November 2023
Sreelekha Chatterjee
sreelekhachatterjee12@gmail.com
Bio Note: I am a short story writer, poet, researcher and editor. My stories and poems have been published in various magazines and journals, and have been included in numerous print and online anthologies. When not writing, I love to sing and spend time cooking. Aging is associated with signs of growing old and declining health, but alternatively, it is a path of evolution where one attains the fruits of one’s labor like knowledge and wisdom.

An Evolution Called Aging

I have no trains to catch, no buses to miss,
enjoying the release from the rat race like sliding behind in a contest,
but a feeling of urgency persists as if something is amiss.
My body works like a poem without rhyme,
muscles and bones orchestrate an unknown symphony;
oh, don’t worry guys, I am doing fine!
At every turn of weather, I catch cold,
comfort of seasonal antibiotics and warm soup rejuvenates my body,
people now tell me that I am growing old.
My grey hair appears like cirrus with silken, wispy strands,
as if woven by silkworms lost within cocoons of their own fibers,
a souvenir of the countless wisdom attained that everybody understands.
The wrinkles and prominent lines speak of good–bad seasons that I weathered myself;
reminiscing days spent in rain–shine, progressions, in pursuit of knowledge and happiness,
yesteryears are over, and I need to catch my breath.
Stiffening knees, sagging skin with dewlaps here and there,
my tight grip over my body slowly loosening, like a rebel denying allegiance,
life is a journey of growth and downfalls, a magnitude of experiences, not a momentary flare.
Once in a while, my teeth rattle when I attempt to eat;
like new-born babies, the hard-crusted food now comes before me in mashed form,
life is still a battle for me where I cannot retreat.
My once-attentive reflexes now out-of-control, but my involvement remains the same as before;
the quest for perfection seems like an illusion when the body is falling apart;
I have roads to travel, oceans to fly, and will not rest till I fully explore.
©2023 Sreelekha Chatterjee
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