Romanticism, after the Holiday with a contemporary poem

"The main tenets of Romanticism included a shift from faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination; from interest in urban society and its sophistication to an interest in the rural and natural; from public, impersonal poetry to subjective poetry; and from concern with the scientific and mundane to interest in the mysterious and infinite. The most important tenets of Romanticism, however, were belief in the importance of the individual, imagination, and intuition." (http://www.4classnotes.com/romantic%20period%20notes.html)
Ah, the mysterious and infinite....art for the sake of art...writing for the sake of writing...cooking for the sake of cooking, for that matter.
As Thanksgiving approached and I was polishing old family silver for the dining table, I was swept back to previous holidays with family. Some wonderful and some not so wonderful. Arguments, drunken behavior, messes, over-eating. Yet, the strongest memories are those of laughs, luscious smells of the food, the too-strong hugs of uncles, disgust at the pigs feet on the table, and that huge pot of Swedish meatballs I would just hang around with the cousins.
It was "romantic" and festive...it transcended the divorce and the family struggles to a magical arena of comfort and stability, even if it lasted only one day.
I chose this next poem from Poetry.com because I think it stirs feelings that most of us have concerning life and death. His story could be any one's story. It reminds the reader that as we grow older, time seems to speed up and we know the end is getting closer. We are then old enough not to have regrets and to be thankful for the time itself.





This Is My Story

by: Dusty Duty
When I pass over, and the time has come
And I look on days gone by,
To think about the race I've run
About life and the time to die.

While looking back on the wrist of time
Is there anything I would like to change?
Can't leave now, the race isn't over
So let me quickly work to re-arrange.

Now each pulse seems a bit quicker
A little faster than before,
The days piled up against my soul
As the sand piles on the shore.

Now,Let Gabriel sound his trumpet
What is there yet to be done?
To sing my song and praise the Lord
My course is finished and the fight is won.