ACT YOUR AGE
Popular wisdom to the contrary
and although instructed otherwise
at an early age
I have nevertheless concluded
that people spend their lives
trying not to act their age
As a boy when I pushed or shoved
Mother shamed me by admonishing
"act your age"
which being interpreted in hindsight
meant act older than you are
pretend to be mature beyond your years
sit down
be quiet
and do not cross your eyes
Now that I'm older and getting grey
my mother's instructions still ring my ears
I continue to pretend my age is otherwise
My bald spot carefully camouflaged
My dentures genuinely artificial
Fortunately my arthritic limp disappears
en route to the bathroom each morning
I resolve to be younger than I am
So I rest my case
chronological age
is something you
are never supposed to be
unless
perhaps
there are several hours
sometime in mid-life
which in my case slipped by unnoticed
when being neither young or old
on one sunny afternoon
all pretenses aside
chronological age and behavior
coincide
From Illuminations: A Book of Poetry. Printed with permission from Mary Hertzler, all rights reserved.
