Stained with Weathering Verses
Jagged graying portrait
born an old man; a sinner, forged
from ancient star’s cynical heart
among heavier elements like
listlessness and self-loathing
it took some forty-odd years
for veneer to stress, mimicking core
innocence scabbed over too soon
brushwood eyebrows cynically knitted
ancient fault lines of frown-lines
ordinary, still-watered twilit eyes
that see only the past; steering the ship
by viewing only the churning wake
objects are much clearer
than bifocals can focus on
like insight, hindsight, regret
whispered secrets of how it all ends
beyond that, not much else of note
background blended before graying
beard completes the cloak
mingled with rocks and old wreckage
crusted, jagged edges; when pricked
rusted joints leak, polluting canals
leaving sound, river, lake, and shore
stained with weathering verses
© BJ Dawson — 2020, 2025, originally published on Medium.
Oh yeah, and I published a book! What is it about? What an attractive question!
Read it over a couple of times. Each line feels weather-beaten and world-weary. Made it to my saved list.