On Becoming a Sexagenarian

On Becoming a Sexagenarian

In my teens, I wanted to be old enough to drive
When I attained that freedom, I didn’t realize
its full responsibility

Before I turned 21, I desired the ability to drink
alcohol legally in NJ; when I did, I could not
comprehend its destructive power in my life

In my thirties, I mourned leaving my twenties
as I was now in the phase of my life
where I once said, “don’t trust anyone over thirty”

When I hit the big four-o, I learned it was not
a fatal condition; I was not as wise or grown-up
as I thought I was in my twenties

Then I became fifty; it was an age people
called “over-the-hill,” so why did I not feel that way?
After all, age was a mental aberration

And now, I reach a milestone to which
I look forward because in the ensuing years
being in your sixties became acceptable

A Different Teacher

A Different Teacher

She never went to school
but she taught lessons
I’ve never learned
in any course

Education I receive
takes time
and is often repeated
I can’t ask this lady questions
since her language and mine
are not distinctly understandable
to each other
Yet, we have our own
kind of communication

In her way
she showed me
that allowing her the choice
of coming
to me without seeking
her first means
more intimate acceptance
of my companionship

My own assignments
I often comprehend with difficulty
that being who I am
is more attractive
than if I seek to be like
those whose company I desire