Old Man And His Dam

[Joseph Anderson]

He had to return to the old, old dam
where he often swam as a lad;
To see it crumbling, eroding away
left him pensive, reflective and sad.

And this he told me--

"I see the high and low water marks
clearly etched on the battered old wall;
With life's flotsam and jetsam pounding away,
my old dam seems ready to fall.

It has guarded life's waters for eighty odd years
and has lasted as long as I.
Scars from those years are clearly in view-
I am telling you this with a sigh.

I feel an affinity with that old dam
and can see a reflection of me.
After seeing it slowly decaying away,
I am filled with a deep empathy.

Life, like the waters. must keep flowing on,
ever hampered by time through the years.
I, in my twilight keep thinking on this-
Pardon me, while I wipe some tears.

This old friend recently passed on

[Nightmute]

A sad-tinged write, but done with much majesty, Joseph. Associating the dam with this elderly gentleman is a stroke of genius. How we are worn down and made tired by life. Nostalgic, yet this telling is conveyed with dignity, sir. Well done.

[Stella]

I am so sad to hear that an old friend has passed away Joseph.
Using the metaphor of the old dam was really very clever because water follows the stream of life in a similar way to us,with all the twists and turns and difficulties that we overcome to keep going.
You do still write some wonderful poetry my friend..

[Nishu]

Beautiful and very moving joseph, a touching analogy. I am also sorry for the loss of your friend, take care. Agree with Stella, wonderful poetry.

[Karin Anderson]

The juxtaposition of the old man and the dam makes for masterful writing and I am sorry too that your old friend as passed on. So wonderfully sentimental that it brought tears to my eyes, especially when I read "Pardon me, while I wipe some tears" . A touching lament indeed Joseph.

[Cindy]

Very moving poem and very sad that he passed. So many things look so tired and worn compared to what they had when I was young. I can imagine how he felt looking at that old dam. Very well written.

[Tom Balch]

A very sad and moving piece, Joseph. It is is so sad to see our past left to decay and rot like this.