I noticed today the loosely wrinkled skin On legs and arms, no defect, no disease But simply signs of time, the body's decrease Of power and of repair as these begin The ultimate indications of old age. ~ A.D. Hope ("Memento Mori" via Australian Poetry Library) I return again to memento mori, not to wax morose or moribund but to remind myself to laugh and dance and take nervous risks and strain ...
Midlife transition
Rucksack
It’s time for a moratorium On worries and procrastination, On moorings and parking meters And slipped opportunities. It’s time for a rucksack manifesto. A few lines from one of my current favorites. It's still a rough, rough draft. I've been dancing with it for longer than almost anything else in this project. I've given up repeatedly, abandoned it, tried to forget about it. But it keeps ...
Small Press
A press. A small press. For grapes and wine. For apples and hard, tart cider. But this diminutive hand-me-down is not the only small press that I have been considering lately. I believe that it is the right time for a pair of small presses. Companions. I can hardly imagine what spirited offspring they might conceive! ...
Exist
"Midlife is the time to let go of an overdominant ego and to contemplate the deeper significance of human existence." ~ C.G. Jung ...
Mind Over Matter
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter." ~ Mark Twain I first shared this lighthearted (if somewhat cavalier) quip from Mark Twain just over a year ago titled, Mind Over Matter. It seemed the obvious pull-title at the time, but I've wondered since if I was too glib, as if I were trying to one-up Samuel Clemens. [pullquote]Insurance reductions. Movie ticket ...
Calypso
When thirty nine sashayed in with her bodacious tatas and voluptuous curves I panicked. My dormant radar quivered to life. “Beware: Temptation.” flashed the neon pulse. And I knew. Heed not Calypso's hypnotic hips and waspy midriff, those painted lips, that coquettish paisley smile, her saccharine song. I knew it was a trap. (Source: "Calypso", 40x41: Midlife Crisis Postponed) A ...