Young Odin on the Beach
Young Odin on the Beach I am thinking of you at 80 Telling me in your mind You are 25 And railing against infirmity As I study Mom’s photo of you On the beach with a T-shirt in hand: You are tall, thin, young, And your hair is swept In a curling wave. She was looking up And looking at you When she snapped this image Of you in your wiry youth In that place you found home-- The water. You are unaware of the camera As it takes you in By the edge of the ocean, Eternity a mere lapping wave, A background song, Or so it seemed When it was all ahead of you, To a story that would be written In sand Time and again. Remembering Dad on his 81st birthday, 24 August 2020.