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Rate this poem:3.0 / 1 vote
I'm older than I used to be,
I remember yesterday quite clearly
I was clever smart and sharp,
each day had purpose.
Now, I'm not so sure what to do,
I search for yesterday.

No one cares about my worth,
my talent or my wit.
Each day that passes is lost in nemesis.
What can I do to stop the rot,
the decay of sitting still and waiting
for publisher to call-they never do.

How shall I shout to make the world aware
of all I have to offer.
The world shouts back in stony silence,
alarming with disinterest,
the insistence to do something
rings hollowly from within.

I cannot stand the din of emptiness,
come, muse and help me sing
what music is irrelevant
as long as there is a tune.
It's mine that no one else can play
or write or paint or sing.

It matters not that no one hears,
perhaps the word will entertain
when I am dead and gone.
The words that echo in my wake
perhaps they too will die silently
Unknown, unread and dead.

No one will care, so why all the trouble
to make a new creation?
I have no idea, - just to fill my days?
To live in hope of some tiny immortality?
But if those words and songs
they die with me - so what?
At least there lived a poet,
whose songs sang out,
whose words warmed empty pages,
deaf heaven was beautified,
the qiet echoes passing by,
celebrating my lonely word.

About this poem

This poem is a reflection of old age. How time has passed as indeed has our apparent usefulness.

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Written on March 20, 2008

Submitted by mansejames on March 25, 2024

1:27 min read
166 Views

I'm older than I used to be.

Anthony James aged (83) Welshman and author writer of poetry novels and short stories. Lives in Wales with his beloved Dawn. more…

All I'm older than I used to be. poems | I'm older than I used to be. Books

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Discuss the poem I'm older than I used to be. with the community...

5 Comments
  • Kixy
    Even in old age people still feel the need of others approval. I long for the quiet days when I can fill my voids with words and worry not of anything.
    LikeReply3 hours ago
  • jamesrpendleton
    Your poem is so beautifully written and clearly speaks to me as if we were engaged in conversation. "Words are wasted on the young" was not meant for a young 83 yo. or in my case 65 yo. I wonder, too, of how I will react to getting older knowing that if we remain stagnant watching the tube. As we. grow older through life's experiences we grow stronger in wisdom, understanding and perception.You do have a lot to offer the world 
    LikeReply 11 day ago
  • EdwinRayTanguma
    WOW…a EiOu…All of the vowels in the title itself…What word would be formed IF you replace a cErtain vowel on the word Omission???Foxy Lady…
    LikeReply1 day ago
  • amandak.45897
    Full of thought, very impressive writing. Thank you
    LikeReply2 days ago
  • Nebula7693
    As I age, I, too, wonder such things. So, since you paid the money to have your poem seen by as many as possible, I believe you deserve an answer to your poem. I will answer with a poem of mine own:

    In the quiet of the twilight years,

    Where memories blend with silent tears,

    A poet's heart still beats and yearns,

    For the fire of youth that brightly burns.

    The world may seem to turn away,

    From the wisdom that you have to say,

    But every word you've penned and thought,

    Is a battle that you've bravely fought.

    For in the art you've crafted true,

    Lies a piece of the eternal you,

    A legacy that time can't erase,

    Nor silence the beauty you embrace.

    So let the muse within you soar,

    And pen your truth forevermore,

    For even if the world's at rest,

    Your words will pass the final test.

    In every line, a life's refrain,

    A triumph over loss and pain,

    Your voice will echo, pure and clear,

    And in the hearts of those who hear.

    For what is art but life distilled,

    A dream by passion's fire fulfilled?

    And you, dear poet, are the flame,

    That lights the path to lasting fame.

    I hope hope you have a wonderful day and create beautiful poetry.
     
    LikeReply3 days ago

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