.

Abiding Senescence

My energy and physical abilities
Will not again be limitless as once they were.
To those more qualified to ponder facts like these,
Without a single qualm or doubt I will defer.

They tell me I should try to get more exercise,
To do my best to modify my present diet,
And never imitate those other aging guys
Whose only keen desire is for some peace and quiet.

I’ve gone with almost everything these dons prescribed,
Including capsules filled with powder from some fungus,
And who can say how many flagons I’ve imbibed
While ‘scrying contours through a flimsy cotton sundress?

They tell me that I’ve somehow failed to comprehend
The nuances of all the wisdom they’ve imparted,
That had I followed through, I’d now be on the mend—
Instead, they say, I’ve gone right back to where I started,

Which more or less is what I wanted all along.
I’ve never been submissive or obedient,
And I have earned the right to do a few things wrong,
Especially if I find such deeds expedient.

They promise that in time some things will get much better
If I will just attempt to be what I am not.
I’d follow all their precepts to the very letter,
But time is something that I haven’t really got.

.

.

Resignation

The looming specter of inflated fears
Assaults my soul and tries to crack my head.
Who says that in, at most, a few more years
Our planet’s denizens will all be dead?

The politicians on the Hill, that’s who,
The ones who’ve never worked an honest day,
So what’s a model citizen to do
Besides pack up his tent and walk away?

.

.

C.B. Anderson was the longtime gardener for the PBS television series, The Victory Garden.  Hundreds of his poems have appeared in scores of print and electronic journals out of North America, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria, Australia and India.  His collection, Mortal Soup and the Blue Yonder was published in 2013 by White Violet Press.

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19 Responses

  1. Cynthia Erlandson

    Very enjoyable, C.B. “And I have earned the right to do a few things wrong,… ” — I do often find myself saying that, at this age, I can do whatever I want! Which is sort of true. As a fitness professional, however, I feel bound to say that regular gentle exercise does make people feel better. 🙂 It is kind of ironic that the Al-gore politicians of the world, who are always saying that “our planet’s denizens will all be dead” in a few more years, are still trying to make us all as miserable as possible during those years.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      Yup. The bastards are always trying to grind us down, but I try not to get too exercised about it.

      Reply
  2. Julian D. Woodruff

    Those who say that in a few years we’ll all be dead are usually the ones out to fulfill that prophecy. Part of the problem of being old and stripped of the energy one used to feel is that of having to unleash what energy is left with care,to hit the most deserving targets.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      Bingo, Julian. We must conserve our strength, because our supply is limited.

      Reply
  3. Roy E. Peterson

    Both of your poems stirred feelings in my heart and soul. “Abiding Scenescence” speaks to my own thoughts of my aging process with its increasing limitations. “Resignation” is a feeling those of us with morals and ethics suffer from the smothering efforts and actions from those who are cosmically inept, but who somehow have gained their current ascendancy. Simultaneously, I sense in the poem a challenge to not resign but use whatever limited powers we retain to do more than fold our tents.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      Stirring feelings, Roy, is always something I hope will happen in the mind of a reader, but your sense that by “resignation” I meant something else entirely is a credit to your ability to read between the lines.

      Reply
  4. Shaun C. Duncan

    Very few poets could pull of a rhyme like fungus/sundress but you made it work beautifully – far from being jarring, the imperfection of the rhyme is an unexpected delight and, given the subject matter of the poem, it feels perfectly placed.

    ‘Resignation’ is a gem too – beautifully concise.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      It’s funny, Shaun, but I was prepared to find that off-rhyme a bit embarrassing. I glad I don’t have to feel that way because it enabled me to say what I really wanted to say. I have actually taken capsules of various mushroom extracts, and I can’t say that their effects were all that dramatic.

      Reply
  5. Brian Yapko

    Both of these are deeply enjoyable, C.B., though my favorite of the two is “Abiding Senescence” which manages to carry an elusive tone of humor and pathos while actually presenting a very straightforward message of acceptance of where one is at in life. I too am amused by the fungus/sundress rhyme and I certainly relate to the question of obedience versus expedience. For some reason I’m reminded of Kathy Bates’ line in Fried Green Tomatoes — Youth may have some advantages, but face it: “I’m older and I’ve got more insurance.”

    Reply
  6. C.B. Anderson

    I’m glad, Brian, that you enjoyed them. In regard to the second part of that rhyme: Once a horndog, always a horndog.

    Reply
    • Joseph S. Salemi

      If you’re still checking out female contours while gazing at a flimsy cotton sundress, I’m not worried about your health, Kip.

      Reply
  7. Norma Pain

    After just returning from a grueling bike ride with a bunch of ‘elders’, and collapsing on the couch in exhaustion, I then read your poem Abiding Senescence and decided ‘enough already’. No more trying to be 21 again! Growing old gracefully sounds like the perfect plan ‘going forward’…. since we can never go backward. Never did understand that bafflegab expression! Thank you C.B. for these enlightening poems.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      You should ride your bike because you enjoy it, Norma, not to prove anything.

      Reply
      • Norma Pain

        You are so right C.B. Local, short rides along the beachfront from now on. Thank you.

  8. Allegra Silberstein

    I was delighted by all the comments for they echoed my thoughts!
    Thank you for these wonderful poems.

    Reply
  9. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    C.B., ‘Abiding Senescence’ has me smiling. I love the wry humor. I also love the in-your-face audaciousness of fungus/sundress, but most of all, I love the cheeky defiance. Personally, I believe if I do the exact opposite of the “experts” latest push, I’ll be much healthier and much happier. If they say no coffee… I’m having a double espresso… twice a day!

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      You are probably right, Susan. I always take mine black, whatever method of brewing is employed, though in fact I mostly drink white tea.

      Reply

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