rise

old paint fades,
old clock ticks,
old lovers separate,
old dog, old tricks,
old car sputters,
old drunk hums,
old guitar screams,
while the old drummer drums,
old lady shivers,
until the old furnace heats,
old boat sinks
while the old heart beats,
old sun shines,
dries up the old rain,
shines down on the old fighter,
fighting through the pain,

a poet is a fighter,
fighting with the mind,
sorting through the truth,
sorting through the lies,
pulling from the emptiness,
to make old words rise.



(photo by D. Neutel)