men of renown

men of renown 

Skipping class

was a beer and an Xbox bash,

living the dream 

was a video game boxing ring,

we could’ve done anything,

because we were the giants in those days.

Halfway across the country

and that past is far from me,

the present day 

is a city morning awakening,

a dumpster next to that one’s head,

another one 

rolls over to last night’s empties,

while I’m witnessing 

caped heroes walking down the street,

it ain’t quite Hollywood, 

but even if I’m still in uniform

my day back to work was the 105 

over the 110 through Hawthorne,

405 past the airport,

Marina del Rey to the camera store,

writing, directing, and holding a clapboard, 

“Action!”

It was just yesterday,

I thought that if I went back

you would be where you were before,

two boys becoming men

who could’ve ever guessed

what’d life have in store,

our time like people pre-quarantine 

when the idea hadn’t occurred 

to a do a home workout before, 

if you found success 

I hope it’s something outside of yourself,

in a world of not much else

how does settling sound 

with the kids and the mortgage on the house,

It’s almost as if I looked around

I’d see a car payment down

you might have the freedom 

if you’d look up and see how 

heavy that burden is now,

How many days 

can be retained in memory,

one, two, or three,

1000 gigs in a terabyte

and four of them 

still isn’t enough space for me,

I try to back it up,

but this hard drive is corrupting, 

it reminds me of when we 

knew exactly what we wanted to do,

poetry is walking one mile in another’s shoes,

I look at the fitbit I don’t have

to check my pedometer

and can’t calculate the time that has passed,

I never did like math,

we always could share a laugh,

goddamn man 

where’s the one that had my back,

and also after that

the sons of God met the daughters of men,

who had children for them,

they became mighty and old and renown,

take a look around.