In the Eye of the Beholder

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"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.

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Emilia James

Date: 9/28/2021 12:57:00 PM

I have great respect for the elderly and love chatting and hearing their life stories. They are great teachers in many ways, to me that is priceless. Emilia : )

Ann Peck
Date: 10/3/2021 9:34:00 AM

Thanks for commenting, Emilia, and for your kind view of the aged. Once respected, they're now mostly swept into corners and forgotten. I've always liked antiques and, like you, feel there is much to be learned from old minds.

Ann Peck

Date: 9/7/2021 3:06:00 PM

Thanks so much, Kim. Yes treasure your dad. Our society, being a throw-away one, has a tendency to include the elderly in its heap. I play bridge with 90+year olds who are sharp as a tack.

Kim Rodrigues

Date: 9/7/2021 1:03:00 PM

Wonderful sentiments here. Indeed the years of the aged are to be reaped for as long as they last. Mom is gone…dad’s still here. Great sonnet, Ann!

Ann Peck
Date: 9/7/2021 3:08:00 PM

I must not be that sharp--I put my reply above your comment :)

Rico Leffanta

Date: 9/7/2021 11:37:00 AM

Certainly true! Every time I watch, "Antiques Roadshow" I never fail to miss the "beauty" adored by others . . . .

Ann Peck
Date: 9/7/2021 3:19:00 PM

I do love the 1920's clothes and some antiques. I love to look at an antique shop, love old China and jewelry. Things that were made to last. Thanks for commenting.

Vijay Pandit

Date: 9/7/2021 6:08:00 AM

Nuggets of wisdom throughout Anne. I hear your message in depth of your thoughts.

Ann Peck
Date: 9/10/2021 8:34:00 AM

Thank you, Vijay. So much difference between respect of old things and the elderly!

John Gondolf

Date: 9/7/2021 2:47:00 AM

It takes years and years to grow old, surely that is worth something? Enjoyed your sonnet, Ann, and the questions you pose. I will be pondering these thoughts all day. John

Ann Peck
Date: 9/10/2021 8:32:00 AM

Absolutely! that's why I wonder at the difference we find between respect of old things and little for growing old. The elders were once valued...

Harry Horsman

Date: 9/6/2021 11:46:00 PM

What an amazing creative poetry, so meaningful. You ask the question, and the last two lines says it all..Just got to go to my favourites. Love this Ann.

Ann Peck
Date: 9/10/2021 8:36:00 AM

Thank you, Harry, for commenting. We need to respect the elderly as much as we respect old things.