A baby
The shadows invisible
Twelve sticks waiting to be shaded
A toddler
The shadows peeking
Eleven sticks waiting to be shaded
A child
The shadows emerging
Ten sticks waiting to be shaded
Perhaps a cloud (perhaps not)
Perhaps all at once
Unexpectedly
The Sundial is shaded
A life is taken
(Perhaps not)
A teenager
The shadows clearly visible now
Nine, maybe eight (it all depends) sticks waiting to be shaded
A cloud still a possibility
(Weather is unpredictable, you know?)
A young adult
The shadows in plain view
Six sticks waiting to be shaded
A marriage
The shadows widen
Five sticks waiting to be shaded
A mid life crises
The shadows taking up the better part of the dial
Four sticks waiting to be shaded
A couple of clouds
Nothing major (no unexpected shade)
A death of a loved one
The shadows skip a stick
Two sticks waiting to be shaded
A lonesome survivor trudging on
The shadows overtaking the circle
And in this final hour,
Only one stick waiting to be shaded
And that survivor keeps on marching
As that last stick falls beneath the shade
It’s night now.