Worn and Unworn
Poem - by Andrew L. Roberts
I am old
and this will be
my last pair of boots
I will need no others
they are good boots
their soles may yet
have some go left in them
I do not
I will remain
where I have fallen
left now to treasure
the evidence these boots bear
upon my feet
left and the right
of all the worlds
where we have walked
the tread is worn down
but not worn smooth
Martian sand
Paranthian flint
and bits of Adaman iron
shine
embedded
in the vibram and leather
these plain metals
minerals
silica
dust
are jewels to me
and they are mine
when I say that I am too old now
my younger friends laugh
they try to tell me it is not so
they are kind
but they are wrong
they cannot see all the miles
behind my eyes
in my flesh
and in my bones
thinning
but I know
there will be no more
liftoffs or free-falls for me
not from here
twilight has found me
my heart can no longer take
those unforgiving g-s
and so these boots like me
will never know another world
beyond those upon which we have
already walked
and I will remain here
upon this stone
beside this dying black sea
watching the sky
as each of your new ships
perfect and swift
climb into the night
mounting the heavens
upon your own pillars of light
to chase the unknown
and to write
your own legends
that are the ceremonies of
youth
yet unworn.
