Me

Could be me, somebody me, vaguely me, not

Half the man I used to be, this new-old version

I have come to see, a trace element, pathetically,

A fractured fragment of veracity, me, me, could

Be somebody in this time-worn body, me, mirror

Monument, inconsequential artifact looking back

Dolefully with a withered history, me, me, this

Somebody, vaguely, me, cock-eyed, limp-lined,

Pitted, pock-mark instrument of cynical tomfoolery,

More of less than ever expected, a fractured frac-

tion of the man I used to be, me, me, oh dear lord,

vaguely, a degenerate facsimile, an old shoe dis-

gracefully unlaced, scruffily encrusted jeans come

Full-cycle, unraveling at the seams, worn by time

And tide, a faded off-brand label, unintelligible, the

Genuine article, however, ensconced in ambiguity,

Thoroughly me—Nobody but.

Chris Hanch 11-22-15