Let The Old Years Suffer

Let the old years suffer
Like they made us do,
But don't forget the faces
That looked out at you
From sepia photos before the war;
They knew nothing and know no more
Of what was coming. We're like this,
In the middle of it, lost in a mist
Think we're special because we're here now,
As if that gives us more perspective somehow
On what has happened. But nothing shines
From out the darkness, time recedes
In all directions and, as it moves away,
We wake up grasping at phantoms of the night
Whose faces look familiar but their meanings fade to grey.

        
            Let the old years suffer
            Like they made us do,
            They confused us then,
            Now we're lost in something new.