Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Do you see just another old man with lines written upon his face?
Chiseled and worn, taking up valuable space?
Can you tell what each crag or scar represents?
Or does my demeanor leave you impatient and spent?
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Neck of raw leather, hands worn, calloused and crooked.
You have unfairly judged me from the moment you looked.
For my hollow eyes have seen more than you know.
knowledge trapped in an aging body misshapen by blows.
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Did you know as a lad I rode skateboards of wood?
And enjoyed jumping my bike over a stations wagons hood?
Stole when I was ten and then lied to the end
Rode horses, shot birds and even my friend
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
I once boosted a truck and wrecked it one night
Was scared to death every time I got into a fight
Tried my best to be the center of everyone’s attention
My own worst enemy I was with little prevention.
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Can you see a boy who put social status above education
Passed the GED to keep from starvation
I followed the crowd never learning to win
Repeating devilish behaviors now and again
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
A man with temper as fierce as his pride
Yelling and screaming with fire in my eye
Knocked down and beat up Id stand up for more
Kicking and screaming at every slammed door
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
A wife and a family came into my life
a house, a job and economic strife
My personality chased many people away
I cared for them all but they couldn’t just stay
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Family members who passed, my heart ached for them so
Time and God have a funny way of helping you to let go
Jobs came and they went all at great cost
A career finally found I was no longer lost
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Can you see my struggle through loss every day?
My family does as it gets in the way
No longer carefree and fun, but the safety police instead
Images of suffering and dangers trapped deep in my head
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
In my forties I finally discovered myself
Found a lad who’d been left for dead on a shelf
Yes life’s responsibilities had been weighing me down
A wife so in love never letting me drown
Young man what do you see when you look down upon me?
Mission work, married life, a ranch, and the firehouse it’s true
Learned many hard lessons I can pass on to you
So listen intently for it will come to bare
The man in the mirror you to shall soon share.
When you look down upon me remember this to the end.
“Behind the eyes of every old man is a young man wondering what the hell happened?”-James Franceschi
WOW! I”m impressed James. I love your poem MOM
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