I wrote this yesterday while taking one of my frequent walks. Well, actually, I just thought it up while walking, and wrote it when I got home. The portrayed visit and watching the people actually took place when I was in my late thirties, and the image and thoughts it stirred in me have remained for all these years.
I Was Young Then
Not even forty
On a visit to Florida
A retirement community
Where my friend’s grandma lived
I marveled every day 
At the constant parade
Old folks, walking ‘round the block
Hundreds of them it seemed
In groups, pairs, or alone
Marching with dogged determination
To a drumbeat I’d never heard
Toward what? … the end?
I smiled and watched them
Waved if they looked my way
Thinking they were trying to avoid
The unavoidable
Pushing a worn and tired body
Trying to slow down the aging process
I shook my head at the futility of it
… I was young then
Copyright © 2013 C Mashburn
I’m hoping this one will fit the dVerse prompt this afternoon, but if not, maybe I’ll post it there on Tuesday’s Open Link Night.
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welshstream said
That’s so poignant …. ‘To a drumbeat I’d never heard’ ~ great line.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much!
Mary said
Well, at least they were out and about walking!!! Ha, I see a lot of ‘young’ people walking around the block as well…..dogs in tow. And gosh, I just finished a circular walk with hounds too. We are all moving in the same direction though, aren’t we? No avoiding the eventual destination…….
charlesmashburn said
That’s my point, Mary; now I’m one of them!
brian miller said
i was young then…and now perhaps we understand just a bit more…you had not heard it before but now…maybe you have…very cool write charles…
charlesmashburn said
Thanks a bunch, Brian!
ManicDdaily said
Ha Charles – you capture something we all (it is to be hoped) discover. Yes, they are very dogged – wonderfully told here. k.
charlesmashburn said
I’m one of the dogged ones now, k!
Laurie Kolp said
So sad, reflective. At least they’re out getting some exercise.
charlesmashburn said
It is sad, though I didn’t intend it to be that way so much. I was mainly pointing out that now I’m the old guy walking!
Grace said
Our perspective changes when one grows old ~ But then again, what is old to you ~
charlesmashburn said
In some ways I feel old now, and in other ways I don’t.
lenwilliamscarver said
Having been raised by my grandparents I can see this in my mind too. Love the line ‘trying to slow down the aging process’ as it seems that is truly what they are doing, or perhaps racing towards the heavens. 🙂
charlesmashburn said
I don’t have any hopes of slowing down the aging process, but the race toward the heavens sounds great!
lenwilliamscarver said
AMEN!!
Tony Maude said
Trying to avoid the unavoidable … there’s an entire industry dedicated to that, and another dedicated to covering up the failure ofthe first. Getting older is not much fun after a while, but it’s a journey most of us have to take.
charlesmashburn said
Yep, we start that journey toward death the day we’re born.
claudia said
To a drumbeat I’d never heard…love this..and yes, we don’t understand when we’re young… my mom was working at a home for old people and sometimes i went with her..it was a world i found difficult to digest..
charlesmashburn said
Yes, I used to be quite curious about old folks. Now, I’m quite curious/concerned about the younger ones.
churchbus71andetc said
So much we see clearer and understand better as we “age” also:) Really liked this poem:) God Bless
charlesmashburn said
My physical vision is weakening, but my insight is improving!
eusebiaphilotes said
Yeah, our perspective certainly changes with age, doesn’t it? I like the contemplation.
charlesmashburn said
It definitely does! Thanks!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said
I was young then… I love that end. We will all be there.
charlesmashburn said
A relative statement. Funny how 38 seems so young to me these days.
Gretchen Leary said
I always struggle to accept my grandparents ages as I want them to be the same age they were when I asked them years ago. Aging is such a journey/trip. It’s loaded with wrinkles and memories and buckets of stories…
charlesmashburn said
I have all three!!
Adura Ojo said
Like you said, the character was young then. Perhaps they would have a different view now. Not so much futility, but appreciation. *Smiles*
charlesmashburn said
Yes, I have a quite different view these days!
Adura Ojo said
My link for the dverse challenge (not my current post):
http://adura-ojo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/moroccan-blues.html
heidi said
“I was young then” is a perfect ending for this poem…very nice, Charles.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Heidi! I’m glad you like it!
pandamoniumcat said
Excellent poem here…such an apt title…we see things differently when younger…there are many retirees here where I live and they go out walking or riding their bikes everyday…I think it’s wonderful…actually on the boardwalk they have photos of long time residents when they were young and photos of them now they’re older… I think it’s a great idea and throws a perspective on life. Terrific poem Charles one of your best!!! 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Dianne! I’m glad you like it, and I appreiate the awesome comment!
Charles said
We know now don’t we 🙂 I’ve done a lot of rambling in my life, and it seems that sitting has now become my past time. Damn the movies, damn the books, damn The poetry.
charlesmashburn said
I’m pretty sure I know exactly what you mean, Charles. I’ve been a rambler all my life too. Pretty settled in nowadays.
Truedessa said
Charles,
Always an interesting piece to read..my question is this what is age..to me age is a frame of mind… I like how you repeated the title in the ending.
charlesmashburn said
Oh, I agree 100%. I don’t feel old, but yet the number is getting larger.
As for repeating the title, I’ve always loved doing that. I will sometimes finish a poem with the same line I started with. It seems to give the line power, and drive home the point.
Polly Robinson said
Ha! A tribute to life’s journey ~ I like it Charles.
charlesmashburn said
Yes’m, a tribute is what I hoped it would be. Thank you, Polly!
Rowan Taw said
Hey, my Dad was almost seventy when I was born, so new life blossoms even in older branches!
charlesmashburn said
Wow! I thought only movie stars had children that late in life!
mindlovemisery said
As a kid my grandmother lived in the projects and most of the residents were elderly I used to go around the neighborhood visiting everyone and listening to their stories
charlesmashburn said
That’s awesome. I loved to listen to my grandpa tell stories. I learned so much from him!
mindlovemisery said
Honestly they had some really amazing stories =) I wish I had learned more about my grandmother on my dad’s side, she was Cherokee and I would have loved to know more about her life on the reservation but my grandpa was a right evil bastard so my mom made me keep my distance
charlesmashburn said
The funny thing about my grandpa and his stories; I don’t remember the stories so much, but the way he told them.
Too bad we don’t listen when we’re young!
mindlovemisery said
I don’t know about you but age has taken my memories lol I am 32 when I am actually elderly I worry my head will be empty! I could also definitely improve my listening skills.
charlesmashburn said
Uhhhh… I’m 62, and I don’t remember what we were talking about… 🙂
mindlovemisery said
lol that is exactly what I am talking about
kkkkaty said
I find this uplifting for it means we’ve lived…outlasted many..and not sad but bittersweet..keep walking 😉
charlesmashburn said
Yes, Katy, this can be viewed from many angles. I’m now one of the walkers, and it doesn’t make me sad. I love being outdoors, and I love the exercise. I’m not getting older, I’m getting better!
Die Reise meines Leben said
We are all unknowingly moving across to join the other camp as we grow. Lovely description.
charlesmashburn said
Yes, we are. Thank you for stopping by!