To Handpick Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

You have spent most of your adult life
Disregarding advice
To prioritize the enjoyment of your escapades
With critque of those who slowly took steps
That aging gracefully benefits
With a seriousness.

Clinging onto youth betrays
In ways that fade away with quick fads

And today
You have awakened to play a game of catchup
Fast
With many who had been afraid to face realities
And those realities have never allowed anyone
To handpick