#freeverse #poetry
Born under the zodiac fire sign of Aries,
my passion for poetry flames within.
My need for bodily warmth only increases with age as arthritis spreads
throughout my body, with more pain.
Sunshine gives me vital vitamin D,
yet my hearth and home beckon me
to spend time curled up with my cats.
They spread their zen-like calm, into
my daily life, living in the here and now.
Venturing out to spend time with
other creative people inspires me.
Chatting to friends gives shape and
reason to life, in a world that cancels
you out when as a woman you hit sixty.
Suddenly, you are no longer seen or
heard in our youth obsessed culture.
Sidelined by ageism, tranqulised by
GPs who want you addicted to their drugs to keep you quiet until you die.
Age can be cruel, as your body is
wracked by pain and dreaded insomnia.
Some days just getting out of bed is
a triumph, while to-do lists are left
undone; depression hovers on the edge.
Being positive gets harder with each
passing day, the past keeps intruding
into our present. Living in the here
and now more difficult, and yet that is
all we ever have, the gift of the present.
The spirits of those gone before us,
grandparents, parents, friends, and my
beautiful son who remains forever
twenty-two – died too soon, potential
lost, only grief and memories to cling to.
In the fiery leaves of autumn that twist
and die in the cold wind. This dreary
heaviness of heart drags me down into
the deepest melancholy of the year.
The dying of the light as winter beckons.
©🦊VixenOfVerse, 2026
