- Now Then
Now Then
I consume less I would have eaten your dessert
I’m at ease with sharp-looking women I was putty
I sketch simple everyday objects Never even doodled
I value lopsided things Symmetry was destiny
I read two times a day Used to read three
I ask fewer questions Outwardly
I can wait I have to [End Page 88]
Michael Fessler is a retired American teacher living in Japan. His work has appeared in many publications including Harvard Review, Kyoto Journal, Iowa Review, Poetry East, and Prairie Schooner.