Young Man
Posted: 13 Jun 2021, 04:22
Young Man
For the first time someone called me
"Young man…." I was having blood drawn
and maybe it was my silver hair falling
like slender grass over my forehead,
or my scalp thin as any worn rug
where shoes familiarly pass.
Or maybe it was my hands, spotted
like a trout, but I didn’t know how
to respond. Didn’t I feel like I had
at 20? Of course I had learned
the diplomacy of aging: e.g., not to stare
at a young woman, to avoid the whispered
that "dirty old man!"….The same stare
that would have been welcomed
at 19 in a coffee house, hard rock
blaring like fanfare as I entered the room.
As he swabbed my arm, squeezing it
for a good vein, he again uttered
"Young man," as if sensing
the importance of courtesy
to the old. Was he being sarcastic?
"Well, young man", he said, wrapping up,
as if I were a child in a pediatrician’s
office, and he was offering a lollipop
for good behavior. I wanted to throw
a tantrum but held back, showing
a maturity I had mastered
in my youth. I didn't spin around
wagging my tongue but maintained
my dignity. I simply eased out the door,
tripping over my shoestring
that had come undone.
For the first time someone called me
"Young man…." I was having blood drawn
and maybe it was my silver hair falling
like slender grass over my forehead,
or my scalp thin as any worn rug
where shoes familiarly pass.
Or maybe it was my hands, spotted
like a trout, but I didn’t know how
to respond. Didn’t I feel like I had
at 20? Of course I had learned
the diplomacy of aging: e.g., not to stare
at a young woman, to avoid the whispered
that "dirty old man!"….The same stare
that would have been welcomed
at 19 in a coffee house, hard rock
blaring like fanfare as I entered the room.
As he swabbed my arm, squeezing it
for a good vein, he again uttered
"Young man," as if sensing
the importance of courtesy
to the old. Was he being sarcastic?
"Well, young man", he said, wrapping up,
as if I were a child in a pediatrician’s
office, and he was offering a lollipop
for good behavior. I wanted to throw
a tantrum but held back, showing
a maturity I had mastered
in my youth. I didn't spin around
wagging my tongue but maintained
my dignity. I simply eased out the door,
tripping over my shoestring
that had come undone.