It’s early summer here in the UK (in name only so far!) but already late autumn/early winter in some parts of the world; a curious phenomenon, the juxtaposition of time and place.
Now and then, I meet older men like me (I will be 68 in December) who are caught up in a downward spiral of depression for finding themselves growing old alone, no partner to share what is invariably a daunting process. They have given up on love, rejecting the simpler intimate pleasures of human relationships as second best. In other words, they miss sex and can’t get their heads around the possibility they may never enjoy it again.
Well, never say ‘never’, and much as we might once have thought so, sex is not everything.
As the autumn of our years fades into winter, life may yet spring a few surprises on us so long as we refuse to close mind and spirit to love, whatever our bodies (or any socio-cultural-religious dogma) may have to say on the subject.
James Baldwin (photo taken from the Internet)
ENGAGING WITH JAMES BALDWIN
In the autumn of my years,
I was sitting alone on a park bench
admiring a bed of daffodils, and wishing
it was spring again
A young man sat down beside me,
proceeded to read a paperback novel
and (out of the blue) asked for my opinion
of James Baldwin
I confessed I loved all his novels,
and we engaged in feisty chat for a while
about literature, life, Human Rights, taboos,
and (of course) sexuality
His smile on me was like the sun,
as warm, friendly, and sensual as Apollo
might treat an acolyte, my dour wintry years
melting into springtime
At last, we went our separate ways,
exchanging names and phone numbers,
both expressing our desire to meet up again
sooner rather than later
I didn’t really think he would call,
was delighted when he did, and so began
a friendship that would gladly run the gamut
of light and dark
As lovers, we would never have lasted
where a union of like minds and free spirits
engaged with each other, lending my autumn
a new lease of life
Copyright R. N. Taber 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment