On Turning Sixty-Five

On Turning Sixty-Five

by Kelp

A universal reaction
Brings metal, plant and animal
Under a common law.

Increasingly I sense
The metal in my bowels,
The wood in my bones,
In my hair, in my eyes.

That easy flow of lust
And anger that marks
The youthful temperament
Gradually granulates.

What’s left is regret
And appreciation,
Rust and rot that splits
Against the grain.

A musty smell of
Wood and metal
That swells and decays.

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