Memo to the Aging

Now that you've aged
Collect the moonflowers close
For you could die after thirty.
Do all the things amiss in youth
Walk the nights with the young and uncouth
(Write this down before memory lapses).

Now that you've come of age
Collect the roses close
For you could die after fifty.
Let the smell of wrinkles hide behind the scent
Of thorny love that's not yet spent
(Write this down before vision fails).

Now that you've seen an age
Collect the wilted petals close
For you could die after seventy.
Breath the brevity life
Then wave your friends goodbye
(Write this down before the body rebels).

--Ryan Healy

back to contents