Remembrance
Brendan had sent me an email that he got from a past acquaintance of Joe’s. Upon hearing of his death, she Googled him and found Brendan’s blog. I reread both Brendan’s blog entries and Anacrusis about him. It was a fine way to commemorate our anniversary, Brendan. Thanks for the gift. If he had been here I would have shared a poem with him. He would have liked it, but would have criticized it. That’s the way he was. Instead I shared it with others and did without the criticism. I miss even that.
Poem: “When I Am Old” by Ray Nargis, from Almost Tomorrow.
When I Am Old
When I am old I shall wear a ball cap
From the St. Louis Browns
Because my grandfather once played in their farm system,
Or maybe a John B. Stetson hat, three-corner fold,
Four X and black chinos with both suspenders and a belt
And the knees ripped out, not as a fashion statement,
But from work.
And black biker boots and a T-shirt with the slogan
“I’m Working On My Issues.”
I’ll use a walking stick and not a cane
And have a key ring with about a hundred keys
And I won’t know what any of them open and I won’t care.
When I am old I’ll drink whiskey in the morning
And coffee at night
And laugh and spit and swear wherever I want.
When I am old I’ll help Girl Scouts across the street
Even if they don’t want to go
And I won’t have a car
And I won’t have a bike
And I’ll walk everywhere.
When I am old I’ll have a dog named Sam Peckinpaw
And some summer’s morning I’ll lock up the house
And old Sam and I will walk over to see to see one of my
sons
Even if he lives two states away.
When I am old I’ll tell people exactly what I think of them
And surprisingly, most of the time it really will be good
stuff.
When I am old I won’t have a TV
And I won’t have a radio
And I won’t have a computer or a clock or a phone in the
house.
I won’t read books and I won’t read magazines
And I won’t read newspapers and maybe, finally
I’ll learn something just watching the birds and the
weather.