Monday, January 27, 2020

Another Day of Old Age


Seems every day it’s something new.
Look here, how thin my skin is. Why,
You can see the veins in my hands
plain as day. Damned old age any-
way. I awake each morning to more

spots, more aches and pain. It’s a
good thing I can’t see what’s going
on inside of me. Can’t be good, spent
a lot of years abusing my body—fatty
foods, cigarettes and booze, you know.

Didn’t give a rat’s ass at the time. No
wonder my body is in rebellion now.
It says to me, you may only be seventy
three, but you deserve to look and feel
like eighty. Why, just the other day some

young punk had the nerve to call me, Sir.
Sir is a title, I’ll remind you, reserved for
officers and old men. I am not of rank in
the military, and I do take offense at his
insulting characterization of me. Boy, I’ll

tell you, that to me was a slap in the face.
Woke up this morning with this red blotch
on my cheek. No, the kid didn’t actually
strike me physically. I have this tendencty
of speaking metaphorically. Had I been

ten-years younger, though, I may have
punched him square in the nose. Even
back in the day when I was in my prime,
I was always attracted to a good metaphor.
Huh, Sir, indeed!

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 1-25-2020

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