mister, please, mister

by Fred Aiken

i wonder at what point and at what age
people will stop referring to me by my first name,
and start calling me mister so-and-so,

at which point, i wonder if it will even matter,
i wonder if i will even notice,
or perhaps i will embrace the subtle change of my name
with the graying of my hair
and the furrow in my brow