• Time passes by

    And the years fade into the distance

    I look into the mirror and see a young boy

    Full of hope and potential

    A few moments later I stare again at my reflection

    And I see a young teenager

    Enthusiastic and full of life

    Tasting love for the first time

    Preparing to step into adulthood

    Ready to take on the responsibilities that adulthood brings

    I stare again at the mirror

    My past lives reflected back at me

    I see a young adult

    Taking his first steps in the world

    Learning how to interact and build a future

    Hoping to find a partner to share his life with

    Again I look into the mirror

    This time the adult is older

    Just turned thirty

    The stress lines are starting to appear

    Hope has faded to cynicism

    The relationships have all ended badly

    A breakdown is just around the corner

    As I look into the mirror

    I see a sad young man on a mental ward

    Trying to come to terms with the pressures of life

    The figure looks lost and forlorn

    Will he put the pieces back together again?

    Another glance at the mirror

    This time the figure is nearly forty

    There is a distant look in his eyes

    Dreaming of what might have been

    There is an attitude of acceptance and resignation

    Life is a hard battle and sometimes you lose

    Just living out the remaining years

    Another glance at the mirror

    This time the figure appears much older

    The adult is now an old man of sixty-five

    There is a look of fear in his eyes

    His family have passed on and he is all alone

    Only distant relatives remain and they were never close

    The fear is of what lies ahead

    Pain and suffering and death

    As I look again in the mirror

    I see a grave and a gravestone

    Only two or three people at the funeral service

    A sad end to a life

    And as he gasped his last breath

    Fear was still close at hand

    What faced him after death?

    Would his soul face damnation

    For wasting the gift of life?

    The gates of heaven would be slammed shut in his face

    A soul without a home too afraid to enter into hell

    A soul endlessly searching for redemption but time has run out

    A never-ending period of purgatory

    A tormented soul without hope of redemption

    As I look into the mirror I see my true self

    Tears roll down my cheeks

    I have seen my fate and it frightens me

    Please guide me towards the path of salvation