I used to be a happy child in, riding my horse
Bareback, pretending to be a Cherokee. Now I am a somber soul.
I used to play basketball, starting with the neighborhood
hoops and moving on to college, played the bench mostly.
I used to show horses, even gained a B level in Pony Club,
now my spine is so twisted that walking is a problem.
I used to drink too much at parties, no fun drinking alone;
all those nights I blacked out. I should be dead.
Birding used to take me on adventures from Antarctica to Britain.
Today I bird with friends who don’t mind that I stop every 100 feet.
At the kennel, I was able to walk the biggest, strongest dogs.
Now I only walk the smaller ones, I teach the big dogs kennel manners.
50 pounds of bird seed too much to carry, I empty
it bucket by bucket until I can carry the bag to its container.
This body has faded on me. Need to make peace
with it and its limitations.
I hold on.
Magnets and Ladders
2025
