For 50 years I drove myself
to get a spouse
and raise my kids
and earn my keep
and exercise
and write.

That’s when I set my course:
I lost no time –
I traded sleep if necessary to attain my goal.
And I succeeded those with these three years:
adrift I’ve coasted till I lost control
in confidence,
in neutral,
out of gear.

And don’t you know?
no sooner did I quit the self-propulsion,
than I had the sense
of life unrolling toward me
like a spool of thread –
no – better said, a runner knit
to help my feet.
I’m needing no defense these days.
I stand receptive as a fool.