Typo

While trying to type “authentic,”
My phone autocorrected
The misspelled word to “arthritic.”
What began as an intention
To discuss who I really am,
My authentic self,
Veered into a forecast
Of my arthritic self,
Who I will be when I’m old
And osteoporosis
Stomps through bones
Once exceptional.

But this poem isn’t even about that anymore.
It’s about a typo,
What I meant to say
And what I actually said.
It’s about an accident I made a minute ago,

Which is life, I suppose:
A series of things
That go as planned,
As well as unplanned.
And I suppose it’s also life
To get old by mistake
While trying to express
Who you truly are.

Best of the Net nominee, Rich Glinnen, enjoys bowling, and eating his daughter’s cheeks at his home in Bayside, NY. His work can be read in various print and online journals, as well as on his Tumblr and Instagram pages. His wife calls him Ho-ho.