We have crossed paths before

Mistakenly taken as adversaries

When in fact age & the body

Can work in concert

As the muscular, skeletal, nervous & circulatory

systems

Pass through the aging process

Movement becomes more efficient

Breathing more complete

Thoughts clear & discreet

With flexibility & strength

Available to few of the young

Do not dismay

You can be fit, strong, smart and clear

All through your later years.

How far you travel in this body

Is due to combinations of many factors -

Genes, location, timing, upbringing, health,

country...

We do our best with what is available

Like the silent geese far overhead

Headed to Alaska for the brief summer

To feast on protein & oxygen & sunshine & water

As if tied to the earth & its cycles forever

And so are we

No matter how mentally alert

The silence overwhelms the heart

The mind must intervene with calmness

As though a lake

With no wind

And no ripples

And nothing floating of any kind

Just its perfect beauty

Against the purple horizon