The Address Book

How could I predict

That my life wd become whatever,

So many people

Passing thru—address books

Filled with names & numbers

I no longer recognize,

Pages torn loose,

Addresses crossed out,

Lives badly smudged,

Decades of earnest grief,

Missed opportunities,

Phones disconnected.

What am I now?

Just another old man

Among old men.

Turn the calendar upside down

& let the days fall out.