And In Closing

As I grow old I briefly want
My superscript to match the font,

I briefly want as I grow old
To have the water not so cold,

Not to see the mirror's age
Contradict its sharper stage,

Not to make the random drink
More leaky than I used to think,

Not to double on a dare,
But from cards already there,

To look for meaning in the sleet,
Not the fashionable street,

To see the leaves by natural light,
Not the neon of the night,

To spare the day by turning down
Opportunities for cap and gown;

And now I want the moonlit dawn,
Sprinklers' pastel on the lawn,

The scorcher's early morning cool,
The spring of children out of school,

Beaches in the backyard glare,
Dogwoods on suburban air,

Torches in the ocean trees
And evening always on the breeze.

Rue de Varenne
June 16th, 2002
March 30th & May 24th, 2005