TO GENS X, Y AND Z

Back then I could not quite discern distance,
My eyes saw glitter,

The glowing present,
When all was charmed by chance and circumstance,
Right and wrong were judged by what was pleasant.
It seemed all that was possible was real,
Nothing was permanent,

Nought made to last,
Each day was new,

Another fortune's wheel,
Mistakes were cinders in a burned up past.
Somewhere on time's awkward continuum,
There was a break,

A snap of wish and hope,
Life sacrificed to heat up the humdrum,
Then middle age unravelled like old rope.
You say I lost my mind by growing old,
But you're crazy to think you're in control.