Zacchaeus Was Never a Mountain*

Zacchaeus Was Never a Mountain,

But He May Have Moved One

When He Was Only a Kid

 

Voltaire famously said: “God is a comedian

Playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh.”

 

But if that is so, I do not think that the Almighty is all that funny �"

Especially when it comes to subjecting me to the high drama

Of unsolicited physical change;

 

Which is different from spiritual or intellectual change

Because it rarely turns out for the good.

 

But a few days ago, my daughter asked me

If I thought I might be getting shorter.

 

I said that I hardly thought so, but agreed to be measured

Because I like it when loved ones express even scientific interest in me.

And the idea of a man shrinking with age seemed like a good metaphor

 

For how I feel about my life generally �"

 

And strong metaphors about a person’s life are hard to come by

When all the good ones have already been taken by his enemies.

 

More importantly, what if it were true? What if I was shrinking?

But I was confident that I had not shrunk,

As I am 70 years old �" Not 90!

 

And from what I can tell,

 

II still tower over a multitude of people

Who are persuaded to embrace dotage

As a doable, if not a satisfying lifestyle.

 

Yet I have indeed shrunk by more than an inch �"

And that has caused me to consider purchasing a firearm

Because I am no longer an imposing 72-inch mountain of a man,

But less than a seventy-one-inch Zacchaeus who is, of course,

More likely to provoke the attention of predatory individuals.

 

Now, when I look in the mirror, I see nothing that suggests

That I was ever a mountain, or anyone other than Zacchaeus.

 

I suspect that young people conclude the same about me,

And that is an outrage �" and even an ignominious scandal

 

Because I like talking with young people

And have interesting things to say to them.

 

But there is a standard one must measure up to

If one is to project a believable air of sage wisdom,

 

And I believe I have fallen below that line.

 

Conversely, my much-criticized adolescence

May have been the tallest period of my life.

 

I transitioned from the ideals and wondrous visions of make-believe

To the nasty reality of knowing what grown-ups really think of each other.

 

It was by far the most astounding revelation of my life.

 

Yet, I had a rebellious new body that demanded my attention,

And in every instance had ambitions of its own.

Reviews

[ksiide]

What poetic form is this article written in?
tunnel rush

[Paris Hlad]

Thanks for your inquiry.

Free Verse: Non-metrical, "Non-rhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech. However, many examples of free verse in English will contain traditional poetic devices, such as alliteration, metaphors, etc. Also, the English language is predominantly iambic in sound, and most free verse pays homage to that fact.

[ksiide]

It's so great. thanks.