I was proofed,
ID verified
By a clerk
Not yet of beer-buying age himself.
Proof everyone,
He must have been told…
A good idea, reaching to absurdity,
For I am 53 years beyond
The legal age.
I have grayed my hair
(What’s left of it),
Lined my face,
Expanded my waist
And have, otherwise,
Earned the right not to be proofed.
I could, I suppose,
Be a teenager,
Who spent eight hours in makeup,
Getting latexed and painted
To look old…
To buy beer…
Without proof…
I’m sure that happens every day.