Poetry Directory

Old Lady

I am not an old lady

I don’t care what you say,

I am not an old lady

Even though my eyes are dimmed,

And my hair

Is nothing but gray.

I wasn’t always an old lady

Though to you it may not seem true,

Once I was a young girl

Full of dreams, and fears,

Life, and laughter too.

When I wasn’t an old lady

I held my baby girl to my breast,

While at my aching tired feet

Her brother played,

Giving me no rest.

When I wasn’t an old lady

My husband said goodbye,

It wasn’t his fault, you see

We don’t pick the time we die.

Even though I’m an old lady

With children grown and gone,

I cry at night for my mother’s touch

With her half a lifetime gone.

I wasn’t always an old lady

I don’t care what you say,

I remember the touch of a dark eyed man

And I long for it today.

When you’re an old lady

The nights are long and gray,

You’ll see when you’re an old lady

It’s true

 What I have to say.

I wasn’t always an old lady

I didn’t let life pass me by,

I reached for it,

Hugged it tight,

Even when it made me cry.

Being an old lady

Gives you the wisdom to see,

Things that might have been,

Could have been,

Dreams long forgotten by me.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

I see my mother’s face…..

After all……

Poem copyrighted © 2004 by Lydia Warner Miller

Web site copyrighted © 2005 by Lydia Warner Miller