Running a marathon against myself
with a few seconds to spare
to wave to passersby
Some, far ahead
Others sidelined
Spectators I once
confessed dreams to
Yet, the person I fear
is the helpless novice
at the start:
a crying voice
echoing faster
with the years
Alexander and Hephaistion, by Andrea Camassei (credit: wikimedia commons)
Alexander conquered
with burnished hair curling
like a great feline’s mane.
He rode
needless of shield
hefting a bloodied sword
in his right hand.
Yet, when Alexander
dismounted,
it was Hephaistion’s shoulder
he leaned upon.
The youth knows only summer
And plays and frolics through the golden time
The man knows the fall and winter
And tries to smile as he prepares
The old one knows the seasons will pass
And cycle and pass farther than he can live
The world continues on long after we are gone
The wise mind finds comfort in this
And the child, under the weathered skin
Fears death
RED GLADIOLA 
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