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22 August 2012

For real.

Because pretending to be young is getting old.



My belly skin droops as though weighted, deflated,
Sequestered from youth by a silvery mesh.
My bosom’s surrendered to duty; its beauty
Fed out through the forces of physics on flesh.
What once was a rich crowning glory grows hoary,
Each follicle sapped of its opulent brown.
My face is a time-tattered etching; once fetching,
It now recalls every ephemeral frown.

Abdominoplasty can sever forever
My sagging, redundant, superfluous hide.
Subpectoral implants can wake up my A-cup,
Cosmetically stalling its slow earthward slide.
I needn’t despair of my tresses; hairdressers
Can colour my locks any shade I desire.
To rub out the lines of expression, a session
Of pin-pricks and lasers is all I require.

But how could I then tell my daughter she ought to
Be judged by her actions and words, not her looks?
I’d much rather spend what I’m earning on learning
And travel and music and biscuits and books.
Each stretch mark and wrinkle tells stories, each pore is
A part of my history; imperfect but true.
I find all these hallmarks of aging engaging;
Each tale of what’s old is, in other ways, new.


Special thanks go to the Digital Cuttlefish for the metre and rhyme scheme. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE NEVER READ THE DIGITAL CUTTLEFISH?? GO. GO NOW.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:50 pm

    :) In essence, my life in a few years. Minus the daughter (three sons instead). :)

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  2. Ok, I have to comment again. This is just brilliant. When I commented before, I had not had the opportunity to read it aloud. I have now, and Oh, My, Goodness, what a wonderful way you have with alliteration and consonance. Line four made me stop to repeat it, it felt so friskily fantastic.

    Anyone who has only read this silently to themselves--go back and read it aloud; scare the cats if you must. This is just delightful.

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