Saturday, May 28, 2005

Growing old

Growing up is exciting...but growing old definitely isn't. As I sat there watching my parents one evening, I shudder at the thought of growing old. Once energetic and spunky, they have now matured into an unhurried and graceful couple. Being the oldest child (and a working adult now), I often feel compelled to protect them and give them the best that life can offer...after all, they are the ones who have been giving me life's finest...But sometimes, it isn't that easy. No matter how much I love them...I'm no superman.

Anyway, that's another story for another morning glory...

Thoughts of growing old have most certainly struck a chord. Of course, I know, I'm barely twenty two, but somehow, it is something I've struggled to brush aside for days. I even wrote a poem about it...So as you read it, I hope you enjoy it with a slight smile, a pondering spirit and an Oxford dictionary. (Just kidding...)

Jo on growing old.

"What will I be when I am fifty-three?
A frame of gold or a story untold?
This life I lead, the treasures I seek
Of love? Of curse? Or of selfish greed?

Fifty-five I'll turn, to get my pension
Long-awaited eagerness or a bag load of apprehension?
These times I'd slog, the assets I'd have bought
Will life be worth all the hassles and jolts?

Fifty-seven should come with serenity and glee,
With a white crown of wisdom and wrinkles for a key,
To open more doors as new chapters unfold,
With my eyes gazing skyward and his hands I can hold.

Would fifty-nine hoot with oodles of broods?
Little bundles of joy and hearts so good,
To reflect a life of depth and integrity,
Of strength and confidence, and a kind-hearted sanity.

What if by sixty-one, I'm stricken with pain?
To doctors, to preachers, to witches, in vain
Living in torture, in the sorriest of state,
With nothing to cling on, except to my bed.

And once I'm sixty-three, I hope I can still see and wear a tee...and pee...

After all that's said, I beg to debate,
Perhaps life won't be so full of irate.
No point to fret, just eat a baguette
And enjoy what you have for your destiny's set."

Posted by Jo at 12:01 AM