Sulfite Plight

The soul grows by subtraction, not addition. - Thoreau

i was young

now i'm old

toes of fungus

tears of mold

one sneaker

one shoe

lots of fringe

sleeping in an alley

eating hog dogs out of the trash

praying in the gutter

bread spread thinly with broken pieces of chunky peanut butter

topped with moldy cheese

forgetting "thank you" but remembering "please"

indiscriminate

ambivalent

distilled

chilled

i'm grunge

a dry sponge

playing russian roulette with a squirt gun

a spirit squeezed and expunged

life's lowly outcast alternative

penanced poet of twisted superlative

thank god one of the ingredients of my soul is

an unexpired, faith preservative

Author's Note

"The coward wants resolution, which the brave man can do without. He recognizes no faith above a creed, thinking this straw by which he is moored does him good service, because his sheet anchor does not drag." - Thoreau

Reviews

[Seriana]

There's so many things going on here, I'm not sure where to start.
So I'm taking this to be another poem referencing aging in quite a different way, maybe more like degradation, but the only thing preserved is faith. Faith is the only thing left untouched.
And then there's the Incubus song....One of the most poetic songs I've ever heard. It almost balances out the poem with it's tone and lyrics. I can't really put into words what I'm trying to say here, but this is overall a great combination. And the homeless man picture? His sign made me laugh. Great job Pete!

[Pete]

thanks. you've picked up on quite a lot. yes, growing old is not for the faint of heart. thank heaven faith doesn't get old. i discovered the song recently and fell in love with it. thought i'd change the serious nature of things with the pic - better to laugh than cry ... :