Ticket 2 Ride

The sound you hear is my skipping a beat

Like cylinders out of alignment

The beat is new and hard to dance to

But it’s my distinct arrangement

—

I’m not lost in my thoughts

They are swirling in my head

Circling my brain, high above the drain

Old memories, each a retread

—

Forgive the tone deafness

Be kind, I’m trying to rewind

I’ve earned this blank stare

It’s not easy losing your mind

__

Don’t flatter, very little matters

Cognitive functionality downshifts

The morning fog settles in

Thoughts slide into mental snowdrifts

__

Staring at the popcorn ceiling

A state of wake or sleep, confusing

Not there yet, the journey begins

Growing old, hardly amusing