Tarnish

As we grow older the ticking is louder
The biological clock won't turn back
As the bodies we once were so proud of
Weaken, slow, and grow slack

With aches and pains we awaken
Our parts don't work quite as well
As we age youth is often forsaken
And our hearts need to rest for a spell

It's harder to see without glasses
And many will need hearing aids
We move just as slow as molasses
Our reactions are often delayed

Some seek cosmetic solutions to stave
Off the ravages of crow's feet on skin
But though surfaces like roads can be repaved
It leaves wrinkles without still within

As thoroughbreds we once raced from these gates
Now to maintain that pace we're unable
Like an old war horse who has faltered in gait
And so haltered can scarce leave the stable

Surrounded by elderly tissue
We are prisoned within our cells
And it's sad that God can't reissue
New bodies in which we could dwell

For like actors in Greek tragedies
The Director has scripts we must follow
And His stages invoke irony
As no retakes does He ever allow

So just one thing if you could remember
There is still youth inside most elderly
In Winter there is beauty in December
But myopic most just cannot see