Old Men

by Niel Donnelly

Some tailored, haircut neat,

most unkempt, forward bent,

on the beach or on the street.

Ah, those letters never sent….

*

You leaned across the table

with comfort words to me,

a day you made me able

to cross my i’s and dot a t.

*

In the bus, young girls stand

and offer up a well-worn seat,

a silent smile, a raised hand,

calm solace to the weary feet.

*

Had been a fleeting notion,

too early for the train.

That day, outside the station,

you walked past me in the rain.

*

Oh hello, my good friend,

you said you’d thought of me.

I, too stale to be your boyfriend,

and what I’d hoped we’d be.

*

I wash my hands, then error,

as I look up to see,

that old man in the mirror

staring down at me.

Neil Donnelly

Neil Donnelly is the author of the poetry collections Tullamggio as well as the author of several plays produced at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.