Half a Truth
The mirror does not lie.
I look every one of my years.
I can claim them as trophies,
a survival not of the fittest,
but of the most unwilling to die,
The mirror does not lie,
but tells at best a half truth,
that the years have both worn you
and brought out your color, your vibrancy,
taught you to dance and sing odd quirky songs,
often in languages that defy logic and rules,
songs only your heart understands.
You sigh, but only once, and you do not despair
at growing old, for you were born old.
Your mother told you this as a child
and though the mirror does not lie,
somehow, unexplainably,
you are suddenly growing younger
each year closer to death.
About this poem
I have a birthday tomorrow. I will be all of my 59 years. They show. I feel them. But parts of me also feel younger than I did 10 years ago, twenty years ago. More free to open my heart, to create… whatever, to savor, to be. It’s not been an easy journey, and there’s no doubt hard things ahead. But for a day or two, I will simply savor where I am. Wrinkles and joys alike.
Quarry House 
What a wonderful poem! Again, Happy Birthday Week, Tom! 🙂
The mirror does not lie,
but tells at best a half truth,
that the years have both worn you
and brought out your color, your vibrancy,
taught you to dance and sing odd quirky songs,
often in languages that defy logic and rules,
songs only your heart understands
I had to read this again….and love this part especially. My birthday prayer for you is that the Lord would Bless you Indeed, that He would expand your boundaries, that His Hand would be upon you that you would not be in pain or cause pain….! The Prayer of Jabez….and God did it!
Funny you should mention that prayer. I just picked up a book on it yesterday.
There we go again…! I left out an important part of the Prayer of Jabez…”that His Hand would be upon you AND KEEP YOU FROM EVIL, that you would not be in pain or cause pain” It is a powerful prayer and a wonderful way to release our Lord’s Power and Love in our lives.
Beautiful poem as always, Tom. My favorite part was this “You sigh, but only once, and you do not despair
at growing old, for you were born old.
Your mother told you this as a child
and though the mirror does not lie,
somehow, unexplainably,
you are suddenly growing younger
each year closer to death.” I feel the same way – I’ve always been kind of an old soul, but as time goes on and I’m approaching my mid-forties, I find myself feeling younger, in some ways, than I ever have. Happy Birthday to you!
Thank you!