

Time is endless but goes too fast.
You long for the future, then yearn for the past.
Summer's heat quickly turns to frost,
A child grows, their innocence lost.

Time forever slips away,
With the setting sun and each dawn of a day.
The blossoms give way to falling leaves,
Another life taken; their family grieves.

Time can pass quickly, there's never enough.
You miss when it was easy; now life is too tough.
The long hot days yield to the winter chill,
A new life begins, while another stops still.

Time is something you can never gain,
It only passes and brings new pain.
A warm spring shower turns to freezing snow,
People enter your life, only to leave you and go.

Time reminds you of all that you've lost,
You try and regain it, but there's always a cost.
The warmth of the sun bows down to the cold,
A person once young, now frail and old.

Time is wasted every day,
Spent on moments that fade away.
So think carefully, think wisely about what you will do
With the limited time that is given to you.
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Time Keeps Marching On
- By Patricia A Fleming
- Published by Family Friend Poems February 2022 with permission of the Author.
The poem is about how time passes and what's really important is how we've used that time.

Reflecting On The Passage Of Time

in Life Lesson Poems

Time passes all so quickly,
Moments melting into years.
It's true, time waits for no one,
And the end is always near.

Time passes all so quickly,
Moments melting into years.
It's true, time waits for no one,
And the end is always near.

We live a life so tenuous,
So easily it's gone.
And no matter what we each endure,
Time keeps marching on.

We take refuge in the moment,
And we cling to every day.
We pretend it's all forever,
Just to keep the end at bay.

We hearken back to childhood,
When the world was filled with treasures,
And our lives and what the future held
Was beyond what we could measure.

When our family was our everything,
There was still no place like home.
And with our best friends by our sides,
We came into our own.

And though we took our private paths,
We all have kept in mind
That in life our greatest struggle
Is our battle against time.

Will we get to know what true love is?
Will we have the things we need?
Will we conquer all our greatest fears?
Will we fail or will we succeed?

And then as we grow older,
And the future shrinks away,
Our lives become more memories
And less about today.

We share our wisdom and our hope
With the children in our lives,
And say good-bye to those we loved,
Who once stood by our side.

But there's a peace in growing old,
As time becomes more dear.
And who we are and why we're here
Becomes so crystal clear.

And we see time is not the enemy,
But how that time was lived.
And if we took all that we could,
Or gave all that we could give.

For in our final hours,
As our time begins to wane.
The goodness that our soul's bestowed,
Is all that shall remain.
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Another lovely poem, Patricia - keep them coming. Very best wishes, Ann

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In The Blink Of An Eye
- By Ophelia E. Shakespeare
- Published by Family Friend Poems June 21, 2023 with permission of the Author.
I lost my best friend this year to breast cancer at the age of 28. I wrote this poem about how precious time is and how quickly it passes. I didn't want to write about her death, though I have. I wanted to convey the message of how quickly time passes, to reflect that message with the hope that it will encourage people to take what time they have and make the most of it.

Poem Reflecting On Life's Fleeting Moments

in Meaningful Poems

Fleeting eternity
surrounds the mountaintop,
nestled in a lush green valley
time forgot.

Fleeting eternity
surrounds the mountaintop,
nestled in a lush green valley
time forgot.

We're born, we learn,
and sometimes we weep.
No thought of time,
it quietly creeps.

Stones skimmed
through freshwater streams.
Breathing the harmony
of childish dreams.

We frolic, we flourish,
often in haste.
Time saunters by,
ample to waste.

Where seconds seem
to have immortality,
distant clouds tick to the beat
of our destiny.

We aspire, we desire,
we love and fulfil.
Time, we notice,
hasn't stood still.

It unravels
and unleashes.
It's sentimental,
yet sprightly releases.

We respired, we loved.
The winds of change blew.
Time we pursued,
yet it silently flew.

Gently fade into the
midnight hour of peace.
Our dreams immersed,
their flickers cease.

Ashes will carry
on a summer breeze.
Floating skyward
beyond the willow trees.

From earth to heaven
with God's grace and a prayer.
Listen to your heart,
you can find me there.
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As Time Passes
- By Jenni-fiere M. Bivens
- Published by Family Friend Poems May 2006 with permission of the Author.
Fill in the blank; the life you see could be your own.

Poem On Time Going By So Fast

in Life Lesson Poems

As the seconds pass,
We look back
At what our lives have held.

As the seconds pass,
We look back
At what our lives have held.

As the minutes pass,
We see what fell through the cracks.
Parts of our lives we withheld.

