I.
I tell my students that one day
they will become their parents,
that they will look in the mirror
and incredulously concede the point.
They think I am kidding.
I assure them I am not.
It’s an inevitability.
This is one of life’s little tricks.
When it happens, years and years hence,
some may remember this day
and the surprising knowledge shared.

II.
All value is tied to something else.
The passions that drive you forward
propel you from today into next week.
They are rooted in what moves you,
a rhizomatic revelation of sorts.
For most, it is money that motivates.
Let the bottom-line numbers
determine who wins the big game.
But alas – I am not wired that way.

III.
The world is full of pairs of beautiful eyes,
but blink again, you’ll see the beauty is not the same.
Some eyes are hollow, empty, detached
from accountability’s perceived wants and needs.
They look through things, as if the view
from the top of the food chain is an empty vista,
unable to incite awe or satisfaction.
All that matters is getting more,
buying into buying as buoying.
For the rest of us, long hours
go into the exhausting effort
to stay afloat happily.

IV.
I am not the face in the mirror.
Inside, I am a much younger me,
spring-loaded with memories
that cover occasions of many decades:
a relic of remembrances.
Somewhere someday soon
my sons will be staring at
their morning reflections,
perhaps during a shave.
When the light hits
the glass at a certain angle,
they’ll catch a quick glimpse
of a frightening transformation.
They won’t be so happy, I’m certain.
But the inescapable cycle continues.

Gary Glauber is a widely published poet, fiction writer, teacher, and former music journalist. His most recent poetry collection, Inside Outrage (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions), was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Medal Provocateur Prize.