Already Proficient
As a youth I ran without getting winded,
unloaded boxcars of empty beer cans all day,
steered a snow blower without huffing until forty,
a lawnmower without puffing through my fifties.
The sight of a pretty girl took my breath away,
but that was imagination, not effort.
Over the years, age eroded my once strong body.
Putting on socks became a challenge.
Trips to the basement required planning.
As bending over got hard, and straightening up iffy,
I put long-handled grabbers all over the house.
Most mornings I rest after I climb out of bed.
Later, tongue out and panting, like a dog that just fetched,
I trudge up the driveway with a red face and the mail.
If there’s a copy of AARP Magazine, I grasp it between
thumb and forefinger, and drop it in the recycling bin.