body aint what it were

  He didn't ask
  what state
  how low
    he felt
  not himself
    snake-bitten
  no escape
    his body's travail
  wasted
    on mundane labour
  slumps in chair
    sees hand
  between thumb and forefinger
    map like vellum
  translucent
    where veins and skin
  in perspective
    recognize
  terrain of age
    state he fell in
  poor sod
    his body
  distressed by pain
    demands recognition
  and yes
    briefly mended
  he'll disregard
    again
  and suffer
    humiliation
  known as
    old duffer


mmxi