This is not me, this old man you see

I am young and bright

I run, I shout,

But you don’t see

The real, real me.

You treat me like a child,

Speak slow and loud, lean over, stare.

I grin with ease at your discomfort

For you see yourself in me.

My pain will soon pass

A deep sleep awaits me

But you must see your future in my eyes

And contemplate your inescapable fate.