so they say

I see the bones
of me
in the mirror.
the absence of food
has tightened
my face.
deepened the lines
as if I've been made
wiser.
which I haven't.
I seek refuge
in red wine.
in sleep.
in books about
another land,
a place
far from here,
across a calm sea.
everyone has a cross
to bear,
so they say.
so they say.