Last weekend I attended a farewell celebration for a dear friend and her husband who are (like so many New Englanders), moving south. There were about 50 people at the celebration, most of whom I have known for the better part of 15 years. As I made observations (as we poets do), I noticed the aging of my friends. Since I am always encouraging clients to “get specific,” here is what I mean: skin changes, including leathering, deep wrinkles, lesions, and new fullness from injections or surgeries in some of our lips, cheeks or breasts. A softening on the part of some of the men who had once brought much machismo. A tendency on the part of the elders of the group to sit together and stick together when in the past there has been much more moving and connecting amongst the younger ones among us.
I found that, interestingly, in a situation where the younger version of myself would have passed judgement, this older version of me did not. All I felt was humility, gratitude and a deep awareness of my own mortality and the mortality of those around me.
I find that I am crying at the drop of a hat these days. I want to say that this is “unlike me.” But maybe a truer statement is that this is who I am now, in this stage of my life. That I am more deeply aware of the battles I am fighting internally, but also that the only thing that really matters is who and how I love. In the end, what else is there?
The two poems and the prompts I am sharing today address aging, love and “war.”
Bring on the softening. This too, can be a revolution. A respite.
~Interested in taking a workshop with me? Check out my next, single session workshops that will take place in September HERE!
~I will not be taking on new manuscript clients until November. I am taking deposits to hold spots though! Joankwonglass@gmail.com
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