Old men like me

have seen more than

we dare repeat

have grown too old too fast

we spent our lives going to work everyday

like robots programmed to work

to accept the routine and not complain

scratching out a living

paying the bills

it all happened so fast

years went by without a pause

I could not catch a breath

I never thought about it much

I was on a treadmill trying to keep up

the idea was to just keep going

then one day my mother said

why is your hair so gray

she still thought of me as a young man

in her mind

time had completely stopped

she was living in the past

now in looking back

there is much I could regret

yet I gave it all I had

I find myself in my folks shoes

I remember how they were at this stage

and I respect them more

for what they went through

I suspect it's time for honesty

admitting time caught me by surprise

but honestly I am not afraid

I accept the gray hair

the aches and pains

they are just souvenirs

accumulated along the journey of life

now I can pause at last

and winnow through all those years

sorting through the memories

keeping good from bad

it's the advantage of living

past your prime

of becoming an old man.