Keep Upright

Keep upright,
this old sign says,
and I have to ask:
what did that buy you?
If you never bow your head
in prayer,
or shame,
or grief,
will that somehow make
the rust and age less noticeable,
the losses less painful,
the hunger less intense,
this moment,
this ending,
this shabby presence
in the graveyard of dreams
less embarrassing?
Though you can no longer be
what you thought you were,
your essence still remains;
a reminder of past promises and blessings.


* * *