"5 Minutes" by Najib Abbi

It’s barely been five minutes,

Yet nothing looks the same,

The sun and moon traded places,

And the world we’re in has changed,

I count countless new faces,

Without knowing any names,

It’s almost to the point where I don’t know,

What’s flowing through my veins,

I know it used to be red blood,

But five minutes passed,

Just like we used to be inseparable,

But somehow we’re detached,

And the tree was once a seed,

Sitting right beside the grass,

Until it grew into a pillar,

Now the tree cannot look back,

And it’s only been five,

But I’m so grateful I survived,

Because the people I was right beside,

Are no longer alive,

How many lying in the grave,

Knew they were running out of time?

How many resting peacefully,

Were prepared to shut their eyes?

It’s been five minutes,

And I don’t know what’s left to say,

Because I know in five minutes,

I’ll be lying in a grave,

And I’m terrified that I’ll be told,

I wasn’t one to pray,

On a day where my worst mistakes

Are staring in my face,

So for the next five minutes,

I’ll do nothing but repent,

And raise my hands thanking God,

For the blessings that he’s sent,

And I’ll keep my hands raised,

Until I’m thirty seconds in,

That’s when the devil will convince me,

To return my life of sin,

I’ll spend my minutes in a war,

Some times I’ll rise some times I’ll fall,

Some times I’ll drown in my remorse,

Some times I’ll feel nothing at all,

And I’ll be caged within this cycle,

As I watch the seconds fall

My only hope is that my soul,

Is on a high the day it’s called,

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.