ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER

Cicero Speaks On Becoming Older
by Michael Doyle

Life passes through many a stage
Until calumniating in old age
It's a folly to hold this in despise
We'd be better off to open our eyes

Cicero offers us his philosopher's look
In his writing of many a good book
Well versed as he was in his education
Much the wiser in his elegant elocution

For his justice, he was found a triumph
Being honest it was truth he worshipped
When at last, he chose to retire to his estate
He took the opportunity then to meditate

Writing many an astute essay on inner beauty
Even choosing to detail the ways of moral duty
And yet another on old age, laced with integrity
That would live on until the ends of history

Old age is assumed to be a time of infirmity
When loss is felt in body and mental faculty
The assumption given that an elder waits to die
And what I have left to wonder is a simple, why?

Pointing back in times of near and far history
Cicero points to the wisdom that is Plato's legacy
Time and again, there is and was wisdom to be found
In the observations of the elders who remained profound

Old age is not useless if you allow it to serve as guide
In which experience is drawn from far and from wide
Providing leadership when it is most urgently needed
And whose wizened grandparent should not be heeded?

The elders lead in the Senate in collective wisdom
As it was in the days of many a remembered kingdom
Counsel of the elders comes with time's olden age
Such is the proffered wisdom of many a needed sage

 Life's lessons are effective and in the end prevail
Each teaching us much by which we gain and do not fail
Mental abilities kept sharp are what keep us alert
And by sharp eyes growing to ever be and quietly assert

That life may be different but the elders are valuable
Offering much to be given and is often quite usable 
Pleasures have come and pleasures pass until they're gone
And yet a better quality of life continues on

Different sensual pleasures are what are now found
By having the time to farm and come close to sacred ground
Taking the moments to observe and with clarity to see
There is a lot more left to living and yet to be

While we never know how much time we have yet got
The immortality of the soul must not be forgot
It is in the belief of this near fabled immortality
As Phaedo teaches, that brings us to gated eternity

Given as a hope of truth in seeking this fair prize
Be we ever ready to cherish this sweet surprise
Every stage of life is to be so fully cherished
Allowing no opportunity to be wasted or have perished

When the Ides of March come in their final assassination
Freedom belongs to those who rebuke with indignation
And give reasons to speak on behalf of freedom and liberty
Standing strong against the tides of wicked tyranny

Offering throat, hands, and even oratory's divine tongue
There is much for the aged yet to give to those young
Like Franklin rising to his feet in a storied constitutional hall
It is the wisdom of the aged in all ages that bring us law

(c) February 8, 2022   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved