An Old Man

Adobe Firefly

His hand trembled slightly as he lit the candle in his study. Not as steady handed as I used to be he thought to himself, as he blows the match out. He sees things a bit differently than he did when he was younger. Gone are the days of reminiscing about the good old times and our selfish habits of long ago. Now it’s more about the inconsistent language of our leaders and their same old promises of a better tomorrow. Asking us to blame everyone but ourselves for the trouble we are in.

I see new manufacturing plants go up on a bunch of confusing new highways. And a whole shitload of people driving here and there, none of them which I know. But through the cracks I can see the marginalized who were never given a seat at the table. But are expected to run your factories and stock our stores. While being told they’re taking your jobs and raping your women, filling our country with the wrong shade of pale. Still we can’t get around to blaming ourselves for all the selfishness and the laziness we created in ourselves.

So I sit in my study feeling my hands shake accepting the reality so many refuse to claim. That the whole things going to shit due through the lies we accept. That we are no more special than the innocent blood being shed on that strip. Feeling smug because no one has shot up our church yet. So as the candle burns itself out, I pray that the next generation learns from the rest. That humility and kindness are much more precious than the arrogance of an old man that occasionally shits his pants.