You can look east

See the gentle fullness of the rising moon

You can gaze west beyond the bridge

See the cosmic radiance of our sun

Dropping silently below the ocean's arc

As another day of health & gratitude passes

Reflective of the smiles around me -

Still fresh & new after decades

Really only one journey

Those left behind will continue

And the vital function

Of raising a family completed

Simple tasks performed with grace

Patient, with empathy for the disabled

Going on about their tasks

Even with the greatest of impediments

As you grow in admiration

For those who persevere despite hardships

Your sense of self-importance fades

And your relative strength comes into view

You can abide in the current times

With grateful acceptance

Thankful for your comparative good fortune -

Wondering how long the plateau stretches

Some point always thought to be distant

Arrives and you decide to publish

An entire life observed

Notes from the inner mind

Slowly ascending

The silent moon

Broadens its corner of the night sky

As illumination moves on to the west