The Old Money Book

Life gives you a body, always young and often strong;

You revel in shoulders stretched broad and legs striding so long.

You run like the wind, intoxicated with the new,

You flex and proclaim, Look what I can do!

But little attention is paid to that Constant Twin clad in grey

Who matches step for step, as you frolic and play:

The Shadow of Time is with you, each moment and hour,

And it is greater than anything you have in your power.

So be wise and cultivate your mind

to protect you as the calendar does its unstoppable grind.

For like a serpent coiling slowly, Time will one day turn on you,

And whisper an echo, ‘Look what I can do.’

• BGT