OLD MEN


 

Old men
weep beneath a waterfall
of neon lights

lost among washing machines
they sweep powdered detergents
across the gray tiled squares
never stepping on cracks

they have forgotten the moon
how it floats between night’s fingers

they have forgotten
how to taste the wind

how to peel apart wet banana leaves
to free the sun

 


Douglas G. Campbell of Portland, Oregon, is a retired emeritus professor of art at George Fox University where he taught painting, printmaking, drawing, and art history courses. His poetry and artworks have been published in numerous periodicals.