Exfoliation I Am
EXFOLIATION, I AM
In my advanced age am I but
The castoff--remnants
Of a vitality that once was and has been pushed aside?
Am I only its exfoliation?
I don’t want to think so, but that is now;
What came before is shown below:
For decades three plus three
Nature with her laws discovered by
Newton, Boyle, Bernoulli
Was companion to me
As I experienced the excitement of creativity
In my work overriding the possible drudgery
Of jobs that have little rewarding activity.
Half century plus ten I was blessed with
Wife and family and the role of
Provider, father, lover shared with She
Who enlivened me.
Car full headed North, lake in view,
Wife, three kids oh so very excited.
Driving West, mountain view.
Watch for antelope, but watch for rattlers uninvited.
Reading aloud became good habit,
Followed the adventures of rascally Brer Rabbit.
Later the kids entered college by matriculation.
Then we proudly attended their graduation.
Followed by weddings three,
Grandkids soon to be.
A basement room all mine to whittle and carve,
Saw and drill, all to my own design!
And all this with wife’s loving smile,
Nurturing care for me and family.
And special nighttime treat for me:
The warm curves of femininity.
Yes, a house, a home, a nest
For fulfillment of many a quest.
Then all suddenly gone--no more
Wife taken by stroke at 84.
Now living alone in senior facility for independence
With feelings of life in the deep-end-ence
Of water’s eddying spirals
Of gremlin virals
In Devil’s domain
Of assorted pains
And energy gone south.
Through West window I can see
A hospital’s room emergency reminding me
Of the fragility of my mortality.
Enough of this gloom! Look about this room,
There are friends on end!
I do have a special friend,
One who sustains me
And when I do see often
The hardness of loneliness does soften.
I see no need of future to aspire to, just experience today.
For now, yes, we have the exfoliation
Of our prior activities whose flakes are shards
Of knowledge and creativity. Use them!
Exfoliated for me has been a love of writing poetry.
(on that I needn’t expound;
On reading here I trust you’ve found).
When at times I feel alone and tired to the bone
I must remember I can draw on the past (not live what was last )
Or devise something new for something to do
The next hour or two.
Adhere fast to life! (with rivet or glue)* JUST LIVE IT!
* As an avid consumer of metaphoric humor
This; rivet or glue, I couldn’t resist.
So see, just writing this has brought life to me!
Copyright © Stanley Ohlswager | Year Posted 2017
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