Ode

I am old
           or at least
older than I was :
           wisdom and virtue
have eluded me
           all my life

my talents
           such as they are
have amounted
           to naught

my body weak
           my throat parched
how the memory
           of her kind words
on her moist lips
           and of her un-
seasoned love
           hangs heavy
in my heart

John Lyons