I wore my beard proudly
When I was in the Navy
So many years ago
In my Navy Dress Blues.
‘Tis
a shock to look and see
A
new reflection,
A
derailed deflection,
A
possible rejection,
Of
the me I saw
Just
moments ago,
Staring
into the mirror
At
a face so familiar
Before
the arrival,
To
end the survival,
To
kill an abundance of curls and swirls,
To
massacre ten years of grooming,
By
using a blade for brooming
Away
the accustomed, habituated,
Acclimated,
well adjusted,
Ordinary
of my face.
To
whack away,
Shave
away,
Banish ten years of bearded
Facial
familiarity.
‘Tis
a shock to look and see
A
stranger staring back at me
In
the mirror wondering
How
could it be
That
I don’t recognize the being
Reflecting
the image before me?
Who
is it that wonders,
Ponders,
and conjures
Questions,
interrogations,
Examinations
and asks,
Who
am I
Now,
today?
Who
is different from yesterday,
And
just a few moments ago?
Isn’t
that how life is anyway
We
throw away
The
we we were
Each
and every night
Only
to recreate, replicate
A
clone
Who
won’t make us feel alone
Like
we know all too well
We
have always been.
Or
have we
Just
been
Searching
for that other?
Returning
to our mothers
Or
our fathers
Or
our former shipmates
Who won’t make us wonder
If
we really are all alone.
