mileage may vary,
age, so often written in angry, violent ink.
the letters themselves tell the story, shaking
letters of old cursive style; if the shake doesn’t
give you away the Palmer Method will!

out early this day, out of gas and go that is,
so cover if you can, no point in looking the part.
the wear and tear find you along the way,
never in a good place, never in the right place,
never at the right time, always a bit pink of cheek.

the increasing value of time is the starkest part,
it was once so plentiful, now growing more
precious every day – hopefully; or simply wasted
in the shade of an empty mind.