“NEVER,” SOMEONE ON TV SAYS “COMPETE AGAINST 25 YEAR OLDS” Poem by Lyn Lifshin

 

“NEVER,” SOMEONE ON TV SAYS “COMPETE AGAINST 25 YEAR OLDS”

 

Wanting you, anyway, there

can’t be an end of the

story since there won’t be

a story. Call it “ you know

it’s an old song” you

can’t compete with

25 year old beauties.

But he did love my poems,

read everything the first

few months. I’m your

# 1fan he whispered, his

mouth in my hair. Are

you shocked? I bought

clothes I didn’t need

for him, made hair

appointments for the day

of my class in his arms,

felt like so long I hadn’t.

When he kissed me

I dreamed it meant some

thing more, that “that was

a good class,” his “we’ll

have to go out and talk

about movies and your poems,”

meant we might. Once I

almost bought a coat

because he loved it, didn’t

then spent weeks when

it was gone, hunting it down

as I have him, elusive,

even in dreams. No,

I can’t, even with a 19 inch

wait and  long good legs,

long blond hair compete

with 25 year olds. But

unlike the young girls with

beautiful skin, their elbows

if you look just beginning

to be kissed by earth

I can, as they never could,

with a few words,

make him

immortal