Wrinkles Poem by April Lane

I'll earn my wrinkles, every one
One by one by one
Each passing smile that stays a while
Each golden ray of sun

Each tear that carves a tiny path
Each groan and gasp and sigh
Will write a testament to grief
Beneath my weary eye

And every sleepless night must leave
Its imprint on my cheek
And all my favorite words will shape
My mouth each time I speak

Here at the corner of these lids
Where top and bottom meet
Those crows that watch the pass of time
Will stamp me with their feet

The river flows, the shadow grows,
The creases mark each hour
And if I tried to stem the tide
I wouldn't have the power

But let the flow transfigure me
My story line by line
Must mar this face; 'tis no disgrace
For that's what makes it mine