The Days Grow Shorter

The Days Grow Shorter

 
 
The days grow shorter. Our lives grow shorter too. Our tempers and patience shrink accordingly. Our vigour then has less space and must reduce in size to fit. We enter the autumn of our age. But it’s not all bad; there is certain pleasure to be found in this pensive languor. Our limbs grow soft and rest like sweaty butter, no longer resisting the endless wash of days.
 
So is it a sin to grow old? To sit by the window and slowly, very slowly, eat your scone? Heavy sighing and heavy lids that no longer resist that final resignation. Is it a sin to shuffle off this mortal coil without a fuss. Do we welcome then, the dying light?
 
Or do we slap away such thoughts with open palmed disdain? Do we thrash and rail against that final sigh? Even though it hurts to heave our heavy limbs and bump our buttery bums to this terrible tango that does not forgive us our mistakes.

Perhaps we can try our hand at both. Monday to Thursday we can set aside for dying and sitting comfortably by the window. The rest of the week can be for life and for suffering on the dance floor. And we can hop like this, from one foot to the other, all the way to the grave, a buttered crumpet in one hand, a fistful of cocaine in the other, crooning old man river to trip hop beat and so embrace the duality we are born to.

Sean Tanner lives in the south of Ireland with his girlfriend, no cats and one baby. He’s a jukebox operator who loves short fiction, living by the sea and trying to stay sober. His work has appeared in Phobos magazine, Crowded magazine, the toasted cake podcast and more.

You can follow him @SeanMTanner

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Cover Photo: Joana Coccarelli (https://www.flickr.com/photos/narghee-la/)