Aging Poem by gershon hepner

Some people age like vintage wine,
their bouquet and their flavor
as heady as the aptest line
the Muse sends as a favor,
but others, sagging in the knees
and swelling in the belly,
age not like wine but Cheddar cheese,
delectable but smelly.

Though cheese goes well with wine, I've heard,
such people when fermented
resemble whey with clotted curd.
Now please don't be offended
by what I say, but raise your glass
and shred your cheese to tatters,
for age is what gives taste its class,
and that is all that matters.

]12/15/97