The lines in my hand, Were read once, By a gypsy, who Predicated a long life... But with many interruptions.

Time passing by now In a blink of the eye, In the clap of a hand, In the chirp of a bird, In a flash of light

As I age this last quarter of my life, I am fading into the background. As I let go of roles,

There is my shadow, A dark outline of this body And yet, it also holds, The hidden imperfections Of my existence.

It is what it is Despite my wishes for it, Otherwise. You are who you are Despite my expectations,

Just a small part of me wants strife to go away, to return to a kinder time. Am I just losing courage? Life is draining me,

Geese are honking As they fly Across an orange colored Sky. My spirit soars

My spirit communes with the four directions: To the north are in-laws, our aging mother, her last

Embrace that which comes with ease: The twinkling of an eye, The drumbeat of a heart, The blooming of a flower,

Standing at a crossroad Between this life And the next, Heart in hand I knock on that

Misty fog floating through bare trees. Cold waves of wind coarse through the woods whistling as they go

Today, I wish the pain to go, the fatigue that I fight so. This process of aging is unkind and yet, the law of nature is a fast lane of change.

Oh hummingbird Where are you now? Have you taken My courage with you? Oh hummingbird

Red cardinal dancing On white snow, How regal you appear With your cloak of red, How it cheers my heart