Then why are you sad?
Because
in my 20s,
man,
it was just
so fun,
it was just
whatever.
I could fuck up,
and it was
whatever.
I’d go to bars.
I’d go to the beach
with my buddies
just to smoke pot.
Why can’t you still do those things?
Because I don’t feel like it.
Then why are you sad?
I’m sad
because I don’t feel like it.
What do you feel like doing?
In the morning,
if the weather is good,
I’ll take a walk.
If it’s raining,
I’ll drink coffee
while I watch the news
on the little TV
in my kitchen.
Then do that, do those things.
I do,
that is
what I do.
Then why are you sad?
About the Author: Jacob Friesenhahn is the author of the poetry collection The Prayer of the Mantis (Kelsay Books, 2025). This poem appears here for the first time.