All Downhill, On The Other Side
May 19 2008


It’s not just the very old who regress
to 2nd childhood.
Because in middle age
I find myself getting restless,
as fidgety as an adolescent again
— full of angst and regret
and deeper questions, yet
about what will be left when I’m gone.

And with time less and less
it can verge on panic,
as impulsive as a teen-age boy
with the keys to the family car.
Dad always drove Buicks;
although I think he imagined a little red rag-top,
strapped-in behind the wheel.

The difference is
you feel like there’s one last chance
to get it right.
And that wonky knee
to remind you you’re no longer invincible.
So what a surprise
to feel this kind of passion so late in life;
that one old guy
thinning on top, thickening ‘round the middle
could fall so hard
head-over-heels,
like a kid with his first obsessive crush.
Except that this is so much sweeter,
a final chance at love.
Everyday, feeling that much younger;
so I don't even care
2nd childhood's catching-up.