As, like Patrick, another old person, I must say I like the poem a lot, but
feel it has absolutely no relationship to me. It's like a parallel universe,
or the person I thought I might grow into, and haven't!
Or how old is your 'old'? I'm past 70 and I feel the poem describes 90-year
olds, or even centenarians, as some of my 90+ friends put me to shame.
But it's a good poem. How about retitiling it 'Very Old People'?
Lyn
> Old People
> Old people like to be early
> They make their appointments for the day ahead
> So they can be first in line
> Old people quickly lose interest in hair
> Penmanship, and serious arguments
> They recognize that children invented time
> And that time has absolutely no relationship to space
> Old people walk slowly because they realize there is no place to go
> And there is no time to get there anyway
> They understand that they will never see the self in the gaze of the other
> Although the Tao Te Ching reminds them to be as supple as a newborn baby
> With all due respect, old people see value in being brittle and desiccated
> They realize that sometimes it is better to
> Stand your ground and be broken in half
> Than to be the last one standing
>
>
>
> Peter Ciccariello
> Rhode Island, USA
> 2 August 2006
>
> http://poemsfromprovidence.blogspot.com/
> http://invisiblenotes.blogspot.com/
>
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