The World Went

and got
itself into a big hurry
and I am like a bat
that ponders

my talons clutching
whatever is left of my years.

Hearing noise in a wayward direction
teen girls---soccer their game
with yellow and white
orange and red
sneaker-matching uniforms

their joy
shrieks of emotion
ball bobbing foot to head
and back again
a crowd cheering in the suits of
loving parents.

The world will continue to rejoice
through the breath of these
participants on
a life in which I dared to enlist.

© Richard L. Provencher