age & aging

Midlife midriff

Eating a lot of garbage and dessert-obsessive
for several months, I put on a few pounds
      — and more.

Waddling is hell, and fat is a problem for the heart
      — I’m hungry & in pain.

Waist weight is a cruel joke, and age is no help.

—Terri Guillemets

scrambled blackout poetry created from David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day, 2000, pages 136–139

Springfall

a seed, conceive
to sprout, we’re born
a leafy green new life
trunk and roots, further sunk
nourished, loved, great height
full, vibrant, ripe
moulting, colours, beauty
the crown of wit
autumnal slant of light
mellow, wilt, decay
bare branches, skeleton buds
frost without a fight
repose, accept, goodbye

—Terri Guillemets

Counting up

First four decades time’s a hero
Then stops suddenly all the fun
Forty arrives a stranger new
But life is like a grand old tree
Strong yet flexible at the core
Roots ever deepen to stay alive
At this age there’s no real fix
Just patches is all, ’til heaven
Although it still be not too late
So let the autumn soul shine
Breathe and let thy life go zen

—Terri Guillemets