A Poem for the Ages

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A Poem for the Ages

This blog title uses the word ages in its literal translation. Therefore, this poem depicts my journey toward accepting my own aging process. I’ve been a relatively healthy 74 year old engaging in a variety of physical and mental activities that keep me vital and active.

My poem, My Sacred Temple was accepted for an anthology publication entitled A World Unsuspected. I read it at a book launch on May 3rd, 2025 in Bellingham, Washington. Read the entire poem below.

My Sacred Temple
by Susan E. Greisen 12/24
My Sacred Temple is crumbling
45 years of yoga have forsaken me
I can no longer do the full bridge pose
Even though I did it once correctly

My wrists don’t flex
My back won’t bend
My neck is tight
My groins don’t extend

Has my yoga ship sailed?
Is it perfection I seek?
Yoga was once my salvation
But now my muscles are weak

Hip and wrist arthritis
Found a new home in my joints
Once soothing yoga poses
Have become sore sticking points

Child’s pose now hurts
Downward dog requires props
I can’t hold most poses for long
Let me finish and lie like a corpse

Secretly I admit the sole reason I go
To seek my luxurious retreat
The sauna melts my aches and pains
They love the nurturing heat

My yoga instructors gently
Guide me through the routine
I listen to their messages
Some that are not always obvious or seen

I was surprised one day by the question
“What do you want to keep?”
“Compassion and Love” are what I found
When I looked deep

Gradually I awakened and discovered
My yoga buddies I didn’t always see
I rarely noticed their impact
Their collective positive energy
Some with healing fractures, chronic arthritis,
Joint replacement, or cancer mayhem
Their diagnoses make me seem young
Yet they never let it bother them

During our yoga practice
We are not to look and compare
So, what am I moaning about
Thinking life is unfair

Many in my classes are older than me
Some a decade or more
We have known each other for several years
Next to them, I lie my mat on the floor

Steph and Karen in their upper 70s
Pat and Jim in their 80s, and Jane is 89
I covertly look for them during my practice
Whenever I want to moan or whine.

Dementia has a grip on Sonia at 82
Her companion guides her poses
Once a European child of war
Her smile is like a bouquet of roses

Robert, 84, limps in with chronic pain
Carolyn battles her third cancer at 82
They are my chair yoga buddies
My self-gratitude is way overdue

I modified some of my poses
To not cause so much pain
This change to my practice
Is for those who are more sane

Maybe I’ll complain and feel sorry for myself
But only for a moment
Because I will look for my yoga buddies
And banish my sorrow and judgment

My yoga family inspires me
They have shown me this is just another stage
Because of them and their guidance
My Sacred Temple is full of yoga that doesn’t have an age

More about Susan’s writing at https://susangreisen.com/
A World Unsuspected (2025) published by Sidekick 2 responses to “A Poem for the Ages” phsandoval Avatar