Eighty Five

The bio for Frank L Ashen appears with the poem "What a difference a year makes".
I am grateful to my cousin Gillian in Australia for sending me a copy of this one.


EIGHTY FIVE

To be alive at eighty five, must be

Wonderful!  Some may say.

To me it seems it’s not a dream,

It’s just another day.

Four score and five – and still alive!

With congratulations freely flowing,

The fact remains at eighty five

It’s the tablets keep you going!

 

The nimbleness of yesteryear, Oh, the joie de vivre!

More likely now to be just a touch of fever.

The easy movement, smoothness and agility

Gives way (ha ha) I have to say, to “Ouch! My bloomin’ knee!”

 

My poor old car is ageing too

But we’ve managed to get around.

With eyes on the blink causes me to think

Whether motoring is quite sound.

So if my eyes won’t help me see

Is it I who needs the M.O.T.?

 

Even the garden, all neatness and splendour,

With grass well cut and beds well made!

Now a case of complete surrender

To weeds and moss and rust on the spade.

 

Not easy to drool over the golden years

When so many friends have gone.

But when you get to eighty five

Only loneliness, it seems, lives on.

 

On second thoughts it might be worse.

After all is said and done

I might even write another verse

When I’m ninety one!


                                 Frank L. Ashen

                                             RETURN TO LIST OF POEMS

                                      

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