As the hours pass,
We think of what we learned,
What we have taught,
What we have forgot.

As the days pass,
We wish a lot could be returned.
We wish we would have never fought
You hope they forget me not.

As years pass,
You stand alone.
They have all grown,
Married and gone
Or on their own.

As your life passes,
You stand proud,
Looking how well they raise their own.
You did well.
Live on...
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The poem really hit home with me. I decided to use this for a compare and contrast essay for my literature class.

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Only Time Will Remain
- By Crystal Lewis
- Published by Family Friend Poems March 2019 with permission of the Author.
This poem captures the idea that only time remains. Time has been there throughout history and it will remain after we pass. Time cannot be captured nor frozen.

in Meaningful Poems

It's unbranded and unclaimed,
Elusive and in vain.
It ebbs and it flows,
Wishing away as it goes.

It's unbranded and unclaimed,
Elusive and in vain.
It ebbs and it flows,
Wishing away as it goes.

Present and past,
Fleeting and fast.
It whispers in the wind,
To the oceans and back again.

It echoes of battle cries
Where the red rivers once rose.
Under moonlit skies,
It witnessed the first breath and ashes last cast.

It heals the broken and bruised,
Has been abused and misused.
Infinite and untamed,
Only time will remain.
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Crystal, really enjoyed the thoughtfulness of this poem. Gave me much to consider about time. Great job! Brought to mind a silly thought I once had: "Can the hands of a clock grasp the...

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Time
- By Andres G. Rendon
- Published by Family Friend Poems August 2016 with permission of the Author.
It is about time being ever-changing and everlasting.

Time Is Everlasting

in Poems about Life Struggles

Time
Has always been there.
It was the beginning,
And it's going to be the end.

Time
Has always been there.
It was the beginning,
And it's going to be the end.
It is forever changing, never the same as it was before.
It was a minute here,
A century there.
It saw the creation of everything,
And it will see the destruction of all.
It is a universal and eternal entity.
We regret when we waste it.
We wish we had more when we run out.
However, when we do have it, we don't use it wisely.
We waste it, believing that we'll have it forever.
We don't realize that it'll eventually leave us,
Continuing long after we're gone.
It is neither a friend nor an enemy.

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In The Middle
- By Barbara Crooker
- Published by Family Friend Poems August 2020 with permission of the Author.
We’d bought a hammock for our son, who has autism, as it was supposed to help with some of his sensory issues. But we decided we really liked using it! And somehow, that made me start meditating about time.

Reflecting On The Passage Of Time

in Meaningful Poems

In the middle
of a life that's as complicated as everyone else's,
struggling for balance, juggling time.
The mantle clock that was my grandfather's

In the middle
of a life that's as complicated as everyone else's,
struggling for balance, juggling time.
The mantle clock that was my grandfather's
has stopped at 9:20; we haven't had time
to get it repaired. The brass pendulum is still,
the chimes don't ring. One day you look out the window,
green summer, the next, and the leaves have already fallen,
and a grey sky lowers the horizon. Our children almost grown,
our parents gone, it happened so fast. Each day, we must learn
again how to love, between morning's quick coffee
and evening's slow return. Steam from a pot of soup rises,
mixing with the yeasty smell of baking bread. Our bodies
twine, and the big black dog pushes his great head between;
his tail is a metronome, 3/4 time. We'll never get there.
Time is always ahead of us, running down the beach, urging
us on faster, faster, but sometimes we take off our watches,
sometimes we lie in the hammock, caught between the mesh
of rope and the net of stars, suspended, tangled up
in love, running out of time.

Published in Radiance (Word Press, 2005).
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The Passage Of Time Poems

12 Poems About Time Passing

I wrote this poem while I was wasting time when I could have been doing something productive, so it is kind of a motivational poem to me. It also explains how time is infinite and the only thing that is consistent in life. No matter what someone is going through in life, time will keep on moving.

This poem came to me when I was thinking about my childhood. Everything seemed simpler then, but now things are harder. People who were once close friends have drifted away, and I feel the time that's gone.

The poem is about how time passes and what's really important is how we've used that time.

Fill in the blank; the life you see could be your own.

This poem captures the idea that only time remains. Time has been there throughout history and it will remain after we pass. Time cannot be captured nor frozen.

It is about time being ever-changing and everlasting.

We’d bought a hammock for our son, who has autism, as it was supposed to help with some of his sensory issues. But we decided we really liked using it! And somehow, that made me start meditating about time.