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