We are all old today
except for you

You have scared away the years
with your laughter

Taunted wrinkles to unfold
and mocked the palsy of eld
into a tiny ball of snickering loss.

We are all old today
except for you.

You have written down your youth
with cheap ink

Ridiculed paper into poetry
and mocked the story of your life
into a retaining wall holding back the days

We are all old today

except for you.

As always, you manage to give me pause to smile. This poem (I’ll call it “Except For you”) gets to the crux of me with a paucity of words, just how I like it. Perfectly timed for my birthday too, so it holds a bit of extra meaning.  – Andrew Mercieca, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia