Fear and Aging
by Odin Roark

Aging respects not the young,
strutting its message early on,
prodded along by its BFF,
Fear.

The two proponents of the death penalty
spend every day and night
lobbying the takers,
dragging many into their
universal classroom of delusions
and escapism.

You’ll not see them clothed, either.
Part of their success is the maxim they adopted
a few years back: Shock and Awe—Reaffirming the Next Era.
(Of course, that was part of someone else’s conspiracy,
but that’s another story)

You see…

They first lure followers to a mirror
where images never reflect,
but only reveal victimization’s ardor,
the ever-dependable spider-web-cracking,
the image of themselves they wish to believe.

Then it’s off to the classroom,
its four walls, floor and ceiling,
all one continuous blackboard,
parading fate’s continuous white chalk line,
forever the chameleon,
moving, dividing, teasing the willing
consider they’re here,
but really, they’re not.

This obviously enables Madness
to join in, nudging many into begging
for blind folds and the privilege to sit
in the dunce corner while everyone else
scurries to the playground,
where walking on waters of the mote
surrounding their little castle of endings
is the game of choice.

Then…

Students of all ages
return home at night
to dreamlessly wander about
Aging and Fear’s opaque wonderment of waiting.

Some grab a smattering of energy,
wait out tomorrow’s dawn,
and determine to play hooky.

Others simply jump out windows.