THE OLD MAN SPEAKS
I dare not come to you with virile phrase
To tell you to give heed to what I say:
To live your life in age-instructed way,
To light your dawn with sunset’s fading rays.
I dare not wish to live again my days.
I, too, was careless when birds sang in May,
I loved to wander on the primrose way,
Untaught, I crashed through life’s conflicting maze.
Reverance, sanctity, and holy awe,
Your body’s kingdom, and your soul the king.
These are the messages of God I bring,
To keep your holiness without a flaw.
God gave to you the priceless gift of youth,
And I, unheeded, offer you mere truth.