I dressed myself before I could tie my shoes found friends, tasted pain taught how to read and write studied hard, the world and myself more years, more courses on myself new pain, new confusion, graduated into a job, many jobs met a lot of people, more pain fell into, then deserted by love a different pain, got married, realized intimacy retired, relaxed, started hobbies and pondering with poetry and if you asked me today how life has educated me, I’d say I’ve un-learned i

I’ll be withered, bent, an old tree living on sips of sap my apple smile, now the dead fruit hidden in fallen leaves my world will become a mini racetrack, a closed circuit of rusted bumper cars with flat tires and bent axles if I live long enough, loneliness will be a constant companion, silent, faithful, loyal to the end but writing poems, may keep the twinkle in my eyes from turning into despondent cataracts or my vision may swing inward, 180 degrees, and like a

today I saw a guy in red glasses and white fedora, suspendered beige pants with yellow shirt open his car and toss in a briefcase he looked happy, uninhibited and can I add, untethered I should dress like that especially when I’ve been wearing my old man outfit too long in the right combination some things in my closet could strip years off my standard behavior even I’d get a kick out of kick-ass me