Getting Too Old

GETTING TOO OLD Her story told by old charts, scattered, water-drenched. Portholes all broken, shaft and screw missing : a wreck , Grounded on concrete platform like an old man sitting on bench, Battered funnel, broken hawsers, holes in deck. Tell you stories about the old days when he mattered. Eyeglasses cracked. Some say he has a screw loose : Old man on a bench, like a ship in dry dock, rust splattered, Battered hat, torn trousers, holes in shoes. Endured war sagas at the siege of Malta, Braved storms in the Bering Sea - ice cold, Saw exotic island sunsets in Straits of Malacca, With cargoes varied, they traveled the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Written for Matt Caliri’s Contest “Write A Backwards Poem”