Best Elder Poems
Panagiota Romios
Spirited, elaborate and gracefully
She weaves with ease her poetry
Wistful, yet strong, carries her own
A starry queen on her exalted thrown
She writes to please
Puts minds at ease
Cinnamon and peppermints, I wish her well
Flowers and dance for mademoiselle
A true patriot, all Americana
A loving mother and Nana
Sadly, I drifted away from the poetess
Too busy in my world of selfish distress
Engaging in on a realization
That she fights for all and on occasion
At worldly events she has a feel
Who can dishonor a woman so real
I’ll read her poems and hear her song
The innocent lady, whose was right all along
Growing older is a carousel
of highs and lows, each spin a memory, each turn a change.
It’s the morning ache in places you never thought could hurt,
the pizza you once devoured now a restless night’s companion.
Your vision softens, sounds blur,
and the quiet hum of life’s smaller details becomes elusive.
Doctors' visits and pill bottles mark the passing months,
while hair thins, and skin loosens where once strength resided.
Nights grow lighter, dreams grow heavier
with visions of a younger self, running through the past.
The faces of friends and family fade, some taken too soon,
others by the slow hand of time, all leaving empty chairs.
Yet gratitude remains a quiet current,
a whispered song beneath the noise of change.
For the laughter still brightens days, the tear still falls,
reminding us of what remains, what we hold close.
Caregiver
Caregiver,
You came into our family
As a river of hope.
Ever flowing, always there,
Providing loving care,
So we could cope.
Caregiver,
You became an uncaring taker.
With your undue influence
You spent her money
On your own selfish wants.
Under false pretenses, you dragged her along daily,
Using her vehicle for your own personal errands.
Like a foe you fought our family!
As we became wise to your machinations.
And when your goose was finally cooked,
Your last act was to vandalize in secret,
Leaving her heartbroken.
Oh, Uncaring Taker,
How unconscionable were your actions.
How hateful you became.
Why were you this way?
How I would like to make you pay,
But it's her wish to leave it this way.
***
December 9, 2019
F T I SPECIAL family
Brian Strand, sponsor
Copyright © 2018 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Published 2018 in "Up In Smoke - A Collection of Poems" via wattpad.com
What creeps in space beneath the Elder trees
where time exists unfettered misting shore
that haunts and howls yet never says what for
as unborn twins that rot in garbled seas?
Whose breath turns stale an autumn mystic breeze
then speaks of life remembered ripe with gore,
of lust and death all stemming from a whore
who swiped a card to pay her selfish fees?
When rolling fog turned damp the summer air
while moon-lit skies exposed a mother’s tomb
then infants torn in half made heartfelt pleas
that fell on deafened ears which didn’t care;
The slain that rest now freed from Satan’s womb -
What creeps in space beneath the Elder trees.
When we grow old, we’re in need of care:
Our friends grow sparse, with whom to share
Remembrance of our younger energetic days.
Life and living having changed in many ways,
Deepens our need, for courteous Elder Care!.
Even though some are infirm, and under duress,
Living is still enjoyed, when given love and tenderness.
Doubtless to some, Elders are an annoying liability,
Even to thinking they’re a drag upon the community.
Reliable dedicated help, is the aim of Elder Care.
All too often, deserted by family and friends,
Becoming despondent, an Elder life oft ends,
Unbeknownst by neighbours living close by.
Seemingly abandoned, depressed they die,
Even though Elder Care is found close by.
Aid in a variety of forms, though offered
Will often be refused unless proffered
As an act of kindness, from one they know.
Respectful, sincere help is a trait few show,
Even towards an elderly relative in need.
Nothing is more detestable than greed!
Evidence shows that abuse does prevail
So often, it’s disguised by a duplicitous veil.
Smooth tongued platitudes may sound great:
Designed to deceive, they are a despicable trait
All too often used to cover Elder abuse!
Yet the vigilant Care Giver often spots such signs abstruse!
Rhymer June 16th, 2017
.
Old man, old school
Young man, new rules
Self-taught all out, times bout to expire
Now the youth today look lup to themselves riding the streets with flat tires
They think they have the way
To make it on their no plans, yet they stand
Young man can't stand
The advice and wisdom of the elder man
Young man thinks he can
To do it all out the palm of his hands
Old man reminded of the plans
His children have had now they have their heads in their hands
Watching them, Washington, all the politicians
Four leaf Glover, Sesame Street and Grover
And inclined to the beings of time
Better take the advice and wisdom of the elder man
No time to sway, sag, brag or play,
Only time left is to pray
The youth are the elders of tomorrow but what about today
if they don't choose the right way
then all mankind tomorrow will lose, hey
Old man glances young man chances
The choice is yours I have the cure
Let loose speak the truths and don't let anyone tell you after
Young man still thinks he can
I'm incline to believe in the righteous ways
The advice and wisdom of the elder man
08/20/15
written by James Edward Lee Sr.
from submitted entry "UNO Poetry to Bridge Generations Elder & Youth 2015"
Madame, thou art mature and must I say...
