now we are 70

Now we are 70, we’ve found new kinds of work: 

We write, consult, sing and paint, we sit on boards, we mediate. 

We’re innovating, renovating, mentoring non-profits, 

Shearing sheep, and growing beets, artichokes and rocket.

It’s book clubs, bridge clubs, golf clubs, scrabble and 

Aging parents needing care, we’re always pushed for time

When the road ahead is shorter than 

The long, long road behind. 

Now we are 70, we’re often gowned and robed 

For MRIs and mammograms, ultrasounds and scans. 

Oncologists, ophthalmologists and cardiologists 

Are taking out our cataracts, excising cancerous bits, 

Inserting stents, replacing knees, repairing teeth and hips. 

We face health crises as they come, and then carry on

Along the road that’s shorter than 

The long, long road behind. 

Now we are 70, we travel far and wide  

By car, by bus and high-speed train, by ship and aeroplane. 

We’re cruising and perusing new cities, foreign lands:

Adventuring in Africa, Iceland, Vietnam

We’re biking in Provence and hiking in Bhutan, 

Go now, we say, while we’re agile and still can 

As the road ahead grows shorter than 

The long, long road behind. 

Now we are 70, we like to be amused:

At the MSO, MTC, the ACO and NGV,

Film festivals, writers festivals, Netflix on tv: 

It’s House of Cards and Borgen, The Killing and The Crown.

We’re out to galleries, out to jazz, out to dine with friends:

We complain about the portion size, the service and the noise 

And the road that's getting shorter than 

The long, long road behind. 

Now we are 70, our memory can be dim. 

 ‘We just saw the greatest film…Now what was it called?

Anyway it starred, you know, that guy, what’s his name,

Tall, handsome, he was in…um…that comedy

Set in Madrid, no New York, or was it ______, damn…’

And every conversation seems to end with ‘oh well, never mind’

When the road ahead is shorter than 

The long, long road behind.

Now we are 70, we’re more weary than before, 

But we’re lifting weights in the gym and tightening our core. 

Yoga and pilates for flexibility and strength, 

Chiropractic and physio to ease sore backs and knees. 

Some of us play tennis, or golf (that’s not for me),

Caught in the net, trapped in the rough, we don’t really mind

While the road ahead gets shorter than 

The long, long road behind.

Now we are 70, we’re sickened by the ruins, 

Senseless wars, lives destroyed, refugees betrayed.

We’re plagued by madmen rulers who are blind and ill-equipped, 

Ethically challenged, shooting from the lip,

and half-truths, fake news, all those trumped-up lies, 

We pray for a future where our grandchildren will thrive 

And their road ahead is longer than 

Their short, short road behind. 

Now we are 70, we respect the road we’re on

While grieving those we leave behind, the things we can’t achieve. 

But friends keep us buoyant, quell anxiety, save our sanity, 

And Love is our antidote to Time and Gravity. 

We vow to trust in Love and hold our children near,  

Find strength to act in every way we can possibly find

For the road ahead is shorter than 

The long, long road behind.