Old Man, Garage Band

It is because the old are weak, feel their mortality, and think that they have measured the strength of man. They will not boast; they will be frank and humble. - Thoreau

who are you, when life turns the counterclockwise screw

when you haven't the slightest clue

when you can't find your denture goo

when you're going bald and need a new hairdo

when you're in the desert with one soulless sneaker and one snow shoe

surrounded by crowds, i'm so alone

in my dreams, i'm hardly home

i'd call you up but i'm afraid of a cellphone

i'm still searching without the help of google chrome

maybe it's just some sort of old syndrome

next time i see you, i promise to give you a smile with my toothless comb

after all, we're all part of the same human genome

and one day, when i finally reach dry land

maybe i'll join together with the band

before they take me home

Author's Note

"It proves to me old age as tolerable, as happy, as infancy… If he had been a young man, he would probably have thrown away his apples and put on his shoes when he saw me coming, for shame. But old age is manlier; it has learned to live, makes fewer apologies, like infancy." Thoreau

Reviews

[Betty Hermelee]

Hey Pete
This goes right to my soul….getting old and more useless in many ways is depressing…feeling alone…and losing teeth….i think i would “kill myself”….
i like Thoreau’s line “ Old age makes fewer apologizes….like infancy”
and i agree with that….so when we’re old like now… we don’t have to put on a show! Nice write Pete!
Warmly, B🌷🌷

[Pete]

lol. where'd you put my shawl, keep off my rocking chair and for god sakes, pass the ben gay. seems to me that the best way to fight old age is to keep moving and maintain a sense of humor. thanks for the share b.

if you find the fountain of youth, be sure to pass along the location.

[Betty Hermelee]

Doubt I’ll find it, but you’ll be the first
A pleasure always Pete😊
Warmly
read moreDoubt I’ll find it, but you’ll be the first
A pleasure always Pete😊
Warmly
B

[Vol]

Pete
Old age is awesome, at ty five, there's nothing left to prove, accumulated mistakes bred a pile of wisdom, an Encyclopedia Britannica of memories, and the only thing missing is young love running through the flowers, dancing to authentic rock-n-roll, driving too fast and being stupid enough to take terrifying chances... but now that you've lived through all of that and still smell pretty damn good, you can leave the room with a wink and a laugh. I feel sorry for the ones who left before it was time...
Vol

[Pete]

as you say, it does have its advantages. senior discounts and early bird specials are nothing to sneeze at ... and we don't have to tell anyone that in our heads we're still twenty-one.

[Vol]

Pete
It's awful, ain't it? Those young nubiles are just as attractive today as they have ever been, and my imagination just as active... I know it's a common lament, but if I had only known then....
Vol

[Einstein Noodle]

word! ;) .... touches my own toothless heart and soul .. simply told your poem makes the top ten in my sight ... thanks for sharing :)))))
E.

[Pete]

growing old ain't for sissies but if we keep rockin' and hold onto a sense of humor then i think we stand a good chance. appreciate the shared thoughts. thank you e.