He sits beneath the tree,
and conjugates his personality.
Each syllabic shift and modal
savored like time:
no more who he was,
than who he is to be,
a mark in a book
as a reckoned form.
Yesterday, still ongoing beyond
his memory, struggles to leave
a single clear line
as a gesture of farewell.
As most, he too forgets
which part of speech he’s become.
(December 31, 2016)
subtext 