Ageing

Celebrating age in a Haiku ….

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Mary

Oh raggedy old woman with
Your weak and toothless smile
With folded skin and greying locks
Has life been such a trial?

Your groans, your protestations and
Your yells and grumpy do
Your shouting out so very loud
Disguising the real you

I wonder who you really are
Beneath your upset veil
What person did you used to be
Before you got so frail

Dressed in confusion’s linen and
Dementia’s shrouding cloak
What have those eyes seen in the past
What stories have you spoke

What person did you used to be
Before the clutch of age
Took hold with mask eclipsing
The oak’s sagacious page

And what conflicts have you witnessed
Throughout your long long years
The battles, wars and struggles that
Still steel your heart and tears

The loves that came and loves that went
The jobs you did so well
I wonder what great yarns you have
What history you can tell

For through the windows of your eyes
Your sweeter soul’s laid bare
I wonder raggedy old maid
Why no-one seems to care?

Age – A State of Mind

Age – a state of mind
To be embraced for sure
Reflecting who we really are
In mind and heart and more
That frees the soul, enlightens
Into maturity
Though let us not forget that we’re
Young in eternity

Birthdays

They come but once a year
A celebration of life
The good, the bad and the ugly
The old, the young
The happy, the sad
Indiscriminately ticking off the next number
But seriously! How many candles this year!?!?

 

Silver Greys

Hair; whitening over time
Losing colour as the tints imbue inward
Into the soul; the spirit; the heart
Painting a picture of life
With the tonal brushes of history
In blends of black, brown, blond and red
Revealing the spectral panorama
That stretches out across a lifetime
Rich in unique yet poignant threads
The masterpiece behind the silver greys

 

Homeless Old Man

Homeless old man
Neglected by humanity
Lost in the wilderness of his mind
Wandering the streets aimlessly
Pleading for a crust of bread
Desperate, despairing,
Exhausted, tired, hungry
Once a soldier
Now abandoned to soldier on
Craving for waves of kindness and compassion to wash over him
Yet left in a pool where there is little peace

English: Homeless on bench, Author Tomas Castelazo from Wikimedia Commons

Age

They say you’re as old as you feel
But why this obsession at all
For there’s so much else other to think of
Less trip over years and then fall

I mean does it matter how long you’ve existed?
Do we care that some age or look more?
Or some are much younger and greener
Whilst preserving the years well for sure?

Does it really seem so very important
What number of birthdays you’ve had?
When really in essence the point is
Whether you’ve lived a life happy or sad

For some might just live for a short time
But the time that they have here on earth
Makes a difference that’s something amazing
Changing hearts by their virtue of birth

And some might breathe in over a century
With wisdom and stories to tell
Resonating in old age eternal
To then make that difference as well

So make age in fact just a number
Not an edict that summaries you
For what you do with the time that you have here
Is more vital and that is quite true!

English: sandglass that is part of interior Bonifacius-church, Medemblik, The Netherlands (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Young

Hark! Hear the song of youth
The zest of tender years
Enthusiasm’s verdant burst
Cross innocent frontiers

The zeal for pastures new
Fresh lust for life each day
The zing in step and fettle
Their zany springtime way

And hear their laughter on the wind
Their youthful chatter sung
Their appetite; vivacity
The anthems of the young

Beyond The Mirror

Looking in the mirror and thinking
“Flip! What happened there?”
With hair all wild and crazy
Sticking out without a care
And so grey – where did that come from
When did these signs appear?
For time is rocking on a bit
And age becoming clear
When did these wrinkles creep into
The folds of skin by eye
And oh boy, what gave that stomach grace
To drop south nearer thigh?
But still – each line, each fold, each crease
Are stories in life’s pot
Of a life lived, that’s cared, that’s smiled
So hey! Who gives a jot!

Looking in the mirror and thinking
In a fine and dandy way
Hey if this is what the years can do
Then there’s not much to say.
With hair pure white like wisdom
Each crease, a memory
From smiling through life’s path or course
That’s good enough for me!
And as for stomach – best less said
Save once in days now lost
Four little lives were born from whence
The muscles bore the cost
And so the marks of life reside
On body and on head
But greatest image not in sight
Is heart that still beats red

Youthful Oaks

Silver greys temple bound
Folded contours to be found
Crow’s feet resting by each eye
Dappled skin from age spots spied
Hard of hearing, aches and pains
Slowing down to take the strains
Midriff spread and puffy paws
Signs of ageing evermore

But past the tide of ageing signs
Wisdom’s wealth lays realigned
Knowledge, skill, experience
Moulded from resilience
And memories that pave the way
From yesteryear to present day
So let us all uphold these folks
Who bring today; great youthful oaks!

Oak trees at Oak Alley Plantation (Photo credit: Morten Rand-Hendriksen)