The Way Things Are Poem by James Walter Orr

I have to this, I have to that;
What makes me think I must?
I cannot take the time to chat,
Much less escape the thrust
Of time, who's marching onward now,
Abrading all I am.
The test of time, I cannot pass,
No matter how I cram.

We have to take what time metes out:
We cannot start afresh.
Perhaps our spirits can survive,
But surely not our flesh.
We will endure while we endure,
Until we're laid to rest.
We must accept the way things are,
So why should we be stressed?