Thy wine is old and pleasing to the taste
The love you give to me no one could weigh
Yet eyes eavesdrop on evenings we embrace
Your years above my age is their distaste
For you came like a cougar in the night
Desires upon my flesh you did delight
After our lips would play and kiss with tongue
We lay in love and looking in the light
You would say I was old and she was young
Johnny Sumler
COUGAR EFFECT
Pinwheels flying high.
Box Elders in Falls array.
Helicopter play!
Amelia Romero NM
a daughter
When I look back
I relive petty torments
The way you teased me
The way I displeased you
The scars I needn’t show
With nowhere else to go
Avoided you miserably
Your need for turbulence
had held me hostage
Your drama
Day by day
Flashes of you
Only glimpses of possibility
Vows of a better life
When I look back
In the shadow of this tree,
Judas mapped his misery,
But saw no finger-post, save one:
A beckoning oblivion.
So up he climbed, with labored breath,
To where he could devise his death.
The twisted tree, by time distressed,
Would ratify his wretchedness,
And let him fall — his loss complete,
The seamless sky his winding sheet.
The house on Elder Street is old,
menopausal in fact,
with no signs of children at play.
A lovingly maintained lawn
rolls gently from front porch
to the vine-covered mailbox
standing guard alongside
the blacktop pavement.
No fences hinder a visitor,
four-legged or two.
Built of strong stuff,
possessing a concrete foundation,
its exterior is real brick - not veneer.
Belonging once to a king,
this castle’s only turret
is a mighty stone chimney
capable of warming hearth and hearts.
Inside, a man could serenade his wife
while she let down her hair
without the neighbors hearing.
Then why the carefully stenciled
‘Reduced for Quick Sale’ sign
plunged deeply into the earth
near the verdigris number marker?
Why not instead,
‘Costs More – Appreciated with Age’?
Weathered house or leathered man –
fewer days of existence
makes one more desirable,
they say.
Sometimes outward blemishes
become more a factor in determining worth
than warmth, character,
and undeniable inner-charm,
but true value can be recognized
in the beauty of a deal, not curb appeal.
101 Elder Road would be a good investment.
The spirit within comes free.
When your family has an elder
The senior or head of the family
You need to unite together for
The sake of the older family member
You should want them to live
Out their days with peace
Of mind and happiness, knowing
That there’s no bickering
Or bitterness among you
You can sit all differences aside
For the sake of your elder
The look of youth has passed my eyes
Come furrowed brow and withered skin
Hair thin, bright eyes gone dim
What will become of me now?
Swaddled in warm linen
Drive the chill from feeble bones
Teas, hot oils and liniments
These aromas fill my home
The shell I wore is no more
With deafened ear and eye so blind
Brittle bones and muscles sore
Prompting life to pass the time
Pace unsteady, twisted spine
These hands of mine will work no more
Fatigued and spent, take to my bed
My youth to find me never more
All so precious to me now
Things cast aside in early hours
What a waste! Relive this taste
A second chapter to devour
Heart now lonely, cold and stalled
House so silent, ever still
Hear the clock~tick tock tick tock
Gaze out from the windowsill
No more visits, no more calls
My wife long gone and buried deep
Now welcome death with open arms
My soul shall seek eternal sleep
Louder than the silence
Heard beyond my heart’s echo,
Darker than the shadows
Secreted where feelings bled
Through the delicate colors
Hues of hopeful, fresh
Young faces in delicate light,
Smiles alive, aware – so bright
Louder than the stillness,
The hush beneath the calm,
Quieting the heartbreak
Feelings bleeding through
The dark, where an echo glistened,
Calling for the earlier times,
The breathless moments
History, flowing in the thoughts
Reminiscing, feelings – flowing
On rivers of childishness, hesitating
To believe –
Wrinkles, gray hair – tired eyes
Who never twinkle, delight
Gone beyond the starry skies,
Leaving only the whisper of a breathless
Moment when I spoke like life
Would never pass me by, like I would
Be the wonder who would never
See the years taking me beyond the
Hesitant feelings into the future,
Where I would leave my youth behind,
Smiling to the truth who would reveal
Time that had left me with only
A passing memory, old photos, a yesterday…
When I shoulds seen it comin’
I SHOULDA SEEN IT COMIN' Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: John lawless
January 30, 2023
Some archaeologists like to
date older women.
Thanks Ogden
7 words