Aging Well

by Robert Lee Brewer

After Bashō as translated by Allen Ginsberg

The funny thing about growing old

is you never know how to respond

until after the fact. Like a frog

that sits and then eventually jumps

there’s absolutely no thought given

to the process. You’re young; then, kerplunk!

This is an example of a “golden shovel” poem, where the last word of each line is from a poem (or a line from a poem) by another poet, in this case Bashō. From Robert Lee Brewer’s Writer’s Digest blog. See also “You Can’t Be Serious.”