A LESSON IN PHYSICS

One by one the old barns are collapsing.
Just last week one went down
on the Peoria road.
You couldn’t say
it was unexpected, racked as it was and leaning
a little more out of plumb
each time I passed.

I’m closing in
on 65 myself. And although
I’ve been partially rebuilt, with certain adjustments
to my anatomy,
I won’t last long.

A new roof and some cross-bracing
would have bought that old barn a few more years.
Triangulation
makes a difference. But in the end, gravity
takes over. Which is why
levity is so precious
while it lasts.