View from a Nonagenarian’s Porch

old age is not pretty

who said it should be?

we all did, in our secret hearts

where fantasy lives

in a witness protection program

and now we are here

bobbling between disappointment

and unspoken apology

waiting in vain for the

grace we had longed for

and the dignity

and the wisdom

instead we laugh

whenever we can

and if lucky

are mistaken

for being contented

© Vilma Ginzberg, 9-26-2021