There never was a single step I took
That gave me pause enough to call a halt,
And take a magic moment just to look.
With all unshackled now from time's assault
And catch the sparrow dashing from its nook,
Suspended by a second's bright default,
Or seize a slice of brown and flowing brook,
The water swelling sweet as Heaven's vault.

I long to lift one page within this book,
And place a mark, or pierce it with a hook
That tracks the time so well as to exalt
The moment, but the whole gestalt
Is bound to be unwound, and all is shook
As cosmic wheels lurch on and somersault.