Old People
Old people like to be early
They make their appointments for the day ahead
So they can be first in line
Old people quickly lose interest in hair
Penmanship, and serious arguments
They recognize that children invented time
And that time has absolutely no relationship to space
Old people walk slowly because they realize there is no place to go
And there is no time to get there anyway
They understand that they will never see the self in the gaze of the other
Although the Tao Te Ching reminds them to be as supple as a newborn baby
With all due respect, old people see value in being brittle and desiccated
They realize that sometimes it is better to
Stand your ground and be broken in half
Than to be the last one standing
Peter Ciccariello
Rhode Island, USA
2 August 2006
http://poemsfromprovidence.blogspot.com/
http://invisiblenotes.blogspot.com/
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