Still Alive and Kicking

I wear my years upon my face,

Each wrinkle formed in times of strife.

Careworn by hardships of my life,

Those darker moments leave their trace.

I’m also marked by happy times,

Joyous frolics of the youthful.

My eyes, some still call beautiful,

Though cradled now with laughter lines.

I may no longer dance all night,

Or drink and laugh until I burst,

It’s cocoa now for which I thirst,

And 10pm my new midnight.

But please don’t think my life is sad,

The simple things are still worthwhile -

A steaming bath with chamomile

And glass of wine is not so bad.

My blood pressure is sometimes high,

My hands are stiff when first I wake,

Yet there are many crafts to make

And books to read before I die.

So don’t think just because I’m old

That all my better days have passed,

There’s pleasure even till the last,

And I have stories still untold.