Pendulum Days

Seems I've been swinging back and forth
Or running in one place
Suspended to remain on course
While Earth turns beneath my feet

Still doing as I was told
Went slow and steady
Now the trail’s gone cold
Wait, stick to the plan
Don’t get discouraged
The weight will shift again

The carrot hangs
A little further out each day
With every single step I take
So hard to notice
What has changed
Dominoes lined up
With too much space between
One falls, but the rest stay standing
No chain reaction
They don’t connect

Is this the way it's always been?
I'm too far gone to see
No I am not killing time
Time is killing me

Still doing as I was told
Went slow and steady
Now the trail’s gone cold
Wait, stick to the plan
Don’t get discouraged
The weight will shift again

The illusion of progress is all I see
Inching forward with my fingernail length
And yet I find myself stuck at the beginning
Chasing my own tail again
The light at the end of the tunnel barely grows
How long is too long?
Can I move on?
Don’t make the same mistake as me
I can’t move on
It’s been too long