To See the World Through Expiry Dates

Vesting at the heart of things—
Expiry dates
The bleak unavoidably avoided aspect,
Of the days of our lives


Lingering on

Like a clamour in an oyster,

After the pearl is long gone


Even in these minutes of your life—

I am your storyteller, your poet,

The person of expiry dates–

Who sees the world through them


Months, years, decades of knowledge

Rests within me,

Hanging on, lest they be lost—

Will you search for them?


As I speak to you,

Expired words drift through my mind– 

That’s another poem lost 

Floating away,

Will I ever find it again?

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