Used-to-bes
Pondering the passing of the years and the toll they take, and how that makes me feel without taking it all too seriously.
Used to be, there was a time my soul and body were lighter
Even if I’d gone and like a fool
pulled an ill-advised monumental all-nighter
Nowadays, I take my pills
check my pressure and my weight
and worry if I have angina
Used to be I was early to rise with energy to spare
Today I fight my way into the day
mostly out of breath and trying not to swear
Maybe, if I’m on a roll
and my joints are feeling slick,
I could canter down the stair
Used to be I played some sport and I loved to dance
These days, a quick step is reserved for trying,
and often failing, to get into my pants
And now and then I may just manage
a walk around the park
if I plan it in advance
Used to be I’d sail with ease through any important meeting
Today, I get defeated early in the game
by an email about nothing
Often as not, technology shows me up
for gaps in my grey cells
and usually leaves me greeting
Used to be I could make it through the night
Both in terms of sleeping and also with no mind for
my fragile bladder’s plight
Now I can barely make it past 3:00am
without a nocturnal pee
insomnia, always inflamed by the bathroom’s glaring light
Used to be when reading, my eyes could always see
Now the letters blur and jumble if I even dare
to go completely glasses free
In actual fact my greatest hurdle
in the fight against short sight
is remembering where my specs might be
“Used-to-bes don’t count any more” somebody once sang
But now the end is nearer and
I can’t remember when I began
It’s hard to accept all this bodily obsolescence
while pondering the next chapter
of what will be for the rest of this lifespan
❤...This made me laugh & also a bit weepy, Dari... What a long way we've come xx
This is beautiful and funny and very relatable - the line about how the "greatest hurdle / in the fight against short sight / is remembering where my specs might be" is pretty much me every day. I hear you.