In “A Prayer of Moses, A Man of God,” we learn that “… the years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty,” and if you read 5 lines down, he sends out a plea to God: “So teach us to number our days / that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90). In Psalm 139, the psalmist explains how the Lord has formed our days and written them in his book, “… when as yet there was none of them.”

Whether you have given your assent to biblical truths and trust in them is beside the point. We’re all destined for bodily (and/or mental) decay, and eventually a terrestrial death.

I’ve been thinking about quality of life issues in my elder years (I’m not quite there yet), but also thinking about how joyful life is at age sixty. How long will I continue to to experience this great peace and joy? I hope to have it up until my final (most glorious) day, which will definitely be eternal.

These are the thoughts that inspired this poem, “Silver Lining.” Enjoy!

SILVER LINING

Youth is cognitively impaired,
yet maturity brings poignancy
of space and time and consciousness.
There are many more ways to be messy 
than orderly. 

Life is a blazing arrow
released with precision, arcing toward
equilibrium, and on its descent, as its flame diminishes,
its condition is predominantly
bliss.