while we can

several friends have mentioned that they miss "poem of the month," so i'm going to make a concerted effort to bring that feature back …  bruce and i celebrated our 32nd anniversary last month and the 2nd anniversary of our marriage in connecticut (finally new york would allow us to marry here!) … so in honor of that here's a poem for august

 

 

while we can

 

yes, my love

let’s do it all

while we can

 

explore exotic locales

while we still have the stamina

to get to them

then recover

from the jet lag

and various bodily and mental assaults

of modern travel

 

while we can

still afford to

do that relatively inexpensively

fly coach

and deal with the discomfort

haul our luggage

on public transport

and up the stairs

of less than luxury hotels

 

then run

to museums

landmarks

vistas

from after breakfast

to collapsing after

after dinner drinks

from all we’ve done that day

 

while we can

still maneuver our aging bodies through

the unfamiliarities

of different cultures

through crowded markets

and carnivals

digest the cuisine

adapt to odd customs

and hours

climb stairs and hills

do all the walking

sight-seeing requires

 

pamper ourselves

only from the occasional whim

instead of necessity

 

while we can

still summon the cells

of cognition

to retain

some fleeting memories

of all we’ve done

and seen

so that in our dotage

and penury

we’ll have some hazy glimpses

of past glory

to see us through

our sedentary years

 

yes, my love

let’s do it all

while we can

 

while we still can