Being Old

by Hibiscus

Published September 7, 2010

In Poems

I used to have a big bite,
but now all I can do is wheeze.
My lungs are old,
and feel like raisins.
And I am the skin to
dry in the sun.

I used to have a big brain,
but now all I can do is dream.
My thoughts are repeating,
and aren’t of much use.
And I am the box
to hold it all in.

I used to have a big appetite,
but now all I can do is starve.
My body is not
what it used to be of course,
and I am the tank
that remains near empty.

I used to have a big heart,
but now all I think about is myself.
My blood does not pump
as quickly as it could,
and my generosity is not as
frequent as it could be.

I used to have a big life,
but now it’s only pocket sized.
My days do not pass,
they merge into one,
and I don’t know when
they will

stop.

Comments & reviews · 3
annapapadimitriou123 wrote a review Review · Sep 7, 2010

Hey! That was raelly wonderful imagery, i enjoyed reading it and i ESPECIALLY enjoyed the not precise use of punctuation. I love it when punctuation is all over the place that made me find it all far more interesting then I would have otherwise. The topic is very interesting and generally I think you're a very talented writer. I would say it gets a little repetative but it also brings across what you want to describe very very clearly so I think you've done an excellent job here.
:D
Good luck with everything else you do!
Anna

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ScarletteRose
Review
ScarletteRose wrote a review Review · Sep 7, 2010

Hey!

Great imagery, but I find myself agreeing with Coral. I wonder what your purpose is in writing this poem. Is it meant to tell of the dangers of aging? It seems to me that you're describing without a deeper purpose than just describing what it's like to be old. What's the deeper meaning? It's possible that it's there and I'm not looking for it diligently enough.

Also:

but now all I can do is wheeze.


The "can"s are rather clunky. They disrupt the flow of the poem. I feel if you just got rid of them, it would help the flow of your poem.

-Lette

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Button
Review
Button wrote a review Review · Sep 7, 2010

Hi there-

So, I thought this was good- great imagery and descriptions. However, I found it a bit repetitive. It seemed to describe growing old very well, but seemed bland to me at the same time. Perhaps try changing up the format in which you described it. I think that structural repetition can be nice, but when it makes up the whole of the poem, it feels too uniform. I dunno. Just my thoughts.

Anywho- great piece altogether. Perhaps some more metaphors or just not-literal descriptions altogether might beef it up.
Either- nice write.

-Coral-



To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.
— Audrey Hepburn