Poet’s Corner: How to Age Gracefully (Maybe)

Eat as much ice cream as possible. Remember Klondike bars?
They still sell them in the supermarket. As good as you remember.
Read books. There are infinite options. Even books with unfortunate titles like
Online Marketing for Busy Authors by Fauzia Burke can be interesting
though not as good as a Real Book. (I am reading Three Women by Lisa Todaro
about sex lives of three women. ) Listen to podcasts. Good ones are like
old fashioned radio plays. Meet your friends for lunch or dinner. Breakfast
isn’t as good a time to meet. You don’t have to cook
if you don’t feel like it. You can just make salad or soup. The whole world
likes soup. Most people like salad. Listen to as much music as humanly
possible. Aretha Klezmer Dylan Bach Lyle Lovett’s Closing Time. All music
qualifies. Dance if you feel like it. Even if your knees hurt. Buy a big bag
of pistachio nuts and eat as many as you want. Call someone on the telephone and
talk for hours the way you once did. Or just listen. She’ll want to talk I’m sure.
Volunteer somewhere: library hospital homeless shelter. Don’t think about
body parts. They’re just parts after all. Go to the movies in an actual
movie theater with a friend. Listen to Mel Brooks 2000 Year Old Man. Buy some fruit.
Look up when you’re outside. Wear at least one bracelet. Don’t forget to sing.
For more poems by Esther Cohen, go to her website.
Top photo: Bigstock