A Locust Shell
Dorian’s picture maybe not of oils,
What if it was of flesh and blood,
Waiting in the wings, to bide time?
Time for the eyes to dim,
Years when cheeks will sag,
Skin dull, cells hasten to die.
Without warning the aged you,
Moves to center stage to wrap
Itself around a reluctant victim.
Only then does the Gray story
Reveal its truth to those who see
A different face in the cracked mirror.
3 thoughts on "A Locust Shell"
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As I’ve been thinking about the aging process, the poem piqued my interest. I find the image of the self suffocated by the husk perfect. I’ll have to give more thought on how I’ve made a deal with the devil, though I suspect you have something there.
Perhaps the devil is only our ticking clock and the growing array of birthday candles.
K. Bruce Florence
Excellent. Last stanza is so real.