POETS UNITED - NINETY

“Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.” - Booth Tarkington

This week PoetsUnited has as its theme “Ninety”. Here is my contribution:

Ninety

You turned ninety last month
And I can see it in your eyes –
Rheumy and glaucous blue
Revealing all.

The years weigh heavily on your back
And I can see it in your heavy step –
Your tottering gait
So limiting…

You turned ninety last winter
And I can see it in your hair –
White, thinned, still soft,
Like snow.

The years have not been kind to you
And I can see it in your skin –
Translucent yellow parchment,
Where all is written.

Ninety years, a thousand months and more,
And I can see it in your wrinkles –
Each tells a story, sadness mixed with laughter,
It’s been a full life.

And when you speak to me, I listen:
The voice of the last century, still strong and loud;
And when you touch me, I feel:
Your heartbeat, propelling blood we share;
And in my embrace, your frail body trembles:
Your love unchanged, still burning undiminished,
Inextinguishable, a beacon for eternity,
Deriding death…