just don’t become a bitter old
man said the younger old man
to the older old man who withdrew
just a little more each day following
the taoist credo of one fewer one
less thought about an object of
concern each day until day by
day by day he became less and
less available to any sort of social
world until one day at play with
his two-year-old granddaughter
who stood eye to eye with him as
he draped himself across the
ornamental richly carpeted floor
resting his head on one elbow-
supported hand with a rag doll
in his other hand Baby Boy who
says to Baby Girl held in Maya’s
right hand that quickly whips
around her back — oh are you
hiding? Yeh. We’re playing
Hide and Seek? — thus pure play
slides toward game with its rules
it’s requisite mutual agreements
for what else could the older old
man give grown to be as purely
free as innocent ignorance at play
Maya and me and love’s puppetry
OM Prem,
Allan Tinker
