The Casting Collective Poem by Frank DeFulgentis

do not
shun the idea
of getting old
let the past unfold
you cannot open
doors
left closed

fate will leave you
on the side of the road
naked with fear
you’ve been waiting here
for years
silently fasting
the casting collective

no one
owes you a thing
yet you cling
to the should

what you bring
with you
into the night
will endure
what you hide
in the light
becomes
the pure
truth
let go
of the hate
stop wasting
your youth

look around
at the props
you have placed
the echoes
you erase
in the
concessions
you refuse to give
are the regrets
you'll refuse
to forgive
stop waiting
stop waiting
to live