THOUGHTS OF AN OLDER MAN
| I was young and rather unsettled I was bursting to challenge life And it caused concern to my father My finding direction in life I admired my father so deeply He was all that I hoped to be So I always listened intently Whenever he spoke to me "The teenage years can be trying." And his brow creased as he said "Your spirit is anxiously searching To determine which path you'll tread." "Your heart is your best adviser When you listen it points the way It guides you in what is right and wrong If you heed it you won't go astray." "You should talk to some of the older folk Before your future is cast." "Get knowledge of how they are thinking And the life that they lived in the past." "Though some of their thoughts are outdated The best teacher of wisdom I've seen To find out where thought is heading You should first learn where thought has been." "You should listen to all generations Learn the problems they face on this earth For compassion and true understanding Are the treasures that give a man 'worth'." So I wandered again to the nursing home Where I'd made a wonderful friend I've wrote of her in 'The Nursing Home' But her life had come to its end An old man was sitting so quietly But I saw that he beckoned to me So I tentatively sat down beside him And he fixed his eyes on me "I seldom talk these days." He said His eyes were clear and blue "But the old lady said you were friendly. So, if you like I'll talk to you." I guessed the 'old lady' he spoke of Was my now departed friend And I blessed the day I had met her She had filled my heart to the end We were sitting outside in the leafy shade Of a sheltering, huge gum tree I felt clumsy and very uncertain For I knew he was studying me "Pick a subject and we'll have a 'natter'." He said in a kindly voice. "Though there's many I'd like to speak of I'll let you make the choice." "Tell me the life you lived as a boy." I asked as calm as I could Though his face wore a puzzled expression He reluctantly agreed that he would He lit a pipe, then he scratched his head And a smile played on his face I could see he was searching his memories And he had so many to trace "I recall with fondness my childhood days When life seemed so fresh and clear. We played in the rivers and walked through the bush We did not know the meaning of fear." "For children were seldom molested And though many people were poor We could leave our homes unattended With never a lock on the door." "I grant that our town was a small one Life moved at a leisurely pace. Our needs were so few and so simple Of greed there was seldom a trace." "Perhaps I saw life through the eyes of a child And perhaps all was not so sublime. But I long for the dream that I lived as a lad And the world as it seemed at that time." "Now the end of my journey approaches My body is tired, bent, and frail There is little in life I would cling to now But I pray that my mind will not fail." "For my mind takes me back to those wondrous times When a hurt could be healed with a kiss And only the power of a mother's love Could bestow such a magic as this." "The 'Political Correct' had yet to be born And Oh! What havoc they wreak. Now for fear that my words are offensive I have chosen instead not to speak." "For I might speak out of the Christmas I knew When the world seemed to be so serene. But now some people are shocked and aghast When they view a 'Nativity' scene." "You can't do this, and you can't say that Is not this the land of the free? We're restricted in most that we say and do And it's all too confusing for me." "I could chop down a tree for my bonfire Without scowls from a 'greenie' type bloke And the pleasure I had when I chatted with dad While he puffed on the end of a smoke." "I suppose there were things that we shouldn't have done But the pleasures were too good to miss. We lived in a world that was so immature A world full of ignorant bliss." "A small black dog was the love of my life We roamed far and wide every day. We frolicked in streams and climbed rugged peaks He was there every step of the way." "So I live in the twilight of memories past When Blackie ran free at my heels. Restrictions were never a burden Modern man doesn't know how that feels." "It's easy for young generations To blame folk who have gone before. For all the mistakes in this modern world But, I'll bet they'll contribute some more." "Like Gods they sit on their gilded thrones And point the finger of blame. Just wait 'til they're old and in our shoes They'll find it's a different game." "They won't make the mistakes that we did They'll make others to take their place. And let's see how much they enjoy it When their youngsters cast egg on their face." "Our mistakes were made through ignorance It wasn't some evil plan. And through our mistakes we're enlightened It's called 'The Progression of Man'." "I don't understand the modern man And all the changes he's made. And so I sit mostly in silence Neath this gum tree's sheltering shade." "Though I know you asked of my younger years Sometimes my thoughts will stray. And I'm feeling a little bit poorly We'll continue some other day." Then a violent cough overtook him And a nurse rushed to his side In a few minutes he had recovered But they wheeled him back inside I left that 'home' with a mind so full Of thoughts that I'd never had I had gained a valuable lesson And I praised the wisdom of dad I had learned to respect others thinking That this world is much bigger than me And though we all tread the same old earth We each see life differently Both the young and the old have their problems As we ride on this journey of life And by showing each true understanding We can ease so much tension and strife The lesson I'd learned never left me And it's with me wherever I go The 'old' sometimes struggle with modern thought It's a world that they don't know They don't understand our restrictions For they've come from a different past And though our thinking has shifted Their memories are solidly cast The successes they've had and the errors they've made Have had a profound affect And they have my true understanding And my very deepest respect I'll not rob them of their dignity I'll listen to what they say Our opinions will differ widely But we'll all be old some day And I wonder if we'll be patient I wonder what anguish we'll feel When the 'old' life we know has vanished The 'new' life will seem so unreal But I've faith in my fellow humans And I'm sure that we all will cope With compassion and true understanding This world is bursting with hope K.D. Abbott © 2007 |
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