AGE II

I am too old to force this horse
To move, let better pasture lead
Nor do I show at starter’s gate
For what honors, of good or ill
Have I not received – what added
Thing of accumulation have
I not discarded? Embedded, I am
In several worlds: the Park’s
Tropical foliage, pavement gripped
In labyrinths: my heart so long
Ignored, battered by a stubborn head.
Born into a culture that has faded
Leaving me, a stranger in an odd land. 
My orientation invalidated, sitting here
A fuddy-duddy, the shade lengthening
Some clouds, the sun is partial, letting
Life unfold, not urged nor impatient
What more can I ask today, the 12th
March is a convergence of feelings.

c) Jan G. Otterstrom F.
     March 12, 2007
     Palmares, Costa Rica