The Alaska State Writing Consortium
Northern Lit - ASWC's eZine

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For David-November 2, 2006
To Life

Age creeps too quickly upon us
A stunted vine unfolding in the dark
Draping about our unsuspecting bodies
Draining us and leaving a visible mark
Movement becomes restrained, difficult
Execution of normal tasks start to slow
Our firm bodies become soft, puffy
Jowls sag and cheeks lose their glow
We are shocked to awake one day
And see our parents in the mirror
The wide eyelids droop somewhat astray
But behind the eyes I am the same.

Following as you climb the steep track
My heart which with years must work harder
Still flutters at the sight of your broad back
Just as it did those thirty odd years ago
When I trailed up Colorado’s rocky slopes,
Through dense Panamanian jungles,
And later down Dublin streets of cobblestones,
And into the arid red center of Australia
I will follow wherever you want me to be
You complain your steady step has slowed
But keeping your pace continues to challenge me
My cranky knee supporting extra pounds

The intensity of our love is not a dying ember
But rather a comforting heat from the stove’s belly
The lapping flames that ignited us I remember
And credit for the undying blaze that sustains us
Even in the bitterest cold of loss and Alaskan winter
We seek each other, two weathered survivors,
Knowing enough of cold to cling to the warm center
We have created through years of familiarity and trust
One son has set yet within us both shine intensely
Bound to us by passion for family and one another
Even with age and change, we are so lucky surely
For love, laughter, adventure, history--for life

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