I saw a man at the park today
Boldly creak out of his pickup
Eyes so set and determined they shone
          Through transitional lenses
darkened by the fire in his eyes
He must've had a hip replaced
Because I couldn't tell which side the cane was
         On and which one was the wooden leg he
          walked on
Each step more of a leap forward
Ending in a few inch shuffle
Maybe he's a vet
Mind racing fast
Between the comrades lost and
a lover on her deathbed

He sits
Breathing in the world around him
Not missing a ripple on the lake or a single gull's call
Just alive
No more, no less

Then, as quickly and silently as he arrives, the man creaks upright, rubs the pain out of his hip
And walks back