The Casual Encounter

Of this man one does not hesitate to think 
well for he is quite extraordinary in the best 
sense of the word. Nothing enigmatic about him
his face an open visage of good fellowship
never absent a wide smile, his mouth forming 
the kind of language that leads to hearty laughter.
Handsome, he is, and he knows it since as he 
has informed us, his mother always claimed 
him to be and she was right. He is lithe, athletic 
and simply bursting with genuine bonhomie. 
Throughout the course of one's days there 
are many with whom one forges relationships 
that fall into the category of casual, and he fits
right in there. There is in the neighbourhood
a coterie of similarly-interested people and
in a sense he is one. He has latterly become
introduced to the nature of growing old
surprised that his once-reliable body has
become a trifle crotchety. And he laughed
when he said how surprised he was to realize 
that increasingly when he exchanges small 
talk with his circle of acquaintances how 
frequently the talk turns to the frailties of 
increasing age and the number of surgeries
others have undergone, and disparagingly
in a departure from his usual manner. In the
same breath he launched into a litany of
newfound diagnoses explaining the creaks
and pains he has been experiencing, with 
a wry expression of exasperation, leavened
characteristically with his explosive laugh.