I recall the first time
I heard my bones crackle
When I rolled out of bed.
It was the same morning
That I saw that wrinkle by my eyes--
It was thin and new.
Thin and new,
But defined.
It was definitely there.
I did not mind it all that much.
My bones crackled but did not ache,
And the wrinkle was,
In its own way,
Flattering.
If only I could be that young again.
For now,
As I roll out of bed,
The bones ache
And threaten to break,
And the reality of immortality sinks in.
Past the age of twenty-seven,
I never did grow old.
My mind and spirit stayed the same.
My dreams remained intact.
I had learned all I had to learn
About love,
About death.
And though I continue to learn little things
Each and every day,
By age twenty-seven,
I had learned all there was to learn
About life.
My mind has not aged since then.
I still wish to fly,
And to make people dance,
And to be the one to dance.
I want to climb a mountain,
Marry the spirit of the wilderness
With the young spirit of my soul.
Nothing has changed.
I feel as young as I ever did,
Only now,
I feel my body slowly giving up on me.
My heart still ready to soar,
But my body ready
For an eternal rest.