I am slowly going deaf and blind Rather that than lose my mind I wake each day just to remind Myself that life’s been kind Not to hear the bird or bee The cadences of wind and sea The subtle shift in chord and key A sadly lost affinity I bless the day but trawl the past With a strange assorted cast A smorgasbord of memories dart Through my head like Rorscharch art A glance, a glimpse, a stare, a pose Instant impressions to diagnose The prim, the precise, the loose, the vain The harsh, the feeble, the tired, the profane And I wonder, how do they see me? And on a verdict do they agree? The fallen arch, the niggling knee The daily dose of vitamin C, The wrinkles where none used to be The leaves are yellow, the bough is bent Whoever warned of such descent? Green shoots that used to thrive Eager eyes which spelled alive Now a shell which can’t revive A weathered nag, long in tooth Self-pitying forgotten youth Perhaps best not to seek A verdict that implies antique. A truer test exists, alas, The image in the looking glass But the looking glass can lie When witnessed by a jaundiced eye The mirror appears to reflect A face I seem to recollect The wrinkles fade and disappear Once- tired eyes are bright and clear And on the scalp which once was bare Stands luxuriant hear of hair Ah, vanity. Never underestimate The human capacity to create A myth, an illusion, a greener field All depressing truth concealed