What Men Want
A man wants to move
with cat-like grace
through his life, spill his seed
occasionally, but never
bear responsibility for it;
win the love of his peers
and the veneration
of the older men while
commanding the respect
of the young Turks, too;
then, finally, at the end,
lean a still-powerful forearm
on the frame of a window,
gaze out over the sea
one last time and flick
a glowing cigarette butt
into the garden.
-- James Cummins
So true.
Posted by: Tony Paris | February 12, 2021 at 04:30 PM
Aging Out
For some it starts
with fashion.
Pegged pants, t-shirts, facial hair.
Or the lack of it.
Then music.
Jazz, rock, hip-hop.
Then the hair.
Then the clothes.
Then the music.
Fast cars, big cars,
small cars. Electric cars.
One day you’re on
the cutting edge,
dancing nights away
fueled on drugs
and alcohol, the next
you hear for the first time
the name of the most
popular singer in the world.
Wonder where you’ve been.
Then realize even your children
have aged out of contests
open to beginners aged 18 to 35.
You are part of the past
captured in photographs
of women with beehives,
soldiers in field ops,
crowded streets where
no one is masked,
and obituaries of icons
in every category
and class who have
been there with you
from day one.
Like impeachment,
it’s a process where
you might never hold
public office again.
Posted by: Michael Foldes | February 13, 2021 at 07:07 AM
WOW! These are wonderful, Jim!!
Posted by: Denise Duhamel | February 13, 2021 at 08:42 AM
So wonderful to see Maureen's photo and hear her voice in my head reading Survival
Song under the aura of St. Mark's, lo, so many years ago! LOL, Maureen!
Posted by: Rachelle Bijou | February 13, 2021 at 09:39 AM
Thank you, all. Here's a funny story. Someone I know calls her ex-husband "Miata Man" to describe his mid-life crisis.
Posted by: jc | February 13, 2021 at 04:39 PM