We’d carve the ice
On rockered blades of steel,
Darting, dashing, in and out,
Around and through big bodies
Seeking somehow to impede us—
Hooking, holding, interfering
With the speed and elusiveness
We displayed so confidently
Before we scored the winner.
—And then we got old.
We’d sprint on grass
Of green, emerald beneath
The bright lights that marked the field,
From the crack of bat on ball,
Tracking a white parabola
Arcing high against nighttime sky,
‘Til over shoulder it settled
In weathered, leather fielder’s glove.
The final out recorded.
—And then we got old.
We’d skim the waves
On cedar slalom board,
Jumping wake and swinging wide,
Ear almost touching water,
Leaning hard against the boat’s pull,
Great rooster-tails of froth tossed high,
Spraying, sparkling, sunlit curtain.
Near shore, we’d drop the rope and sink
Into water’s cool cocoon.
—And then we got old.
So now we dream
Throughout the endless nights
Of days of grace and glory.
Jagged, jumbled jigs of light
Run helter-skelter through our dreams,
Random reminiscences—joys
We took for granted in our youth,
When ageing and its frailties
Were ever far from our minds.
—And now, we are old.
tallandtruetales 
A few times each year I shoot hoops at a nearby park. I’m amazed that I’m still able to trot around a bit there, chasing after my basketball.
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I can’t toss the ball high enough to hit the rim anymore!
I can, however, still hit the golf ball.
Thanks for commenting.
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Looking back, only with a smile, and in thanks for all the wonderful experiences we shared in our younger days. This poem brings that to mind with a touch of sadness but without discouragement looking ahead. We know what’s in store one day at a time.
Jann Arden’s Mom, deep in the throws of Alzheimer,s disease
In a moment of lucidity stated, “The one good thing about Alzheimer’s is you forget how to be afraid”.
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I agree…..looking ahead is always better than looking back…..as Satchel Paige said, “Something might be gaining on you!”
Thanks for commenting.
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Brad, no question about the alternative of getting old….. not so satisfying. But we can do more than dream about days past. Sure, I like to think about the 35 Daytona 500’s I attended, and the 31 years of Buffalo Bills season tickets…. I remember the joys of playing golf in Scotland, and 43 great years in Rotary. But I plan on doing more than remember, as I’m sure you do. I’ve been working on my putting, and I think I will putt the best I’ve ever done. The Rotary St. Andrews Golf tournament, ( on The Old Course), has been cancelled for 2021, but I’ll be there next year. We’ll be on the riders at the World Harmony Championships in Charlotte North Carolina next year, and singing better than ever. I’m a better cook than ever, and my keyboard playing is still ‘up there’….. not great, but good enough to keep me happy. My understanding of the game of golf, and my teaching is perhaps better than ever.
The things you are writing are wonderful to read….. maybe some of the best things you have written.
I’ve heard you sing, and you’ll be on the risers in N.C. with us. So I sure don’t see any “old dog” in anything you’re doing, and I hope you do it for many, many more years.
Larry A.
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Looking forward to singing in Charlotte, for sure! And I do celebrate the things I’m still doing—whether cycling, golfing, swimming, singing, writing—but I do also like to remember those bygone ‘days of grace and glory’, and the friends who were part of them.
Thanks for the comments.
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