A man I had not met in years.
He looked me up,
I looked him down.
All things were in arrears.
We had come together
And come apart.
So quickly it had been.
We had just begun to know ourselves
Conjoined as one by sin.
We talked as if the day was young;
Like we had all the time.
I asked him how he really was,
He said, ‘I’m fine…’
‘I’m fine.’
His eyes betrayed a sudden depth.
They’d wept a many tear.
I didn’t know quite what to think.
This man,
Just standing here.
He doffed his hat
And made to leave.
I held him back at once.
He turned and stared,
And stared and stared
‘Till finally he spoke.
‘This life I lived was not for you.
You never would have cared;
‘Bout matters deep, matters wide,
And matters anywhere.’
‘You look just fine
In tailored suits
And shoes that sparkle ‘n
Shine.’
‘But I cannot
And I will not.
Cause so much comes to mind.’
‘I may be tired,
I may be used,
But I am still alive,
And will make good
For if I should,
Then I shall cross the line.’
‘I’ve left a dent,
I’ve paid my cent,
I’ve done all that I can.
I’ve been through hell
And don’t look well,
But am glorious to see.’
I stared at him,
This hypocrite
That I had thought I knew.
But he had changed,
And so had I,
But I was something new.
I would conquer,
I would win,
But I would be well-known.
Not some gutter chump,
A well-worn bump
With nothing left to own.
And as I thought,
Pontificated,
The old man that was me,
Laughed at myself,
For being clean
Had left no trace to see.
I met a man today;
A man I had not met in years.
I walked away,
I shook my head.
I could not stand the mirror.
