What’s Next Is Also Past

It went on. Nothing much clenched
In dread anticipation
Way back then, but it went on.

Two patterns, especially,
Remained reliably fixed—
No matter what you dreaded

Or how much, it came and went,
And then it went on. And then,
Fresh anxieties moved in.

That was it. But when you looked,
All you had of dread was past.
It went on, and all of it past.