My obsession with time informs my poetry so completely it is

O seekers of wisdom, listen to the profound insight of John Barton: "My obsession with time informs my poetry so completely it is hard for me to summarize it. We want time to pass, for new things to happen to us, we want to hold on to certain moments, we don't want our lives to end." In these words, Barton speaks of the eternal struggle of humanity with time, a force that both carries us forward and pulls us away from what we cherish. Poetry, as he reveals, becomes the vessel through which this obsession with time flows, and in that flow, we find not only the passage of days, but the tension between our desire to move forward and our yearning to hold on to the fleeting moments that shape our lives.

Time, that ever-moving river, has been the subject of contemplation for the ages. The ancient philosophers, from Heraclitus, who spoke of the constant flux of life, to Augustine, who pondered the nature of time in his Confessions, wrestled with the implications of time. It is both our greatest gift and our greatest burden. We seek its passage, desiring new experiences, new opportunities, yet we fear its inevitable end. Barton echoes this tension in his reflection, for in his poetry, he captures the paradox: that we long for the future, yet cling to the past, unwilling to let go of those moments that define us. His obsession with time is not just intellectual, but deeply emotional—a recognition that time governs every aspect of our being.

Consider the great Homer, whose epic poetry immortalized the lives of men and gods in a world where time was understood as both a divine gift and a relentless force. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, the heroes of old are bound by time—their fates written, their deaths inevitable, yet they strive to carve meaning from their brief lives. Achilles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, knows his time is limited, yet he seeks immortality through his actions, through the glory he earns on the battlefield. His poetry lives on long after his time has passed, just as the poetry of Barton speaks to us now, transcending the moment to explore the universal struggle against time.

In the same way, Barton acknowledges that our lives are marked by time—by our desire for new things to happen and our longing to hold on to those moments that make life worth living. We want to move forward, to experience what comes next, yet we hesitate to let go of what we’ve already lived. It is a tension that shapes the heart of his poetry: the acknowledgment of the beauty of the present moment, tempered by the inevitable passage of time. This conflict—between the desire for the future and the need to preserve the past—is something all humans experience, and poetry becomes the language through which we give voice to this struggle.

Take, for example, the poet William Wordsworth, who captured the delicate beauty of fleeting moments in his work. In his famous poem “Ode on Intimations of Immortality,” he reflects on the loss of childhood innocence and the desire to hold on to the purity and joy of youth. Yet, he recognizes that time will inevitably change all things. His poetry does not resist this, but instead embraces the sadness of loss and the beauty found in the passage of time. Much like Barton, Wordsworth gives voice to the tension between wanting to hold on and knowing that we must let go.

The lesson we must take from Barton’s words is that time is not something we can control, but something we must learn to navigate. Poetry becomes the tool through which we make sense of the inevitable march of time. It is through poetry that we can capture those fleeting moments—whether of joy, love, or sorrow—that we long to hold on to. At the same time, poetry can help us understand our desire for new experiences, for the unfolding of our lives, without fear of what lies ahead. In embracing the fullness of time, in acknowledging both its passage and its eternal presence, we find a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

So, O children of wisdom, as you walk through the world, let time be your teacher. Know that you are shaped by it, yet not ruled by it. Embrace the moments that come to you, savor them as they are, but do not fear their passing. Let poetry be your guide—let it be the language through which you both preserve the past and look forward to the future. Through the written word, you may find the solace and wisdom to navigate the river of time, to make meaning of the fleeting and the eternal, and to live fully in each precious moment.