|
On being old at Twenty
by Barbara GriffithTo be old at twenty -
something oft talked about
but never really meant.
But here I am.
I'm twenty, with the joints
of an eighty year old.
Watch me limp my way
onto the bus, and sit down
in the courtesy seats.
I get dirty looks from people.
"She's too young to sit.
She can stand just fine."
Except that no, no I'm not
"just fine."
The amounts of drugs
coursing through my body
amaze me and my doctors.
And yet still,
I have the gnarled and bent fingers
of a rheumatoid arthritic. 01/12/2008 Author's Note: I hate how people look at me when I sit at the front of the bus. I hate the dirty looks I get when I don't get up immediately to offer my seat to someone older. I feel guilty enough for not being able to do it...
Appearances are never what they look like. 20 year olds can have mobility issues, too. Just because I don't have a walker doesn't mean I can move just like you.
Posted on 01/12/2008
Copyright © 2024 Barbara Griffith
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by David Garner on 01/12/08 at 09:23 PM a courageous poem. beautifully vulnerable. |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 01/12/08 at 09:28 PM At 70 I probably can move better than you. Just lucky I guess. Celebrex twice a day helps but one move fall on the ice or slick snow and who knows. Good luck and nice write! |
| Posted by Julie Adams on 01/14/08 at 04:03 PM what a moving piece!...it is true, people need not judge, and ageism is just as bad in reverse...I feel for you girly, as I take the bus to my train everyday, but try to know that not all of us out there will judge u for your seat in the front, and those who do obviously have issues of their own...stay strong, and know in your heart that you do what you can...all the best to you, peace girly, jewels |
|
