The Drifting Years
written by: Paul Leary
That’s how I remember them.
How I lived them.
Aimless, bleary-eyed, strung-out years.
Least remembered…
Maybe best forgotten.
Patterns of memory,
Indistinct and hazy.
Dappled glimpses of
Laughter and mayhem.
Images of friends,
Lost, dead or forgotten
I feel the sadness,
But I know there was fun,
God yes, there was fun.
I think about those years.
Wistful for the memory –
That feeling, of the day after, the day before.
But it’s the clarity that’s missing,
The clarity that’s missing.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
The poem is written as an ode or homage to the Beat poets and those who live their lives vicariously.
Paul Leary lives in Melbourne, Australia. Paul has worked extensively in the not for profit sector working in mental health, with refugees and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to name a few of his experiences. Paul writes poetry and has a strong creative interest in the role of memories on our life experience.
Latest posts by Paul Leary (see all)
- The Drifting Years - March 22, 2026
- Tide and Time - November 27, 2025
