If I Live Long Enough - May 8, 2026

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 kid,

I’ll run-off into the fields of

imagination and never look back