He Had The Look Of A Young Old Man

He had the look of a young old man
      More so than
An old young man.

Heck he wasn't much more than 19
      But he looked every day of having been
In and out of juvenile hall for years
      Let's face it for a decade now
He had seen nothing but the inside of
      One correctional facility or another
Hadn't necessarily made him a better person
      Couldn't say if it had made him a worse person
Mostly it should have made him wiser
      To not make the same mistakes over and over agian

All that could change
      Starting here starting now you never know
It's always so hard to predict
      He was on the bus headed to Seattle
Headed to make a new life
      Pick up on another chance
            A gift that had been given him
The judge had pleaded with him to make the most of it
      Thank your lucky stars young man he said
            You have someone willing to help you
      Don't let me see you back here
            Or so help me I'll throw the book at you

All that would be decided in the days weeks months years ahead
      For now though sitting on the bus looking out the window
He had the look of a young old man
      More so than
An old young man
            Heck he wasn't much more than 19


For Conversations With Walt
Denis J. Kelly
Jan. 3, 2012