all are losing their hair
hands loosely clasped
between their legs
(one almost hears a woman
saying Do something
with your hands, guys)
none of them show rings
but marriage isn’t far off
one will go crazy from alcohol
within a few years
two will continue on at work
driving into the city daily
for decades
and at last ah
retirement
and the final thinning
the last breath
Thomas N. Dennis lives and writes near Lovick, Alabama. This piece appears in his new book of songs, poems, and haibun, Wings Match Mask from Feritas Press. His website is http://merefiction.com. His haibun “Chickenchasers” appeared is in the Steel Toe Review: Volume 1 Anthology.
Steel Toe Review 