In the mirror, a stranger’s face,
Weathered by the harsh hands of time and space,
Once a star aglow with youthful flare,
Now a middle-aged man, entangled in despair.

From the echoes of laughter to the shroud of silence,
In the grand scheme, have I lost my relevance?
Once was a sun that shone so bright,
Now a flicker, questioning the depth of night.

Oh, the words I’ve uttered, the battles I’ve fought,
Are they lost in the ether, an exercise in naught?
Once a titan standing tall and grand,
Now a grain of sand in the endless desert land.

Looking back, I see a river of dreams,
That once gushed with passion, now it only seems,
To be a trickle of memories fading away,
Into the vast ocean of yesteryear’s dismay.

The ones I loved, the ones I held dear,
Are they just shadows that no longer appear?
Once my presence was their joyful song,
Now do they hum it, now that I’m gone?

From a dancing flame to a burnt-out ember,
Are my triumphs stories they still remember?
Once a beacon in the foggy haze,
Now just a whisper in the labyrinthine maze.

Yet, amid the ruins of my former self,
A question lingers, seeking hidden wealth,
Does my existence still cast a ripple,
In the vast universe, am I still a symbol?

Maybe in the silence, a melody exists,
A silent hymn, in the morning mist,
In the end, we are but cosmic dust,
Yet, within us lies the universe’s trust.

Though middle-aged and draped in despair,
I realise now, life is neither fair, nor unfair,
Just a journey through the seasons of the soul,
Seeking purpose, seeking to be whole.

Though I falter, stumble, and sometimes fall,
I matter, in the grand scheme of it all,
A flicker of light in the expansive night,
Still harbors the promise of day’s first light