Am I invisible
Because I am old?
Does my grey hair, my wrinkles, my painful joints
Deny me the wisdom of my years?
When I was young
You saw me
My hair was like spun gold
My body agile, fertile
But my mind was impetuous
Uninformed
Feckless
Reckless
Yet, housed as it was
In that body
You listened
You heard
Now I know
So much more
Life has taught me
Patience, gratitude, forbearance
I could tell you to
Slow down
Take a breath
Think a bit
That life is
Accumulated
Through moments that pass
Much too quickly
That being present
For yourself
For those you love
Is the most important task
That sometimes difficult days
Are given to us as an exam
To teach and test
And pass we will
That boredom is
The providence
Of the very fortunate
As is leisure
That failure
Is far better
More virtuous
Than regret
Would you listen though?
Or, would my words
Pass through you
Like milk through a sieve
Has age no meaning
Years no gravitas
Experience no value
Sagacity no usefulness?
Because here I sit
In a crowd
Of young ones
And no one hears my voice.
