White Hair, Is It Fair

My hair is mostly white with streaks of black here and there My white hair marks me as “aged” --- is that fair? I don’t think or feel old (to which my body keeps disagreeing) Just let me be who and what I am without age interfering My opinions derive from education and experience Each and all have been my deliverance: Reading, listening, arguing, questioning, Curiosity, studying, rejecting and accepting. At 78 my brain functions minus dementia or senility And if truth be told Men don’t have a monopoly On Life’s options due to their relentlessly reiterated virility Womanhood has Booked her place throughout the Ages Profoundly and sometimes better than Manhood’s Pages (Yet I’m thankful for Men being close-by anyway! They’re the music, poetry, and humor in Life’s abundant Plays So Diverse, yet hoarded and cherished as Life’s Bouquets). All this irrelevant musing won’t get me anywhere Let’s not digress but readdress the dilemma of my white hair A naked cranium would be icy in cold winter weather And if it won’t grow back going bald might not be vey clever There is always dyeing, but only another temporary solution Dye fades and white hair will reappear of its own volition Yet I love a rich auburn, and the right blonde shade can flatter Black is harsh, and Browns won’t suit so do not matter Purples, greens, pinks or rainbow are not my cup of tea Hair coloring options or choices I cannot dictate Or expect others to like or dislike the same as me. Dyeing my hair will habitually face budget restrictions A loathed state of affairs that is an odious situation Being poor demands tribute to that which is essential Like mortgage, utilities, eating daily (oh, so beneficial!) Thinking, looking back and reviewing bygone years I recall highs, lows, regrets, laughter and shed tears I’ve earned the right to show off this head of white hair Without dyeing, lamenting, defending or worrying if it is fair. Perhaps it is time at last to say “Thanks” for the generous gift I was given to walk Life’s unique (at times) inhospitable Course Having had my share of rewards, recognition, grief and remorse I now salute my 78 years with Good Show! Hip, Hip! Here! Here! Glad to Be and now at ease wearing that mantle of White Hair That serves as my symbol to Endure, Survive and Persevere.