The Living Proof

Speaking as somebody who knows a thing or two

about having been your age, let me say this:

You have reached a watershed, celebrate the fact.

(Water is good for you, and everybody loves sheds.)

You can still turn heads, but over-excitement

may be a thing of the past. Forget late-night

parties, they lost their charm ages ago.

Nights are for the young and the daft.

Yours are the days, my friend, with the promise

of many more ahead. So carpe diem,

but gently, for that way they last longer.

And don’t count them, just be thankful.

In fact, days can be surprisingly perfect,

arriving fully formed when least expected.

A chance meeting may be involved, a compliment

out of the blue. You make somebody laugh.

The earth need not move, no call for

fanfares and fireworks. The perfect day

can be as ordinary as a stroll by the river,

as simple as the absence of bad news.

Happy to push yourself well within your limits,

take no for an answer, and suffer fools gladly.

Content at last in the knowledge

that you are the living proof of yourself.