In the Time of Change

ALL things must change: the vision pass,
The shadow lengthen on the grass,
The ship go down behind the sun,
The passion of the heart be done.
The flower droops: we cannot stay
The lovely miracle of May.

But in the time of change, a rare
Illumination fills the air.
There is a shift, a holy pause
Between what is and what once was.
The senses quicken with delight;
The scene grows pure upon the sight.
Our fixity is lost; the eyes
Look out with passionless surprise,
And in that instant we may see
The shape of an eternity.