Marking Time

The outsider plays along;

Moving through each day,

But never belonging.

He never bought in.

Reluctant return,

Many times now.

Full of so much irony.

All things happen for a reason.

Or do they?

A hiatus,

A way station on the way to something else.

Winding the days away,

Watching the clock.

Making a new path,

Still building, working, creating.

And waiting.

Marking time.

Looking forward to someplace else

Away from this strange land

Where he never fit in.

Never settling for what it is,

Put on the armor.

Cross the line of departure

Into the dangerous land.

Head out to face another day.

Always hoping -

Always marching onward,

Toward something better.

Glen Hines is the author of six books, including the recently published Welcome to the Machine, all available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. His writing has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Task & Purpose, the Human Development Project, and elsewhere.