Bodies Approaching Rest
Morphology
He hates this body no less now
than he did at 14 for its pudginess
and the hair that can't conform
to the elegant standards set by peers.
He hate the tags, fatty deposits, and the bulges
whiskey and wine leave
after the brief relief they bring.
Aging is a special challenge
for those perennially depressed.
As You Grow More Deaf
When you can't quite hear
the poems whispered by
the random voices in your head,
you know that other ears, younger
and more sensitive, can hear them,
however softly breathed.
So, you breathe your own,
eager to continue with something
the indifferent page will bear.
End Game
Enthusiasms wane,
focus fades,
appetites wither
as the world
you still embrace
erases its maps.
The pieces disappear, one by one.
The almost solitary king
considers its resignation.
He hates this body no less now
than he did at 14 for its pudginess
and the hair that can't conform
to the elegant standards set by peers.
He hate the tags, fatty deposits, and the bulges
whiskey and wine leave
after the brief relief they bring.
Aging is a special challenge
for those perennially depressed.
As You Grow More Deaf
When you can't quite hear
the poems whispered by
the random voices in your head,
you know that other ears, younger
and more sensitive, can hear them,
however softly breathed.
So, you breathe your own,
eager to continue with something
the indifferent page will bear.
End Game
Enthusiasms wane,
focus fades,
appetites wither
as the world
you still embrace
erases its maps.
The pieces disappear, one by one.
The almost solitary king
considers its resignation.
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Author's Note
Trio in a minor key.
Other stories by Gary Hardaway
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E minor, I believe.*
Thank you, Tim.
"you know that other ears, younger
and more sensitive, can hear them,
however softly breathed."
Lovely stanza.
Thank you, Erika.
Sublimely wise. Makes Dylan Thomas come off as a foolish brat.
Thank you, Matt.
You've been reading my mail, Gary!
Thank you, Kitty.
"the indifferent page"
Love this phrase!
I'd like to hear more about that.
Thank you, Bill.
The page has no regard for anyone.
*, Gary. This reads to me as the last three stages, after the middle ages, readying to go gentle. More of your fine work.
Thank you, David.
*
Thank you, Sam.