Sunlight at Just the Right Angle

I looked at an old man and thought
he looks grizzled and tired,
frustrated and irritated at what the world
has become and what he has turned into,
about what he's lost over the years
and of all the women he could have had.
He knows now all is vanity and that he's got
more years behind him than in front of him.
It's a bittersweet surrender.
He still carries a heavy weight
of pain and regret,
and he needs to somehow
let it go.
He looks wrinkled and worn.
He looks aged and if the sunlight shines on him
at just the right angle, maybe a little wise.
He manages a slight smile
remembering the good old days,
knowing he's helpless to change anything now.
He's reconciled with his situation.
He's old and slowly dying a day at a time.
He looked at me straight in the eyes
as if he could see right through me.
I glanced away, then took one last look at him
before turning and walking away from the mirror.