On Growing Old ..... by Harry Secombe

I don't really know much about Harry Secombe, but I had heard his name along the way and thought he was a singer and comedian only. However I stumbled across this poem in one of my several beloved anthologies and loved it immediately. There is something poignant about his wanting to 'clutch the present to my bosom and never let it go'. As we are all hurtling towards being 'old', thinking about all the things that have been or have never been is a sobering thing at times. The last line is the one that I love most - a reminder to us all that a life well lived has nothing to fear.

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I want the mornings to last longer
and the twilight to linger.

I want to clutch the present to my bosom
and never let it go.

I resent the tyranny of the lock in the hall
nagging me to get on with the day.

I am a time traveller
but a traveller who would rather walk
than fly.

And yet:
there is a lot to be said for growing old.

The major battles in life are over
though minor skirmishes may still occur.

There is an armistice of the heart,
a truce with passion.

Compromise becomes preferable to conflict
and old animosities blur with time.

There is still one last hurdle to cross
and the joy of your life measures your
reluctance to approach it.

But if you have lived your life with love
there will be nothing to fear
because a warm welcome will await you
on the other side.