Oh Poke

Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away, up in a tree, a kokang woke from its slumber and realized its slow poke of a neighbor was talking to it...

"Have you ever felt like you're running out of time, neighbor? Time is moving way too fast for me right now. That it is moving at all, is too much for me. How do I stop time? I want to stop it temporarily, and when I've caught up with my age and the things that happened in the last few years, then I will un-pause it. Give me some time off the clock to think things through. Can I borrow your crystal ball too, while I'm at it? Please?

I don't know yet what I'm looking for, neighbor. The thing that keeps me going everyday is the simple fact that I haven't found what I'm looking for. And what does it mean when your past seems sweeter than your future? Why is it that when I look forward all I see is a big blur? My neck is hurting from looking backwards all the time. I need a massage. When I was at that crossroad, did I not pick the right choice? How many years will it take to undo that mistake? Some things I have lost forever, I know. But surely the path I'm on can still take me to where I want to be. Do you think my heart's frost-bitten? Maybe that's why I can't feel. How is it possible to feel happy and numb at the same time? "

The kokang looked at its distraught neighbor and replied, "Poke, I don't know the answers to your questions. No, you cannot borrow my crystal ball, and no, I will not give you a massage. Now scram."

And with that, the kokang went back to sleep.