Ode to the Grays

(Not the aliens)
by Cynthia J Dueringer - and old person Copyrighted and edited Jan 2022

As years fly by, one by one,So many now have passed.Getting old is lots of fun,The things that change are vast.
My smile was once so pearly white,But teeth now show their age.They match the bedroom carpeting,A subdivision beige.
Coffee, cola, and some tea,Have stained my teeth I fear,And one or two went missing since,Departure was last year.
My skin left town and ran away, When I wasn’t lookin’.It left in place some wrinkley crap,Like cheese that’s over-cookin’
So clear and smooth, my skin once was,Now sun-splotch marks appear.No pattern there just catty-whompus,More coming every year.
My eye bags hang like flour sacks,Drooping down my face.With many tiny purple veins, That look like crocheted lace. Once thick locks of brunette hair,Have turned to salty gray,Dampness makes it go berserk,As it tries to fly away.
My hairs stick out like happy wire,Each one a different way,Then one by one jump off my head,As to the floor they stray.
I find my grays on everything, From furniture to floors,I’m jealous of my hairbrush,That has wads of hair galore.
My mirror shows my sorry self,With skin sagged down to toes.Kind of like old drapery,With folds in three-ply rows.
My eyesight’s blurred so hard to see,What is on my face.But I can see those liver spots,That I can not erase.
With eyesight weak and fuzzy vision,A dozen “readers” bought.Many different strengths they are,But still can’t see a lot.
The print on meds is stupid small,Impossible to read.So I must guess at what I take, I hope it’s what I need.
Prescriptions lined up on the counter,Pills at different times.Take this at noon then two and four.Forgot the word that rhymes!
My vitamins are piled up,Many out of date.Can’t remember what is what,And did I vaccinate?
I also find on standing up,Sometimes I feel dizzy.I soon will need a cane to walk,This aging keeps me busy.
Another thing I can’t control,Is managing my bladder.It decides when I should go,And that just makes me sadder.
Mornings I must sometimes rush,To make it to the pot.With creaky knees I sit down fast,To unload the nightly lot.
Sleep is odd this time of life,I get some little naps.It seems I’m tired all day long,At night my sleep shoots craps.
So I get up and walk the house, To shuffle in the darkDon’t want to wake my other halfDon’t need his grouchy bark.
My zombie-walking in the dark,Feels ghostlike and too creepy.But I must walk and do some laps,And hope to soon get sleepy.
Noise is weird as my ears age too,Some sounds are awful loud.Then again some are so soft,Like the passing of a cloud.
Other sounds like screaming kids,Can make my ear drums ache.Barking dogs and ringing phones,Stop! For goodness sake!
Too loud, too soft, a din of noise,That comes from my TV.I must adjust the sound so much,Closed caption works for me.
The loud white noise that’s in my head,Sounds like a crowd that’s cheering.I gotta find an okay range,To tolerate my hearing.
I used to love my foods with flavor,Heavy on the spices.Lots of salt and meaty things,Were my eating vices. But now when I eat tasty stuff,I bloat up like a cow.I chew some Tums, take Pepcid pills,To calm my guts somehow.
I liked to eat at county fairs,Some brats and funnel cakes.Today the grease just weighs me down,And gives me belly aches.
I can not eat what I once loved And changed my eating ways.Now food is soft and flavorless.I miss those feasting days.
My dinners now are safe and warm,With foods all flat and bland.I do not look toward meal time,This is not what I had planned!
Booze and wine were entertaining,When young I used to party.Just bubbly soda-pop these days,Makes me bloat and farty.
With all that food another problem,Is some constipation.Fixing that with prunes is fun,Another aggravation.
A big success for any day,Is to take a morning dump.A corn-eyed worm turd in the pot,One that’s fat and plump. (Hooray!)
New language now is lost to me,Acronyms and such.I used to understand the terms.But now it’s not so much.
My kids once said they’re going clubbing,I feared the very worst.But found out later it’s dance and drink,Should have asked them first.
I no longer move in silent stealth,My joints are now antique.I make more noise than a farm house floor,My bones just crack and creak.
I once had arms that were so strong,Stronger than an ox.Now I ache doing simple stuff,Like putting on my socks.
I used to work so hard all day,Then go at night to clubs. Now I’m pooped by noon o’clock,At night I soak in tubs.
Going out to dance all night, And sow my wild oats,Was fun until my years caught up.Where are the antidotes?
To party now is sitting home And watching half a movieThe other half tomorrow nightIt makes the weekend groovy.
I used to walk so fast and quick,My feet like rubber grippers.I trip these days on carpet fuzz,As I shuffle in my slippers.
As I grow old and watch myself,Fade and fall apart.I realize I used me up,And did it from the start.
I did my life by working hard,My fingers to my toes.Aging now is part of life,And that’s just how it goes.
So when you’re young, go get ‘er doneThe day will come, you’ll seeNo matter what your attitude,Age will win, I guarantee. * * *

1023 words Copyright 1-2022 c.j.dueringer