A Lament Of The Aging Poem by Richard Kalfus

A Lament Of The Aging

Rating: 4.8


A LAMENT OF THE AGING

I am old.
So I’ve been told
By magazines and TV commercials
Portraying perfect complexions,
Perfect hair, no bald men here
Perfect, sculpted bodies,
Ready to jog
to save the world
In a cancer run

Am I envious?
You bet I am!

I am naked
So many years ago.
Standing before the army doctor
Who wrote, without a word:
“The 19 year old is fit to serve.”

A quick glance in the mirror now
to register
the wrinkled, blotchy face
The protruding stomach
The breasts I never had
The bald head of Mr. Clean
without the muscles
of a television day

I look around
in the community pool
at the men and woman of my age
and am comforted
in a grotesque way
to be able to say

I may be one of many
Yet not the worst
among my peers
in this our final stage.

Thursday, October 15, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: aging
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
THE POET LIVES IN A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AND CONTRASTS HIS YOUNGER SELF WITH HIS PRESENT AGING SELF
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Fabrizio Frosini 15 October 2015

:) a witty and honest - just 'real' for all of us - write, Richard thank you for sharing WELCOME at PoemHunter and.. keep on writing & posting.. ;) Cheers

5 0 Reply
Mj Lemon 15 October 2015

This is amazing...and I can relate to your words. This is The Seven Ages of Man for the contemporary age. A great piece of writing.

2 0 Reply
Jazib Kamalvi 09 July 2018

A good start with a nice poem, Richard K. You may like to read my poem, Love And Iust. Thank you.

0 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 13 November 2015

Life has different stages, and aging is a natural process which concurs with the unchanging nature of change. Your poem is a well articulated train of thought, insightfully penned with conviction. A lovely piece of poetry indeed. Thanks for sharing Richard. Please read my poem MANDELA - THE IMMORTAL ICON.

1 0 Reply
Akham Nilabirdhwaja Singh 30 October 2015

Very well written.Thanks for sharing.

1 0 Reply
Kelly Kurt 15 October 2015

***Richard, I can soooo relate with this poem. : -) Not half of half the man I used to be, but not the worst among ny peers. Thanks for sharing.

1 0 Reply
Kelly Kurt 15 October 2015

Richard, I can soooo relate with this poem. : -) Not half of half the man I used to be, but not the worst among ny peers. Thanks for sharing.

1 1 Reply
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