Poem highlights the beauty of ageing
We all have different approaches to ageing. Some of us like to embrace the changes, while others try to cling to their youth. This stunning poem is so relatable as it truly captures many of the thoughts and fears we have about getting older.
Paradox
Must I be peaceful in old age, add to the tapestry
a few last stitches, self still ravenous?
A hawk hovers and my spirit soars,
swoops on once vital nerve and sinew, turns
cannibal. What else can I devour
but my own resinous heart?
The young are too young to understand desire,
to savour wild strawberries or comprehend
the precise artistry of feet that dance
on the precipice edge. Barefoot they dance
who have no knowledge of frayed ligaments
or the eye that cannot bear the depth of height.
Now only, when breath comes short, can we assess
the clarity of air. The burnt-out season
denies, and evokes, the sharp green of new shoots
and the dried creek recalls the overflow of rain.
Young, we love, grasp, consume. Old, we savour.
And the taste sends us wild.
What’s your favourite poem? Share it with us in the comments below.
Written by Vera Newsom.
This is an extract from Falling And Flying: Poems On Ageing, Edited by Judith Beveridge and Dr Susan Ogle, Brandl & Schlesinger.
All proceeds from book sales will go directly to the Penney Ageing Research Unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital. For Book sales, please email sogle@med.usyd.edu.au. For Donations, please click here.
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