Old Soul

The thing about being born

with an old soul

is that

an old soul can’t tell you

all the things you weren’t supposed to do

all the things that went wrong

all the things that will make it right again

The thing about having an old soul

is that

no one can see that it’s there

hunched over with wrinkly brown skin

thick gray hair, deep cloudy eyes

that have already seen the past, present, and future

all balled up into a small universe

right here, right now

in this courtroom