I see you taking refuge in the shade
What is shade but shadow
Turned weighty under the relentless sun
Darkness begets relief
Yet I see you count your years
At high noon, your mind wanders to dusk
Fearing, fearing
That your good looks
(So glorious to the blushing young)
Will slip away like a thief in the night
That your great wealth
(So comforting, the sands of Maldives)
Will run from you like a cockroach in the light
My lad, you are young and I am old
Wisdom speaks: obscurity is your friend
How delightful to step off the stage before the play ends
How romantic to lie in a bed not yet made of earth
How sweet to dream of former things when time
Is healing all wounds.
