If you're
An angry young man
Going on 52
Hang
In a gang
With men in hoods
Off and on
Make them laugh
So you know
You're not
A grumpy old one
Just mad
Not bitter
And twisted

When you get older
You get wiser
But
You care
Less and less

And
Less and less
You seek
The company
Of others

Friends
Fade to gray
Family ties
Stretched or broken
Mostly gone
The world vanishes
Into a haze
Of endless repetition

If you're wiser
You keep a shotgun
In the hallway
And a 44 magnum
In the inner pocket
Of the coat
That served so well
For ten something years

If you're wiser
You have enemies
You didn't forget
You didn't forgive
They are ripe
They are ready
They're still young
They're not hardened
But too old
To start over.

You're tense
You're focused
You're sharp

Aromas of
Freshly grinded
Coffee beans
Fresh baked bagels
The first rays of light
Wipe away the fog
The last drops of dew
Not the smell of danger
Clear and
Very present

They're ripe
Take
Away
Everything they got
Teach them a lesson
Trash their lives
**** them
In "self defense"

A new grind
Kenyan
At the coffee shop
A rain of bullets
Put on a hat

Groom Training

Get up you tired old grumpy whimper!
And take the fracken elevator
If you have to
Down to the kitchen
And eat the breakfast
That people who have already been up
For three hours
Have made for you
If they can rise and shine
Day after day
Doesn't mean that you can
But they prove it's possible.
And probably with a lot less fuss
Shower, brush and focken shine!
It's the least you can do

Sometimes it takes
Some pretty harsh
Inner language
To get scruffy old oil tankers
Trying to navigate through an archipelago
Of any inevitably unknown future
to get moving.

It's a slow train
On a very fast track
And it's not gonna end well
All things that end
Don't end well
All things don't end
That doesn't make them better
Just longer lasting
And slower decaying
The final stages
Smells and linger
Whistle stop
Fried green bladders
Golden hags

Vanity is not fighting
The old man coming
Vanity is thinking
It's a fight
You could win

Don't let him catch you

The simple art of growing old

I am not my age
I'm more than a hoodie
Stood on a street corner
Hands in my pockets

I am not my age
I'm more than popular music
Blasting in my headphones
So loud you can hear

I am not my age
I'm more than just hormones
Racing through my brain
Making me unreasonable

I am not my age
I'm more than just indifference
Not caring about school or health
Not caring about anything

I am not my age
I'm more than just my phone
Social-media crazy
Hidden behind a screen

I am not my age
I'm more than just a stereotype
Loud, brash, unruly, lazy,
Phone-obsessed, violent

I am not my age
I have a complex personality
I have inner depth
I think about things that matter

I am not my age
I write poetry
I write stories
I explore people

I am not my age
I'm vegetarian by choice
I hate to hurt anyone
But I will fight for my friends

I am not my age
My emotions are valid
But I keep them hidden
For fear of being manipulative

I am not my age
I do not give you my respect
Just because you've lived longer
You have to earn it

I am not my age
I care about politics
It is my country
What happens to it matters to me

I am not my age
I'm struggling through exams
I'm stressed but trying
I'm determined to work for what I want

I am not my age
I'd be happy to have a job
I don't loiter or lurk
I'm not lazy

I am not my age
I'm not dangerous
Seriously, I'm a ****
I get scared walking down the street in the dark

I am not my age
I have five pets
They matter to me
I take care of them

I am not my age
I'm trying to get to school
You don't indicate
And I'm inconsiderate

I am not my age
My dad left me at two
My mum bakes cakes
But you didn't think about that

I am not my age
I suffer from depression
I'm not 'moody' or 'grumpy'
But you think I'm all just hormones

I am not my age
So don't perpetuate stereotypes
You don't know me, don't pretend to
And don't blame your problems on me