i fear not the future. nor do i find myself caring too much as the decay sets in. inevitable so why fight. as the paint begins to peel, as the mind blanks out, i find myself like a passenger on a train moving through life. no longer in control, i do notice the changing scenery. i wrote the poem below after my balding friend told me that in old age we are constantly falling apart. i think he is partially right, but in order to come together i think we need to fall apart. we need to unlearn and forget the things that are cluttered in our minds, the objects we try to hold onto, the memories long and forever gone. best to come apart and push through to the other side.

To go out of your mind at least once a day is tremendously important, because by going out of your mind you come to your senses.

alan watts on meditation.

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In age we shed things, we lose things. First our desire to develop. To work hard, to dream big. This gives way to our mobility. Stagnation sets in. Our hair thins, our skin keeps shedding. We lose our spark, that gleam of excitement. Too much wisdom, too many lost battles.  We lose our teeth, our sense of humor and our way. Our speech sputters, our hearing and sight already fading. 

In time we become more rigid, Less mobility due to our set ways. Cracks and wrinkles form. Our habits become ingrained in our lives, We trust less, we question more. We eat earlier, our day shortens. Quiet moments stretch on forever in age. Falls more precarious, height more scary. 

In tomorrow we fade, petering out in a blur. Our clothes deteriorate, our stuff scattered about. Moments collected disappear, no-one to remember them. The importance we once felt, our passions and problems also gone. No shadows or crumbs left, all swept away, grass overgrown. A wave traveled so far, across the oceans. Built up and with a roar it crashed. Many behind it to follow, all to be forgotten.