Unexpectedly

Unexpectedly I grew old. Yesterday I was seventeen With all my hopes and silly dreams. I was often told, Do not grow old, Old age is for the very brave. But I didn’t listen, hadn’t a care, Chose to ignore the odd grey hair, Chose not to believe what harsh sunlight revealed, Preferring candlelight and what it concealed. Found ways to excuse the much slower pace, Getting through life was never a race, Found missing items in the oddest of places And laughed off the memory lapses. Then waking one night to silence and darkness I knew it was time to confess, I had wasted my life, had not taken chances Had not taken part in life’s myriad dances, Never seized the moment, never chose to dare, Never waltzed through life with hardly a care. And now I knew I could no longer ignore What the rest of my life had in store: A time to reflect, A time of regret, With only myself to blame.