each back must bear

each back must bear a heavy ancient freight
of pain and memory and all our cares
as each of us in our own way despairs
of life and hope still when we feel the weight
of all those yesterdays of every date
on which we preened and gave ourselves such airs
we laugh at how unvalued such affairs
are now so little pain we consecrate
the signals and the symbols of each plan
had meaning once but at this later stage
we do not put a rate upon such parts
we are not what we were when we began
but want to lie and dodge about our age
to keep hope warm in all our tired hearts