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Upon Turning Fifty
An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
~ W. B Yeats from “Sailing to Byzantium”

When young, I bragged
I must be 2000 years old;
what passed for new
seemed weirdly familiar.

When young, I knew too many
who suicide and murder wasted.
Now friends younger than I suffer
cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

I feel my age everyday.
There is nothing to brag about,
nor would I trade wisdom’s
cool water for my salty youth.

I feel lucky to feel old.
While performing last week,
a 200-volt surge
glued my hand to a microphone.

My fist tightened around
the screaming wand of death.
I had no control,
no way to let go.

The jolt flopped
me onto my back.
I jerked and flapped,
fishlike on the cement floor.

Electrified excruciation, jaws clinched down
on a spluttering spark,
muted cries wrenched my throat,
I writhed fetal on cold concrete.

A young stranger risked his life, kicked
the searing, needle-stabbing mic
from my charred, disobedient hand.
I lay sputtering, a stuttering ball of amnesia.

Electrocution leaves you humble,
clinging to life with open hands.
l drop my hurt-filled past
like papery ash upon the spring grass.

I live afresh in ragged poems,
rip revision after revision,
stitch odd nuance and false rhyme
to patch a magic sail.

My soul
of colored crystal,
rocks like a ship
upon an endless sea of light.

I relish the honeymoon
groans of wooden masts,
attend to my sail as it fills
and flaps like a heart.

Borne so fortunately forward,
I am gratefully
energized
by each new breath.

credits

from Into Light: The Poems of M. D. Friedman, released January 1, 2024

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Mad Dog Friedman | Mad Dog Blues | Peddlers of Joy image

Mad Dog Friedman | Mad Dog Blues | Peddlers of Joy Lafayette, Colorado

Mad Dog writes from the moment and sings from his heart. His influences include sources as divergent as William Butler Yeats & the delta blues. His songwriting is sincere, simple & often humorous. He has recorded many solo & collaborative projects featuring his spontaneous compositions on harmonica, Native American flute & Theremin. He is also the founder of Mad Dog Blues & The Astral Project. ... more

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