a lifetime of failures
back up
in my subconscious
like a clogged toilet,
mocking the wisdom
ostensibly gained
at midlife

in the solitary desert
of restless wakefulness
my aching body
clamors to fill the
empty spaces
in other desolate wastelands

exhausted and spent,
I crawl on my belly
to the Source of my life
and beg for a drink.