David Wheatley
Duet in Grey
I notice another grey hair tonight poking
Through the brown. To it I say: welcome -
I hope you’ve invited the rest of your friends along.
No sign of baldness yet? All in good time,
But I can’t devote myself to my hair non-stop.
Aging means equal attention to every part.
Wrinkles, deafness, cataracts, penile droop
Don’t happen all by themselves: aging means effort,
A clutching, rictal habit slowly spread
From ear to ear. Fail to die in your prime
And it’s a life’s work. Bedding down by your side
I’m heartened to see you too cultivating grey hair.
Could I be draining your colour, or you draining mine?
We clamber on top of and light our own funeral pyre.
Page(s) 53
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