WRINKLE AND RUTS

aging gracefully or not

My age creeps

like a ghost. silent, sinful

eyes with bird wing creases

oozes out of its corners

deep crevasses from nose to chin

ruts in between the eyebrows

wrinkle cream slops on

day after day

rub to red skin

night masks, stiff, sticky, peel-off

contemplate the mirror

ouch!?

more remedies

Serious reflection

I scrutinize faces of women my age

compare to my own

but who ages gracefully?

Someone buries poison in my genes

I mull over my close family photos

smack from both sides

my fate screams

father has worry wrinkles on his forehead

mother has a double chin

grandmother has floppy underarms

I persist to my Hungarian ancestry

beauty experts agree these young women are stunning

I explore older family photos

still I detect the same

creases, ruts,wrinkles,blotches

I weigh my options

surgery? fillers? Botox?

scary notions

I think I'll dream of those pretty young Hungarian women

let nature decide my fate

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i think that is smart...let nature take its course and grow old naturally...

i have had people ask me if i ever thought of using Just for Men hair gel...i say for what?
this is my color...i think young and stay active...
I really like this poem....reminds me in some ways of the poem "Barbie Doll"--
we worry too much about how others see us.
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

Hi Jacob, thanks for your fine review,glad you liked it!
Fondly,
Betty

[barleygirl]

I can relate! I stopped coloring my hair 18 months ago & now I have a gray/blond ombre look. I never wear makeup so I don't have much opportunity to examine this old mug up close & after reading how this sucks you into such startling observations, I think I'm fine not knowing how bad the damage is yet. I have good genes from the anti-wrinkle standpoint, but an exploding collection of dark ugly moles is a gift of my heredity. Usually I take one selfie per year on my b-day. This year I didn't take one becuz I look markedly worse than last year & I just couldn't commit that to posterity! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Betty Hermelee]

Unfortunately not great genes! You gave a super analysis on this piece...I thin we came to the same conclusion!! Leave well enough alone! Thanks, B

[Fabian G. Franklin]

This really brought a smile. It flows naturally and easily from the page to the heart and stirs the empathy of the reader. Age has its cruelties the same as the rest of life I suppose. When we're young we work like dogs so we can live like dogs when we get old. But the quality of things isn't generally represented by their outward appearance. I love antiques myself, old cars, old clothes, things handmade and heirlooms passed down; even things passed down from my roots and culture. And like Waylon Jennings once observed, "It ain't how you look, it's what you got under the hood." (Smile) I enjoyed this.

[Betty Hermelee]

Wow, great review Fabian! I was talking about myself in this poem, in real time! Debating fixing it or not, truth is I’m not! Fondly Betty

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I tried to get a face-lift once. They saw what was under there and it scared them so bad they let it fall back into place. (laughing)

[Betty Hermelee]

Pretty funny!

[olla]

it's almost a dirty trick isn't it.. the good news is that the people who care.. don't care.. I like this..my folks are Swedish but I can see myself in every photo.. youth has a beauty all of it's own.. and so does graceful aging.. one just has to look a bit closer..

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you for your kind review and thanks for visiting me at the Cafe!

[olla]

you are welcome.. thank you for your amazing poetry.. I enjoyed it very much..

[Chris Shaw]

We all grow old. Best let nature take its course. Too much pondering in the mirror doesn't do anything to lift the spirits. It:s how you are inside that matters. It's that which counts most Betty. A well crafted poem which speaks to me and is likely to be relatable to many.

Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

Thanks Chris, your reviews are well done and always welcomed!!!

[alanwgraham]

This is a lovely contemplation Betty which is full of delectable images. Of course we all, if we make it that far, have to come to terms with the mirror. I suppose we all have this disconnect between how we feel the same as ever and this image before us. Yes, nature will decide our fate although I've always kept fit and it does delay the inevitable somewhat!
Smash the mirror!
Cheers, Alan

[Betty Hermelee]

Dearest Alan: you critique is always appreciated so much because I learn from your commenting which is very important to me as an emerging poet
As always Betty

[alanwgraham]

Emerging? Modesty becomes you but you have definitely arrived.

[Betty Hermelee]

REALLY?????

[poetgurl]

My age creeps
like a ghost. silent, sinful

Oh WOW!! I really enjoyed this write. Aging has me down quite a bit. I see it every where in me.
I guess that is just the process and I can't stop it. Nicely written