i anticipate a life long enough to see
the gentle withering of
my face in the mirror;
skin turning papery and thin,
hair flowing, silver silk—
for each wrinkle to hold a memory,
my body bowing to gravity, awaiting
peace with the earth.
this will be my prime
when i’ve loved fully,
lived kindly,
when i sing wisdom from my heart, and
my body is soft, delicate,
          just right for long hugs,
when my home is warm and full of tenderness
and swells with the laughter of the family i’ve collected
along the way—
mellow evenings around the hearth
reminiscing,
sweet cakes and tea—
love and softness—
days and days of stories unraveling like string
and weaving back together into the tapestry
of my life