Bottled Time – A Tribute to Jim Croce
Minute by precious minute
Hour by hour
Days and weeks and months
Centuries and eons pass
Time never slows
Never speeds up
It just is…
And yet
We try to manage it
Manipulate it
Recreate it and recalculate it
And we fail
Time and time again
No pun intended
It’s priceless
But also worthless
We cannot buy or sell
Rent or loan
Borrow or inherit
And still we try
And still we fail
The elusive bottle
Of a song long ago
Tells us our truths
Intentions not mentioned
Are without value
For no day lasts forever
And time won’t stand still
But if we could wish
On just one single day
That time had no bearing
Hands frozen
For only the chosen
What would we do?
What would we say?
Would we squander
Or maybe wander
See the whole world
Or follow old Jim
And just hang with the one
Find the box for the wishes
And unanswered dreams
Sort out the memories
Keep the good
Dump the bad
Make plans for the future
Share the same hand
Get in harmony with a lover
And have drinks on the sand
Authors Note
This work was inspired by an old Jim Croce song called “Time in a Bottle” -lyrics below.
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day
‘Til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with
- So Many Words - January 1, 2025
- The Loving Peace of Christmas Noise - December 20, 2024
- A Light To Guide Us Through The Storm - November 15, 2024







Enjoyed Ralph, yes time has always been an enigma, and as solid as we think it is, it changes freely as we perceive it. We don’t observe reality, our perceptions create it. Something to ponder. Great work.
Well, Ralph, you hit the mark here. I am a dedicated Jim Croce fan…….love his songs and his amazing storytelling. Time in a Bottle is one of those classics and you captured the essence of its message in your poem as well. Great work.
I love ‘Time In A Bottle’, used to listen to it often. A great tribute to a great artist. Very well done, Ralph.
Love your poem and love that song. I have often said it is a dilemma I could use 48 hours in one day but when I have a day that I cannot do anything but be sad what will I do with those 48 hours.