Old Age

Old age, they say, is a state of mind.
I am in that state, trying to resist.
Exercising my body, sweating and straining
To stay lithe and lean.
Always stepping on the scale of truth.
Willing the pounds away.

Burning calories, exhaustion creeps in.
Quicker now than in past years.
Will my body know when to stop?
When will it know it’s okay?

It’s okay to witness change.
It’s okay to feel love handles
In place of a slender waist.
It’s okay to relax.
To live a sedentary life.

But is it really?
Should a person surrender to time?

Give in to an age where life is good,
No matter the size.

I don’t feel old in my bootcut jeans.
Confidently continuing to wear such things.
But noticeable my hands are wrinkling with age.
My skin revealing a map of my past.
With its crevasses and lines.
Worry and guilt busily partner
Sculpturing my face.
Carving their signature on my image.

But again, is it okay to accept age and its consequences?
I think not.

They say old age is a state of mind.
I prefer to attain an altered state.

--Lu-Ann