Past lives

Past lives are not illusions
that rise at dawn and fade at dusk
They’re the footsteps of creation,
our lineage in dust.

Each particle is sparkling
it has a tale to tell.
Of past joys and distant heartbreaks
of our passages through hell.

Some lives have things to tell us,
to explain and to impart.
Some hunger for attention,
all impact on our heart.

Some lie upon the bookshelf
unopened and unclaimed.
Awaiting our attention
without anxiety or blame.

They know they have a purpose
in our lives, or in our dreams.
They’re the subject of surprises
and the scupperer of schemes.

But they take us to those places
where the coward fears to tread.
And in our lives before us
place the most amazing spread.

Will you dine within the kitchen
or take your dinner with the Queen?
Will you take the chance on offer
or choose a safe routine?