Can – Written Friday 20th February 2026 (Aged 50)

Can

I have done, ‘okay’.
I mean…
there are parts of me
that are clearly a mess;
and,
parts of me,
struggle to put up a sign
which says, ‘success’.
But,
I am the shape I am,
and my shape
is in a fizzy drinks can —
but not one,
that is kicked along the street,
or one where the sugar
makes the taste
just too sweet.
It’s one held
by a person
with such restless feet;
a person,
listening to distant sunshine
that sometimes
makes them feel complete.
I sit here,
imagining versions of me —
the ones,
that I know
can never be;
ones
with acceptable tags.
And sometimes
I do become sad
as I contemplate
these imagined versions of me.
I know,
that they can never exist;
but some parts
land with the sign‑writers,
and they find a way
to chalk up
the success.

James Garratt – Friday 20th February 2026

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https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/2020/01/08/the-boy-behind-the-glasses-an-introduction/ (theboybehindtheglasses.com in Bing)

More poems from 2026
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/category/poems-and-writing-2026/ (theboybehindtheglasses.com in Bing)