In the Eye of the Beholder
"Crumbling is not an instant act..."
Emily Dickinson
Why do we find old buildings beautiful,
books, whose pages are crumbling to dust;
weatherworn wooden doors once dutiful,
old cars' magnificent sheen turned to rust?
What calls us to treasure the ruins of life?
Is it memories we hope we might find?
We search on steadily with sieve and knife,
as centuries slowly sift through our minds.
Yet we find no beauty in aging man:
wrinkles, balding head, the hesitant step.
Forgetting the youth that once was at hand
before battles of life, tears that were wept.
Beauty is wisdom verdant in aged minds.
Beauty a desk made from long-ago pines.
Copyright © Ann Peck | Year Posted 2021
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