A Sonnet on Ageing
This poem is dedicated to my belovèd. Written in sonnet form, the poem invites the reader to consider ageing by the extended metaphor of nature's tidal rhythms, to arrive at a place of acceptance and even anticipation for what each new ‘tide’ of life might bring. Listen to: A Sonnet on Ageing No longer will I heed my years advancing, But measure life by what I’ve done instead, For deeds, like tides, usher in my future, To leave my past exposed upon their ebb. For the flooding tides that shape this life lived, Will turn heedless of my hopes or damage wrought, And by their rhyming touch, the tides demand No celebration but relentless change. Such tides convey my fortunes, and scour My shore, until by subtle shift each ebb Reveals new gifts, of soft grained golden sands, The sea-worn shingle, and perhaps a pearl. So walk with me along the high tide mark, We'll see what gifts this morning's tide has brought.