In verses callow
heart beats warm, cold
Mind mush marshmallow
body creaks old
Now mostly just found headlines sifting
gone the days of own heavy lifting
On looks of covers of books
Behold that fresh youthful look:
Youth’s upbeat breathless grin
crisp cover of unread book
sculptured, jutting out chin
Behold the wizened old look:
aging’s out-of-breath grin
thumbed cover of well read book
sagging skin, drooping chin
At which point cannot count on audacity
but hope for tenacity, veracity
When all is said & done way more has been said than done
At times has been avowed
my enthusiasm gallant
while sparingly endowed
with any useful talent
Hence I’ve barely begun
at age eighty-two
to get hoped-for things done
with some derring-do
But as by now glaringly way too late
I’ll keep playing to my ‘strength’, i.e. prate
While I’ve little time left I’ve got all the time right now
On my life’s path not much time left
but got all the time in the moment
so primed still & ready to heft
& to welcome Life’s next bestowment
Right now am feeling far from done
never mind how long my run
Intertwined companions yell across canyons
Obstinacy & Aging
those two intertwined companions
with their hangups engaging
they be yelling across canyons
In perpetual dance
unyielding stays their stance
Their ingrained character flaws
refuse to step aside
whether as result or cause
leaves us worn, bleary-eyed
With Obstinacy one might try engage
while with Aging merely watch its rampage
The ramshackle shack emits such pained yack
My poor aging body
a ramshackle shack
Now worn down & shoddy
emitting pained yack
Whenever it moves around
ailments reveal therein
Feels beat down, close to breakdown
that’s life of the has-been
Now it’s only left for us to treasure
how in our prime it bestowed such pleasure
Not invigorated, hope debilitated
At early dawn released, relieved
from limp grip of shallow sleep
coming to on planet aggrieved
facing day’s challenges steep
Not invigorated
mind, conscience shaky
hope debilitated
legs & joints achy
These days sleep since too long adulterated
each morning feeling more attenuated
Each blessed moment its own bestowment
Now’s the time to be strong minded
While the past always matters
when by flashbacks am reminded
I mustn’t drown as it splatters
Rather stretch to my boldest stance
in each new moment’s fraction
am offered yet another chance
with short time frame for action
as resolve tends to fade too fast
never known to loiter & last
So it always was, so it simply is
Years rushing by her
without slowdown
faster & faster
goes the countdown
Even without disaster
life is the hard taskmaster
So why live in blurred hurry
when to live well in the moment
with its own joy & worry
remains life’s greatest bestowment
Octogenerian
Synapses corroding
recall slowed, deferred
Memories eroding
erstwhile visions blurred
Outlook & attitude askew
injustices bewailing
Anything new brings much ado
as trains of thought derailing
Outfits, gadgets turned outmoded
Sentences humorously misheard
He grieves old manners imploded
since human folly reached the absurd
An Octogenarian
grumbling with fumbling hands
Curmudgeon contrarian
long gone grandiose plans
Now marching out of step, on course chaotic
his collar frayed, smartphone-less, quite quixotic