ONE HEARTFUL THING # 5: Silver - A Poem

"When your hair is aflame with winter and you have decades of learning and leaving and loving sewn into the corners of your eyes..."

Today I share a poem by Jeannette Encinias. It explores aging and beauty.

Sometimes I don’t recognize the face staring back at me from the mirror. It's the same feeling when I zoom in on a recent photo I've shared online and think, “Is that really what I look like now? “ It's not so much dissatisfaction with my appearance as it is a sense of surprise. Aging is a journey marked by the transformation of our bodies and faces, a journey that can be viewed through the lens of grief or gift.

Perhaps, for most of us, it's a blend of both.

A dear friend of mine often reminds me, “This moment is the youngest you’ll ever be. Get out there and live life!” Indeed, here's to life, to living fully, and to loving deeply. May we embrace and even celebrate the multiple transformations we embody.

Photo credit: Arianne Clément

·"My father was a painter and craftsman and he shared his love of art with me. I believe that everything that is artistic is beautiful: theater, picture frames, poems, paintings, flowers, songs. In a person, it's the character, the silhouette, the smile and the eyes that count. That said, my biggest regret is not getting an education. Doors open for you when you're educated. Otherwise, you feel shame. Regardless of the situation, I would advise young women to educate themselves." Marie-Berthe Paquette, 102 years old, Montreal, 2016. (Arianne Clément/GroundTruth)

SILVER

A poem by Jeannette Encinias

"How many years of beauty do I have left?

she asks me.

How many more do you want?

Here. Here is 34. Here is 50.

When you are 80 years old

and your beauty rises in ways

your cells cannot even imagine now

and your wild bones grow luminous and

ripe, having carried the weight

of a passionate life.

When your hair is aflame

with winter

and you have decades of

learning and leaving and loving

sewn into

the corners of your eyes

and your children come home

to find their own history

in your face.

When you know what it feels like to fail

ferociously

and have gained the

capacity

to rise and rise and rise again.

When you can make your tea

on a quiet and ridiculously lonely afternoon

and still have a song in your heart

Queen owl wings beating

beneath the cotton of your sweater.

Because your beauty began there

beneath the sweater and the skin,

remember?

This is when I will take you

into my arms and coo

YOU BRAVE AND GLORIOUS THING

you’ve come so far.

I see you.

Your beauty is breathtaking."

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This month a portion of our paid subscriptions goes to: The House of Neighborly Service in Berthoud, Colorado.

The House of Neighborly Service in Berthoud provides a vast array of services to people experiencing poverty or situational crises. With over 2,700 visits to this site last year, in just 2 days per week, people received food, clothing vouchers, assistance with utility bills/transportation/prescriptions, counseling, case management, family navigator support, and referrals for housing and benefits.

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