deepundergroundpoetry.com
My undoing
Cracked hands drift over this body I thought I knew so well
a kind of fetish, measuring change
these pernicious deceptions trick, confound: I could have sworn I am still new
creases in these crinkled, declining cheeks halt chewed, chipped nails in their faltering tracks
trembling, cold-ached fingers stroke, in wonder, thickening hair here, fail to plump thinning hair there
watering eyes stop before the splitting ends
dulled ear pretends, this is not the burdened lung
worn teeth catch coarse, slow tongue
everywhere dry skin sloughs away, flicks loose
slackened stomach becoming flecked, in stretched, silver slivers
veins crisscrossed, one on another
I could go on ... wax long on this, the waning
merciful and practised absentmindedness (weapon against, testament to, corrosion)
dulls the rotten warning ... 'til creak of knee, neck, back on jittered nerve tell the ancient truth:
decay is real
age comes headlong at me, uninvited, settling in and upon, with careless care-less purpose
I am weakened
whittled
winnowed
won
I am undone
a kind of fetish, measuring change
these pernicious deceptions trick, confound: I could have sworn I am still new
creases in these crinkled, declining cheeks halt chewed, chipped nails in their faltering tracks
trembling, cold-ached fingers stroke, in wonder, thickening hair here, fail to plump thinning hair there
watering eyes stop before the splitting ends
dulled ear pretends, this is not the burdened lung
worn teeth catch coarse, slow tongue
everywhere dry skin sloughs away, flicks loose
slackened stomach becoming flecked, in stretched, silver slivers
veins crisscrossed, one on another
I could go on ... wax long on this, the waning
merciful and practised absentmindedness (weapon against, testament to, corrosion)
dulls the rotten warning ... 'til creak of knee, neck, back on jittered nerve tell the ancient truth:
decay is real
age comes headlong at me, uninvited, settling in and upon, with careless care-less purpose
I am weakened
whittled
winnowed
won
I am undone
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