Rate:0.0 / 0 votes

Old man

Michael Levertov 1983 (Oaxaco)

March 23 
Free verse
Old man
Who the f*ck are you old man
I see you in the mirror blurry
Isn't me

Old man
Sing a song. Go on. Try!
No music. Only dust
Isn't me

Old man
Unlovable. Unseen.
Get drunk. Now get sick.
Get laid. In your porn dreams.
Get sleep. Wake up sleepy.
Isn't me

Close your eyes Old man.
Pretend. Remember. Old glories
Old memories. Old body. The
One with muscles on muscles.
Sex on a stick.

Old man
Yeah. What.
Old man.
Speak up man.
Old man.

I cower before it. Reality. Passing.
Eyes go dark. Mind goes dim.
Old man.

NO! I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!

Old man.

F*ck. In my heart

I know it's true.

About this poem

Age defeats me.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on March 01, 2023

Submitted by mikersmithsa on March 01, 2023

Modified on April 19, 2023

44 sec read
56

Quick analysis:

Scheme AabB AxxB AxcxbB axxxc AxAaA xxA x x x
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 611
Words 143
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 6, 5, 5, 3, 1, 1, 1
Full analysis for Old man »

Michael Levertov

I am Michael Levertov. I am the defeated poet. So much promise and hope. But I never made it. No one will like my works. But whatever. This is all I have. Shalom. more…

All Michael Levertov poems | Michael Levertov Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Old man with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Old man" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/156236/old-man>.

    Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    11
    days
    4
    hours
    38
    minutes
    79 entries submitted — 71 remaining

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Our awesome collection of

    Promoted Poems

    »

    Browse Poetry.com

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Dreams"?
    A Gerard Manley Hopkins
    B Thomas Hardy
    C Langston Hughes
    D John Donne