A Light Grammer
She travels into space
at the speed of light
and sees a conditional past
‘If only I'd done it'
being created
from lost dreams.
Years flash by
in a past continuous
stream:
‘I was going to do it
one day...’
dreaming
determination
in a continuous
present perfect
‘all my life
I've wanted to
do it ...’
Motes of light fall
onto conditional
clauses
‘If only I'd had the time
I would have done it…’
and moves into
an imperfect future
‘but I shall do it
one day… ’
she simply
couldn't touch
the simplicity
‘I did it’
of the past
to reach the
perfection
‘I am doing it’
of the present
to move into
the knowledge
‘I shall continue
doing it’
of a perfect future
and so she waits
in space
searching for
a light
that isn't there.
© 1995