some old men wear ties
i noticed this the other day
they wear them as bows
and they wear them long
beneath a suit jacket
and over their clothes

i noticed this

in groups i noticed this
looking about the room
that younger men did not
they did not wear ties
but open suit coats
on top of t-shirts or dress shirts,
over sweaters and hoodies
with jeans and sneakers
while the old men –

they wore ties, a buttoned suit coat,
dress pants and smart shoes
and so did i

so did i –
but i am not old (am I?)
maybe i am…but maybe not
i wear all the variations
the younger men do
but on this day i wore my tie
and now am old
for an hour or two

but why, why did i
honestly, i know why…
vanity
it was my new-to-me
gold and black Versace tie
and i needed a reason
to wrap it around my neck
and stand in uniform
stealing authority and confidence
from fashion

it’s true…old men wear ties
and on occasion so do i