To Step Aside

By the cathedral, into the sun
Pilgrims are singing, their journey done
I look at my short life and think
Of all the champagne that I drink
With all the faces that I know
And how much further can one go?
And if I decide to step aside
I will try to reply to the feelings I hide
I look from my window, down to the square
At workers still queueing patiently there
For market forces to provide
What history’s so far denied
For a different kind of fate
Than to labour long and always wait
And if I decide to step aside
I will try to return to the person inside
Will I always need you?
Would you want me to?
Can you love me for good
The way you thought you could?
Or will Spring bring rain and Summer burn?
Will tears at last precede the turn
From Summer warmth to sudden cold
As certainly as growing old?
And if I decide to step aside
I will try to forget all the tears I’ll have cried