Time for Meeting the Bar in the dVerse Poets Pub ~ Laura is hosting and challenges us to write an acrostic poem of twenty-six lines, each line beginning with a letter of the alphabet [ in sequential order ]
Aging teaches us to listen longer / before we speak
Breath becomes a companion / never taken for granted
Creativity no longer proves anything / it simply "is"
Deep introspection feels less like digging / more like remembering
Energy is precious / we learn where it belongs
Forgiveness arrives quietly / on gossamer wings
Generosity widens / not with things but with patience
Humility replaces urgency / we no longer rush the truth
Inner voices soften / we simply stop engaging with them
Judgement loosens its grip / beginning with each individual
Kindness becomes instinct / instead of effort
Loss teaches how fiercely we have loved / have been loved
Meditation opens up space / where angst once lived
Nothing needs to be proven at this altitude / on this journey
Observation deepens / we notice what would have slipped past
Presence becomes the greatest gift we can offer
Quiet moments carry more wisdom than loud opinions
Rest is no longer earned / it is honored
Spirituality stretches beyond belief / becomes lived experience
Time feels less like a threat / more like a teacher
Unlearning becomes as important as learning
Vulnerability reads as strength / not exposure
Wisdom gathers as long as we remain curious
X marks the crossover from striving to arriving
Yielding reinforces grace / it lies within each of us
Zen arrives not as perfect peace / but as peace allowed
Thanks for sharing your accumulated wisdom in this delightful acrostic poem, Helen!
ReplyDeleteSo many lines and images to love - but your last line is what I sill happily savour and carry with me - Jae
ReplyDeleteLovely!
ReplyDeleteExperiential wisdom is best of all. Thank you for sharing yours, Helen <3
ReplyDeleteHelen what a wonderful poem, so much wisdom in your lines...I may need to work on opinions and judgement a little more lol!
ReplyDeleteHelen this is a wonderful list of life - I especially like the caesuras, adding pause for thought
ReplyDeleteYour ‘A B C's of Aging’ resonate with me, Helen, and what a list it is! I wish my inner voices would soften and that I could stop engaging with them, they seem to have lives of their own! I agree that ‘loss teaches how fiercely we have loved / have been loved’.
ReplyDeleteYou have packed a lot of wisdom in your A B C's of Aging. These two lines really are profound.
ReplyDeleteKindness becomes instinct / instead of effort
Loss teaches how fiercely we have loved / have been loved
So much lovely wisdom here. I know what you mean. Thanks dearly, Helen. Happy New Year xo, Selma
ReplyDeleteYou've managed to capture some thoughts and feelings that I have been considering recently too. So many great lines in your poem 👏
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful reflection. Aging is such a gift: the body does weaken, but there is joy and fulfillment in a life well-lived.
ReplyDeleteA wise, and wonderful write, Helen. I loved the ending on it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and so wise, Helen! Something we should all imbibe. You are a beautiful role model for aging with grace. ❤️
ReplyDeleteSo many lines that struck home, Helen, and each seemed to flow naturally in the confines of the form, harmonious and full of insight into the maturity that age should bring. Beautifully done!
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