A month ago, Mansion Activities Director Julie Smith and I began a poetry workshop for Mansion Residents. The participants range from six to ten in number, and we meet every couple of weeks.

The last topic we chose was “getting older,” and who better to talk about it that these eager and opinionated students, who range in age from their late 70’s to mid 90’s? They answered questions verbally and shared their thoughts,  I took notes and collected their thoughts into a single poem.

I tried to respect the original language and phrasing.

I did some editing, but the words and thoughts are theirs. I hope to collect the Mansion poems and have them printed and sold in a pamphlet. The workshop will continue for as long as the residents wish. Red always comes.

What Is Getting Older About? The Mansion residents.

Getting older is so many things, Our lives are so different.

Getting older is about being lucky and plucky.

Being lonely, being afraid.

Having courage,  staying alert, staying healthy.

Losing friends and dogs,  and cats and husbands and wives.

About leaving your home, and having your home leave you.

About being alive, opening your eyes.

About finding safety, living some someone who cares.

About not being forgotten.

About knowing you are never going to be what you were,

You can’t look back, you can’t do that.

Being older is sometimes about telling people to stop

telling us what we can’t do.

Rather than what we want to do.

It’s about being helped, and missing others.

It’s not the same as having your own home, you always miss your own home,

your curtains, and kitchen, your own things, your own dog and cats,

you always miss the animals,

every day.

You always miss the people who shared your life.

About never forgetting, and not looking back,

all at the same time.

It’s about being wiser, and learning,

what it means to love.

It’s about not being hungry,

and having help, someone to do the laundry.

And cook good food, and come if you fall. Or call.

If you belong to good, everything is good. Shiny as a golden coin.

Even if you are a pest, I’ll take you along with the rest.

Being older is about talking with each other

listening to each other.

We are not lonely now, we are all in the same place.

We do feel forgotten sometimes, the world flies bye,

and doesn’t think about us You have to live your life,

it’s like being born,

all over again.

Getting older is about helping each other, we are all lonely sometimes.

You have to be lucky and plucky.

Being old is not like anything else.