ageing and the passage of time

as a man grows older
he sometimes grows wider
no longer a stranger
but a solid insider

as a man grows wider
he sometimes grows deeper
the path to the future
sometimes is steeper

as a man grows deeper
he sometimes grows freer
expanding his thinking
from farther to nearer

as a man grows freer
he sometimes grows smaller
all who surround him
seeming much taller

As a man grows smaller
all becomes blue
could that be Nirvana
where a man might renew?

1982