Tag Archives: aging

01/8/13

@ 53

KLN

KLN2

KLN 3

Pier glass reflection
Yes
That’s me
But who is she?

At 53

Wise enough to know
What you get
Ain’t what you see

What I give
Is truly me

What I’ve learned
Has set me free

And me
Is good
To be

Upon reflection

I better see
At 53

Despite
declining eyesight
;-)

Peak!

*Created for Poets United, Upon Reflection
12/28/12

Akin To

A burlap bag
Worn to softness over time
Caresses precious cargo

Grandma’s lap

Common, everyday
Wrinkled, slightly frayed
Protects from threat and foe

Grandma’s lap

Who’d have thought
Such comparison
Would provide
Such joy?

Sleeping Grandson

10/18/12

Her ~ THe StEAmpUnk VErsiON

Victoria Slotto over at dVerse Poets Pub challenged us to create Steampunk Poetry by taking two contrasting, even incongruent topics and merging them in a poem. In addition, Victoria asked us to use enjambment, the literary practice of breaking up a syntactic unit, such as a phrase or sentence, at the end of a line or even between two verses.
How fun is that?  I started with the bold stanzas as a stand-alone piece, then interspersed the italicized content. Strange result, to say the least!
With no further ado…

Her ~ THe StEAmpUnk VErsiON

blue shoes
velvet not suede, bowed, her feet adorn

best used for shit-kicking the blues
fueled by Crazy Horse, Neil and
booze 

bangles
chimes tinkling in a forearm storm

old news, long-employed ruse
to cover old scars and
tattoos 

ensemble
purple, gold, refusing to conform

scents ooze, not sure who’s whose
while silk, velvet shield new
bruise 

halo
atop lined visage, firethorn

diffuse gray hair flying loose
natural red-head myth dis-
abused 

companion
adoring brown eyes rheumy, warm

once muse, now the one to abuse
her affections long his to
misuse 

countenance
calm, accomplished, weary, worn

bemused, weary, worn, over-used
on the prowl, blame and
accuse

contented

resented

take your cues or
lose

05/31/12

Callous

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you ever be polished?”
~Rumi

According to Rumi
I AM a callous
At least in my interpretation thereof
And that is a good thing~
I’m halfway to polished

But right now
I’m rubbed raw
Scraped, grazed, bent, fazed
Yet, the healing process has begun
A process that,
I AM sure,
Will lead to my version
Of perfect luster and refinement

But right now
I AM rough around the edges
Tender-hearted
Not quite whole
Cracks climb
The heal of  my soul

I don’t complain or justify
I clarify
That I AM a work in progress
Sometimes scratchy, snaggy, irritating
Smoothing, soothing, healing.
But the day will come,
I AM certain,
When I’ll be perfectly polished.
By the way…
Have you ever noticed the countenance of the dead?

03/22/12

Love-Worn and Real

Like a cottage that welcomed generations to the beach,
a real woman, aging, grows in beauty and in grace.
~ KLN

Ah, yes!
I AM aging.
My face is lined
Patina shades my skin
Like cedar, my hair is fading gray
My eyes sport a cloud
My hinges creak and squeak
Bright count’nance sags
My seams, they are a-fray
I am love-worn, lucky,
Like the Velveteen Rabbit
What glory to be aging this way!

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.
“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand… once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real