Old

and the pain, spirits health rots
decline of excellence, life itself is experience
the oddity of age grows in step with the years
worried thoughts of what was and now is
trickle to the center of being, gone, gone
having existed, lived through, to know all of you
endured, underwent life in the past tense
all of this pastness, moments between
feelings, memories, dreams, gone, gone
measuring a life and this place in the world
oh, the family, friends, loved ones & sunsets
sunsets is now all I think about and people
watching the people now on the park bench
the way I think about young women, swimmin'
big blue world, grace of space I take, livin'
what have I given? back, what am I knowing?
to talk about this gift of life, how I grew to believe
in myself, how learned to make this life work for me,
how there is no difference in the man I am
than the man I want to become, the man I respect
myself, I am, the spirit returns, when I read my poetry
the eyes of age in the thousand yard stare
the eyes of age in the thousand yard stare
like everything it will pass, will anyone know to care?

George Waldrop- Old by Texhobart on Mixcloud