Foibles of Merit

It was a party but he sat in a corner

Alone

He used this time to reflect on his life

It had gone nowhere

No great or lasting achievements

Sure enough a functioning

Productive

Member of society

But not especially loved

Or noted

Liked and accepted and sometimes

Even

Appreciated

But would soon be forgotten

Nice guy not the legacy one wants

So he sat alone with his drink

And brooded

He was not even a drunk

No addictions

No serious issues

No foibles of merit

Never the center of attention

On the periphery of any scene

Any group

An okay guy

Nice to meet you they said

So he sipped slowly at a drink now watery

From melted ice

That was him

He thought

Watery

Melted ambition and dreams

A guy

Part of the crowd

Too old to change

Someone walked by

Glanced at him and smiled

He smiled back

Knowing she’d forget having seen him

In a second or two

And so he sighed