“No wise man ever wished to be younger. ” ~Jonathan Swift~ OH, to be Young Again Oh, to be free again To be setting out To have the whole of the road before one To know it as an adventure One cannot know the end Oh, to be young again and setting out Into the distance The hero of one's own story The adventurer going out farther than anyone has gone before Into the great unknown Young - fearless - strong With nothing behind to be afraid of And nothing ahead too fearful to fear Oh, to be young again As I never was And in my old age only dream to be now. ~ Shalom Freedman~ How to Be Old It is easy to be young, (Everybody is at first) It is not easy to be old. It takes time. Youth is given' age is achieved. One must work a magic to mix with time in order to become old. Youth is given. One must put it away like a doll in a closet, take it out to play with it only on holidays. One must have many dresses and dress the doll impeccably (But not to show the doll, to keep it hidden). It is necessary to adore the doll, to remember it in the dark of the ordinary days, and every day congratulate one's again face in the mirror. In time one will be very old. In time, one's life will be accomplished. And in time, in time, the doll like new, through ancient-will be found. ~ Mary Swenson~ © Tina's Prayer Gate April 11, 2018