Seriously, what can I say?
It is a law, the force of gravitas,
Inevitable as we grow older.
What was a smile, now a smirk
From judgment grown colder.
In the embarrassment of health
There is nothing life threatening.
Except, of course, life.
That's life. A pulse, the beat,
The inhale, the exhale, the twitch--
The numbness that projects
To protect from the dumbness
That sags, warps, and inflames.
Yes, the instrument is out of tune
But is played, still, because it is
The only instrument had--
And the only of the kind.
And is so much better
Than silence.
--
Bruce Morton divides his time between Montana and Arizona. He was formerly dean at the Montana State University library.