AGE

I watch my grandfather talk
He talks about his youth
But I can't see his youth
I see a man that worked at a department store for thirty years
A man with neatly pressed clothes
And eyes that seem flat
A man that votes republican
And doesn't eat spicy food
And I think, will I change that much?
Will I give up on so many things
Give in to all that
Can I really forget everything
Everything that I know and believe
But am I doing it already
Am I already destined to
Abandon myself
Abandon my world
Leave it all behind
Can I do anything to stop it
But I'm awakened to my grandfather there
And I see that I am not him
I'm not the man who stands over his pool every week
Watching the vacuum glide along the bottom
I'm not the man who thinks conservatively about the news
And sips his vegetable soup
I don't ever have to be that man
I refuse to send my family
Religious chain letters and read the business section
As I wait for a reply
I will never give up on justice
On people, on peace, on humanity
On myself, on life
I will never
NEVER sit down in a comfortable chair
And fall asleep conent with that.