When I Am Old

A small conversation with age itself — seventy‑five years in my bones now, and Frankie turning ten beside me, both of us learning how to age with a bit of grace and a bit of mischief, reminding us that growing old is just another way of staying present.



When I Am Old


If,
I was young
back in nineteen-sixty-one –
no,
when I am young again,
without these strokes of pain
down the other side of my brain

I will remember
that day in November
when Mum said,
(with a cheeky grin),
“Never marry a redhead.”
Then Dad (who was a redhead)
smiled and wisely told me
“There’s always more fish in the sea,
but be careful what you wish for
beyond your front door.”

As I became a young man,
I asked for a redhead’s hand.
Alas, beyond the garden’s flowers,
life is both sweet and sour.

Thereupon, my dear parents
elected to be our loving warrants
and held our hands
above
life’s deepening quicksand.

A piece of music for the quieter hours — for the moments when age speaks softly and reminds us how to stay present.




Ivor Steven ©  July 2026

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ivor20

G'day, and welcome to my blog site. My name is Ivor Steven, I live in Geelong, Australia. I'm an ex-industrial chemist, and a retired plumber, and a former Carer of my wife(Carole), for 30 years, who suffered from severe MS. I Write poetry about those personal thoughts, throughout and beyond my life as a Carer. I've been blogging for over 2 years, and writing poems for 19 years. Of course a lot of my poems are about my favourite subject Carole, but since I've been blogging my writings have become quite varied, humourous, mystical, observational, and even a few monster/horror poems.

22 thoughts on “When I Am Old”

    1. Feeling old, cold and not so beautiful at 7.30 am … 4’C, running around getting for Market Day, but first Frankie’s walkie … at least it’s not raining my friend 🐶🥰📘🌏💙🥶

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  8. AW! 🥲 Sweet…such a beautiful, heart-touching, fun poem! 🙂
    Happy Birthday whee-kend to you, Ivor, and to Frankie!!! 🙂 YAY! 🙂
    Frankie looks like he’s ready to eat cake! 😉 😛 Woof, woof, Frankie! 🙂
    (((HUGS))), and 💜💜💜

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