No Longer Young

My feeble legs, no longer young and sprightly,
won't let me run a marathon or even walk upstairs
they bear the brunt of thin blue spider-veins
Electric wheels are speedy, and I get from here to there

My trembling arms are frail, thin hands are bent and gnarled
I have no flexibility in my calloused fingertips
I cannot hold a book or pen, can't even lift a spoon
All my aching joints have rheumatism, especially my hips

My eyes are nearly blind, from the scourge of cataracts
but my world is filled with books, bestsellers now on tape
My agile mind does backflips, interspersed with jumping jacks
The emotions in my clogged up heart are still in perfect shape

My once smooth skin is aged with wrinkles, wrapped in mottled
brown
What lies beneath the trappings of this outer tortoise shell
Are inner workings finely aged in thoughts of loving wisdom
Lifesong stories reaching out, spinning memories into woven spells