___________________________________
Married for more than fifty years, and happily so, I’ve often faced this question from today’s young generation. This sonnet shows how.
_____________________________
Mid-eighties as nudge my memory’s door
Time and again-- how the same love I loved--
She in twenties, me some harvest moons more,
Onward as our voyage of wonder moved.
The mystery of my long married life
Lied in falling for same love whilst on move,
Love grew, got deep to burnish, buff its knife--
The way I loved moving up high above.
At forty she loved respect, not romance
So much, more of partnership than passion,
Promise of love’s presence, lasting fragrance,
A bouquet of picks as if from heaven.
Rivers of love when flow in lively flux,
What miserly if love draws only once!
_________________________________
Sonnet | 07.03.2026 | life, love, marriage, mystery, river
Advanced Years
Miracle Man
1/2/2025
We no longer dine with the “Tough Old Birds,”
and mid eighties isn't just a number.
Past our persona lies meaningless words,
but we fight off things that might encumber.
No bird in flight surpasses time for speed,
Desire and ability aren’t the same.
It’s a time when we're expected to concede,
like age, a number, is what we’ve became.
The sun is shining, the sky bright cerulean sea
And I am writing a letter…a letter to my future me.
The pandemic is over, so it’s time to pack up for a trip
Hey, Milt, no time to be giving yourself any pouty lip
Because you are living on borrowed time, you see,
Approaching the mid-eighties, not much time left for me.
I guess you are remembering the last ten years or so
Some wonderful times if you recall, not many more to go
You are still lonely since our wonderful Deborah died,
But you have cultivated friendships, O yes, really tried.
It’s good that you are still in your own home and thriving
I see you are not as productive now, but you are striving
I also see you have lost some of the lilt in your stride,
But, time hasn’t diminished your ever present self-pride
Slow down now, my future self, and let me catch up
I must deal with this most recent arthritic flareup
So, I’ll close this short letter and put it in the mail
Hope it gets to you soon, next time I’ll add more detail.
Cordially, Milt
SECOND PLACE WINNER
written September 19, 2021
especially for "Letter to Your Future Self" Contest
sponsored by Silent One
In their mid eighties, they no longer worry about the fashion
his biggest worry is will she walk away from the bathtub again
she sleeps all day he rides his bike, checks in, now and then
but most of the time he just rides with a memory of gumption
She has dementia he has courage, atop of that God's grace
Donald wears a cardboard square on his chest stuck with scotch tape
on it is a hand drawn syringe showing that he has had the vaccine
his blue eyes are alert, "my friend made this for me" he's in shape
"because I lost the receipt to my second vaccine" I see his gleam
She has dementia, he has courage, atop of that God's grace ...
"I was at the legion they had a DJ and we purchased some lunch
he smiles we listen, "soon you'll need a passport Don, goodluck
"Yes I know " he says, then he drives away, scared, I got a hunch
Once we were euchre buddies laughing, today just small talk
She has dementia he has courage, atop of that God's grace.
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.