My 26 year old clinical psychologist daughter tells me (tauntingly) at 65,
"You're 'young old.'"
"Say what?"
"65 - 75 is young old.
75 - 85 is old.
85 - on is old old."
"P golden P" you can check the Poetryetc archive somewhere and find poems by
my ninety year old mother - some of which are going to be published in
London (courtesy of a reading I gave of them at SoundEye.).
I found Peter's poem an aggregation of cliches that I don't think should be
perpetuated. As long as Bush madness and global warming don't close down the
species, people over fifty are clearly a growth market, as interesting to be
with and explore with as any other new and opening terrain.
I still, nevertheless, find myself dismissing 'old' people - before I come
up short and realize I am dismissing myself. Which seems miles from my
pleasures, etc. of being here, writing up a storm, etc. You can kill your
life believing stupid thoughts, etc.
Stephen V
http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
Where currently is an account of
The Soundeye Poetry Festival
Cork, July 6 - 9/.
> No h'offence hyar!!!!! -I wonder what the 80-90 year olds say???do we have
> any???
> P golden P
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
> poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Ciccariello
> Sent: 03 August 2006 14:32
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Snap - Old People
>
> Patrick & Lyn,
> Age being relative, I guess I am in that netherworld between getting old and
> getting really old, and wondering how I got here. Of course, to me the poem
> is more about philosophy than old people. Certainly not meant to offend.
>
> -Peter
>
> On 8/3/06, Lyn Moir <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> 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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