SENESCENCE
by John T. Baker

How came I here, by what forgotten road
am I arrived in this uncharted land,
and when did I acquire this irksome load
of angst I feel but fail to understand?

Where dwell the comrades long since left behind?
Will they now reappear to be my guide
and disinter the dreams that once defined
our distant goal, until in dust they died?

Are there yet trails untrod that I may take,
Fresh verdant fields that temptingly extend,
proud peaks to scale, still more mistakes to make,
or have I reached at last my journey's end?

Whatever lies beyond I soon shall know;
whenever comes my call I'll sadly go.