I see you there,
beautiful, golden,
one-third my age,
flashed with life,
seeing with young
eyes, and I, older,
contemplate when I
too desired beauty
in the world with the
brashness of youth,
and looked ahead
to see what I might be,
filled with passion and
the audacity of dreams.

Age separates us now
and I must give into age
just as you are giving
into life, and this gap
cannot be filled nor can
a bridge be built
for this is the order
sculpted by nature’s chisel.

How I envy you
and what you have
left to live.

Still tender and not dragged down
by the heavy weights of life.

You fill me with hope as you speak,
for your words have innocence
that is a prize to keep.

But then again I have
certainties and privileges more than you,
and the guile of age that
helps me understand what it means
to live a full life and envy
the shortness of youth.

 

6/10/2023