it hurts

When you hear

a song you

once loved

and realize

you were

your son's age

when it was

your favorite

and the path

before you

was long,

exciting and

seemingly

endless;

when you realize

your nervous

tapping habit

is no longer

a conscious act

but rather

a disorder

associated

with the old

that will

steal away

your best years...

and

will only

get worse;

when you perceive

that the road ahead

is dark, rocky and

overhung with

thorny brambles,

the antithesis

of your

youthful

hopes;

when you understand

that death is real,

close and

far too often

desired...

it hurts.