the way.

you wake
and you think things sound different
than yesterday
or the day before that
or last week
and you wonder what happened
and why if you vision is clearer,
your head is so foggy.
you don’t recognize your room
or the way your smile looks
in the mirror.
you don’t remember when your frown lines
became so visible
or when that gray hair appeared.
you think about your youth
and how it was fleeting.
and how now,
you wait
for something that you haven’t yet discovered.
you wait.
and wait.
in purgatory's holding tank,
but nothing ever comes.
aware of your faults,
your nakedness is startling
so you dress -
pants
shirt
socks
shoes.
you comb your hair,
wrap your body in wool
and leave your fortress
to face the cold and cutting winds.
you get in your car
to drive the same street
in the same neighborhood
in the same town
and you wonder why, suddenly, you can’t seem to remember the way.