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Get maybe six or seven hours sleep, wake and struggle out of bed. Stretch to get out the kinks, living with pain from head to toes, Visit the bathroom in a hurry, urgent needs attended to. Shower and shave for no real reason. Put out the dog, let in the cat. Feed both and give each a pat. A bowl of cold cereal with fruit Lactate milk, brew hot tea, one sugar, a little cream, English muffin with honey, tidy up the kitchen. Turn on the morning local news, avoiding the "Breaking News" channels that mess with my head. Maybe watch a game show or two, just to lighten the mood. Return to the kitchen and for a second or two forget why I am there. I seem to do that a lot lately. Mount the treadmill for 20 minutes or so. Take my meds, drink three glasses of water, hydration being very important it's said. And so, it goes each day a duplicate of the one before and the one tomorrow. A captive caught in a repetitious bubble of advancing age, kept company by a lifetime of memories of all that I once was and shall never be again. Not complaining, I have all I need, a good roof overhead, food, a home of my own, family close by, reasonably good health and not homeless or on welfare. Go to bed happy, arise the same way. Living well with No real regrets. Getting old is a double-edged sword, it cuts both ways and can leave some scars in the process. Old age descends upon everyone in time. Quiet pragmatic acceptance is the key, along with realistic expectations.
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Jul 9, 2025
Jul 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM UTC
Going through the motions
Get maybe six or seven hours sleep, wake and struggle out of bed. Stretch to get out the kinks, living with pain from head to toes, Visit the bathroom in a hurry, urgent needs attended to. Shower and shave for no real reason. Put out the dog, let in the cat. Feed both and give each a pat. A bowl of cold cereal with fruit Lactate milk, brew hot tea, one sugar, a little cream, English muffin with honey, tidy up the kitchen. Turn on the morning local news, avoiding the "Breaking News" channels that mess with my head. Maybe watch a game show or two, just to lighten the mood. Return to the kitchen and for a second or two forget why I am there. I seem to do that a lot lately. Mount the treadmill for 20 minutes or so. Take my meds, drink three glasses of water, hydration being very important it's said. And so, it goes each day a duplicate of the one before and the one tomorrow. A captive caught in a repetitious bubble of advancing age, kept company by a lifetime of memories of all that I once was and shall never be again. Not complaining, I have all I need, a good roof overhead, food, a home of my own, family close by, reasonably good health and not homeless or on welfare. Go to bed happy, arise the same way. Living well with No real regrets. Getting old is a double-edged sword, it cuts both ways and can leave some scars in the process. Old age descends upon everyone in time. Quiet pragmatic acceptance is the key, along with realistic expectations.
I am not giving up on living, acceptance of reality is not capitulation. Adjusting to change is merely a rational intelligent decision. We cannot fight aging, it's like being caught in a swift flowing river in a canoe without a paddle, all we can do is hang on and go with the flow, and if not enjoy, strive to survive the ride. I still savor every day, even though my world is not as big as it used to be. I am OK with that.
Written by
M/American
Jul 9, 2025
Jul 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM UTC
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