Thoughts of then and now

It's not like I can compensate
for thoughts of bygone years
because they've all accumulated
like a pile of dirt.

Somewhere they sit and wait
for a shovel and a sieve
and the one of many thoughts
to sift through the rubble.

I did that today; chose the best stones
and patterned them to be
a reflection of me
and the rest into a plastic bag
on route to the garbage can.

But I noticed from the then to the now
a large unsightly gap
and considered carefully
returning them to where they were
and so I did for I was me
when thoughts were broken, chipped,
and unrounded by perceptions
I never thought to have.

I stood back then hands on hips;
if only all the stones
were perfect from the start
but progress now made visible
enlightens me to all contained
within the distance travelled ~
and I came into the knowing
I had to think the way I did
to now think the way I do!