you have aged

there are no circles under your eyes
no wrinkles on your face
no receding hairline
no grey hair
-even on the sideburns
you haven’t put on weight
any more, that is
your lips haven’t darkened with cigarette
but then you didn’t smoke, do you now?

your smile remains serious,
the kind of smile earnest youngsters have
when they discuss big issues and write abstract poetry
you even wear that ridiculous purple sweater often

my memory lens is all scratches
(did I overuse it
or put it carelessly among other such odds and ends)
but even through the tottering lens
I can see
you have aged

it doesn’t show in the face I used to know
your age shows
in me
in my face
in my being
in the time I have traveled…since