Aging is something we try to avoid. Cosmetics, dress, and fitness programs may obscure the inevitable for a period of time.

Yet, as each day passes, we are forced to face reality. This becomes clear in . . .

Reflections In Time—Accepting The Inevitable

He was considerably older than I thought he should be.

I wondered out loud why he was staring at me.

His eyes were tired and showed the passage of time.

His brow wrinkled, life’s stresses indicated by each line.

As I moved my head to better see,

His eyes followed, as he continued to look at me.

There was a familiar expression upon his face.

It made me think I knew him, but from where I could not place.

His beard was thinning, mixed with shades of white and gray,

Neatly trimmed and closely cropped, a precise nature was his way.

His facial skin was smooth and pleasant to the eye.

This created a sharp contrast to the wrinkled brow of this aged guy.

While aging was present in places upon his face, his hair was mostly black,

Depicting a battle of youth lost to the travels of time’s train down life’s track.

As I mused about this strange old fellow and why he might be interested in me,

I could see he was just as confused as to why I was focused on a man such as he.

It was unclear as to why we were brought together on this particular day.

It was troubling as he looked me over and over again, but had nothing to say.

Yet how would I come to grips with this elderly intruder who seemed to be   
     saying to me,

“We are not all that different, I am just a reflection of what you don’t want to see?”

With a grimace, I turned away from this old man still looking intently at me.

I wished I would not meet him again and hoped he would agree.

But life does not always work the way we would like it to, and so my wish did 
     not come true.

For everyday, to my dismay, as I stared in the mirror, the aged guy I would view.

As time went by, I attempted to avoid the aging image that appeared to be my destiny.

Yet, as hard as I tried, it was difficult not to acknowledge what was happening 
     right in front of me.

My heart pounded for I could no longer deny what had become clear.

I could not ignore the presence of this elderly man, nor could I make him disappear.

He was not my grandfather or father or anyone else I might have wanted him to be.

He obviously was the reflection of who I had become—the man I must live with in harmony.

Copyright © 2018 Alan Lowe. All rights reserved.