Has been embraced by some
with equanimity
smiles on their faces
I’ll go on for years yet
still having a wonderful life

This of course denies the reality
of our bodies
giving up bit by bit
the eyes grow dim
requiring constant injections

The teeth need to be pulled out
and those that are left
barely do the job of chewing
endlessly grinding away
in times of stress

The skin suffers from over exposure
in youth when we laid in the sun
a great tan was the fashion then
the results go under the knife
and freezing off spots
all over the body

The ears can’t hear any more
without a device
that often doesn’t fit
what was that you said
becomes a refrain often repeated

The knees become wonky
challenging your desire
to walk more
the back and thighs
hurt even in sleep

Oh yes wisdom
we may have gained
over the many decades of our life
just gets more difficult
to carry it about
in the physical world

Thank god for books
that can be read on a comfortable chair
taking the mind down so many tracks
of history so fascinating
and the sea nearby
I can hobble to
looking at eternal forces

The waves
the colours
the sounds
the smells
of the ocean
keep me alive

Despite the inevitability
of growing old!