"and in conclusion..."

[sasha]

how did I get here?
so many years
piled up behind me like snow -
not sliding off the roof at once
with a roar -
but quietly
sifting down inch by inch
from the sky of Time...

I still remember the old days:
when gas was 28 cents a gallon
a postage stamp cost a dime
and 40 bucks got you an oh-zee
of Vermont homegrown...

I was pretty green then - had to learn
that what you do is less important
than doing it well -
that when the wind shifts
you gotta point your sails accordingly -
and that owning your mistakes
is the true measure of success...

regrets? nah -
wouldn't buy that '94 Dodge again,
or eat at that place up in Ogunquit...
I wish I'd been less guarded
that time Liz took my hand
and been less quick with my mouth
about Marshall's youngest -
but for a garden-variety sinner
I haven't done too badly...
helped raise a kid I can brag about -
kept a roof over my head
and stashed away enough acorns
to spend these last days doing what I want.
you wouldn't say I'm rich -
but I might.