Outside you see this old man’s face and body
The lined face and beard
The head shaved to hide the hair loss
The body often slightly bent
Cringing from the wear tear and pain of my life.
Inside,
In a closet deep down
Hidden away
Is the shimmering ever youth changing face
Of a young man
Sometimes controlling the old man’s face
Body
And thoughts
With confused youth
Forgetting that old man’s face body and life
Under lapping youth under the skin of that old man
So close to the surface
So close to thought
To emotion
So close
So painful
The old man’s face smiles sadly
Looking a few doors down inside
To that closet,
Holding the face
The shadow body
The heart and soul
Of the youth he once was
And still at times
Is
But only inside
And sometimes outside
Shallow beneath
And inside
An old man’s smile.