I Once Was….
I once was young
Fresh out of school
The future lay at my feet
And everything was cool.
My face was void of wrinkles
My body flexible and strong
There was nothing I couldn't do
And my dreams inspired my song.
I never thought of aging
Of growing old
Forced to give up activities
Because my limits were sold.
I looked at older people
And felt a sense of relief
I had years to enjoy my life
Was my misconceptive belief.
Day after day
Year after year
I took life for granted
And lived without fear.
One day I woke up
And I looked in the mirror
I saw time had dwindled down
And my age was suddenly clear.
I was no longer young
With years stretched before
me
My body stiff like the tin man
My bladder the size of a pea.
My memory has faltered
Simple things playing hide and seek
And I faced the fact
That time had sprung a leak.
I once was young
And ready to take on the world
But time somehow got away from me
Like a newspaper age curled.
Working with older individuals is an interesting mix
of being told it looks like you are running around with
no pants on because your khakis are light colored
to being told "I'm just wasting away" in answer
to "How are you doing today?" It is my privelege to
respond to all situations with as much grace as I can muster
It was 10:35, August 21
I woke up, and through the window
The rain gone, there's only the sun
I love the rain, I've been loving sorrow,
Perhaps, I'm done for things undone,
And there's nothing really to do
But face my own new year through.
The street was long, endless really
My sweat drew maps on my shirt
The street was long, leading nowhere simply,
All in all, below the asphalt is earth
Despite the wails of motorcycles and cars
Sooner now, I'll be back to the stars.
For now the flowers still smile a smile,
But the food have become tasteless
All that remains of what Time defiled
Sooner too, they'll wilt, in baselessness
Continuing anyway for one more mile
As there's nothing to do, more or less.
The sea wind welcomes me
Like a woman's hand on my hair.
Years drift to the limited continuity
I laughed because I could not despair.
With a pudding in my hand, no sorry
For the sunset falling over me.
Aug. 21, 2026
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ winters shall besiege thy brow,
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ beauty's ¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ so gazed on now,
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ treasure of thy lusty days,
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.
(Blackout of Sonnet II: When Forty Winters Shall Besiege Thy Brow by William Shakespeare)
It was like a rainbow, this bead so fine that strung up so many lifelessly like puppets pronged. The carry-over appears, like ageism defeated but again it rears and spills the beans over another adventure, so silly that goose like hemlock endeavors, so wily this bead so effervescent that dowry hidden in the stores are much too much of a bounty.
Hey God, it’s me, Margaret.
I know it’s been a minute
since our last conversation,
but I’m back to ask for a little help.
I’ve got bigger problems now.
(I know—I’m surprised too.)
Perimenopause has reared her ugly head,
and honestly, I can say—
puberty was child’s play.
Spain won the world cup yesterday, one to nil - but it was never close. Spain spent 70% of the game in Argentina’s backfield - pressuring.
Spain had nine respectable shots at a goal - scored one with another called back. Argentina had one shot that almost went in. I know losing when I see it - Argentina winning would have been a fluke.
Speaking of losing - Madonna at halftime.
A critic wrote that, "Madonna has come to represent America’s fear of aging."
Yeah, aging has never looked less appealing.
I may take up smoking.
I know, she recently had a single hit #1 on the Billboard charts.
Back when the Beatles were cranking out 24 #ones in a row, you had to sell a million records a week to crack the top ten, and 1.3 to 1.5 million a week to stand a chance at a #1. Today (with streaming) you can get a #1 with a 7th of that number.
I love early Madonna - but I know creepy when I see it.
Who’s older, Madonna or Trump?
Whatever, both are too old for their jobs.
.
.
A song for this:
Vogue by Madonna
Cruel and Pretty by Over the Rhine
You used to smile a lot
When we were both young
Enough to play and run,
In the flowering fields.
Golden rays, golden hair
Golden cord, golden rings.
They are now all the same
In my memory.
The only thing not faded
Is the smile on your face.
We should have counted then
Those few blessings shared,
Lest we forget them
In the passing of years.
Our memories washed
Away as the rains
Came to clean
Away the dew
Covering us when we awoke
Laying in the grass of that meadow.
Faded Youth was originally published in Impspired Magazine, 2026 all rights reserved.
I don't want to lose my memory
that's where all my friends are
O map of skin where rivers deeply run,
Thou art the ledger of the years I've known;
The weary eyes that softened with the sun,
And silver crown that time has slowly sown.
I sing of joints that stiffen in the cold,
Of 'measured treads' along the dusty way,
For in this frame, though 'immeasurably old',
A 'steady flame' still burns against the gray.
Speak not of mere decay or entropy,
Quiet strength that rises through every storm,
A 'vibrant vessel' filled with artistry;
Resilience found in every 'weathered form.
Here's to feeling old, a bloom fading away,
Praising 'slowed hands' that hold each memory,
Yet leaves a tender trace of every day;
And a 'soul grown bolder' through its history.
For beauty lives beyond the face, we see,
In the 'unadulterated wisdom' of just being me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hip dips
left, uneven~
gravity pulls hard now.
each step swaying pendulum’s grief.
hold me.
Aging Faster
Scares fading
Old age visible
Still sharp minded
But somehow aging faster
Unhealthy foods
Self indulge
Over weight a bit
Couch truly inviting
Slower to ascend
Aches and Pains are my two best friends
Coffee 24/7
Time flying, can’t fathom
Where does all the time go?
Take it easy
Stillness in harmony
Take in the moment
Breathe in crisp morning air
Alleviate troubled burdens
One day at a time
Thankful for each day
Growing old gracefully
One day, I will be lifted into the clouds
And leave all of my poetry behind
I’m just an old soul
On September the 18th, all turn 50 years old
Age does not care
softness of eyes now wrinkles
my face changing
Night time Battle
Side by side we run the tests!
To find which path to sleep is best!
Sleep is more elusive now.
That we don't get up to milk the cow!
Is eight a bedtime just for me?
While he sits up to watch TV?
Does his back do better on the floor?
Do earplugs help him when I snore?
We want to get up strong and tough!
But stay asleep just long enough!
To make it to our kitchen chair
And maybe find some breakfast there.
No infant wakes us in the night,
No burglers or a dog that bites.
But as the moon through darkness glides!
We find that sleep from old folks hides!
(“Lone Pine”, 2024, original pen and ink)
Every step of the way
And every misstep
Leaves a little something
In its wake
Until all that’s left
Of all we have done
And all those we have known
And loved
Are the scars we carry inside
And out.
(2/17/26)
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