O
O to be young and hoard my wisdom!
To have ambition to match my desires
And strength to achieve my ambitions!
Gangs of children parade by me,
Jumping and punching and loudly observing,
Laughing and popping off like fireworks.
For them to stand at a crosswalk
Is a torment of delay. For me today,
It is temptation to curl up on pavement
With my head against a streetlamp.
Couples still pawing adolescence
Announce everything in earnest,
Every word punctuated with wrath
From gleaming faces, electric eyes
Sparking with passion, arms gesturing,
Sinewy legs impatient at the stroll.
Yesterday, I walked across a harbor,
Twice by bridge, and my body,
Grudging as a forlorn companion,
Has yet to forgive my abuse.
Gravity has learned my name.
As more years pile on my back,
It gets harder for a planet to ignore me.
