E is for The Elders
- Mary Beth Ely
- Oct 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 15
I shared this poem a few months ago. The words have risen again for me as I watch women and men of a certain age show up for the younger generations, and for all who are not yet with us but deserve to come to life in a healthy, safe, and loving world.
I dedicate my poem to the strong and compassionate women of 750 WSC in particular.
Desert Woman at 71
They say. They.
She is old and gray
Bones brittle, eyes cloudy
A little creaky, a little stooped
They. They say she is fading, fading
So fast that she is almost invisible.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
They. They say
Dry as the desert
But She. She
Walks through the desert of sand ashes and dust.
Sand shifting beneath her feet
Shifting from her own movement
Shifting from outside forces
And She. She strides forward with her
Strong back
Clear piercing eyes
Firm voice
She knows what she knows and
Sees it as her truth
She listens closely but
No longer lets anyone
Cut her off
When she speaks
She does not seek, does not need
Approval from anyone else to be
Herself
Having
Accepted life’s blessings and
Conquered or, at least,
Learned to live with
Life’s challenges
No one can take her experiences
From her, nor
Tell her what they really mean
She and only she
Knows who she is
The desert is hot hot hot
She sheds so much of
What she no longer needs
Regrets guilt and shame
Dropped by the wayside
Buried in the sand
Left in the dust
Behind her
She is not even tempted
To look back
But the shadows of the tears and woes are
Woven into the
Cloak of life she wears
Adding a little texture and color
And reminding her of how far
She has come
The sands beneath her feet
Shift
Always
That is life
But. Her roots are deep and
She draws sustenance from
The center of Earth
To find and keep her balance
Balanced
Strong
Clear and unflinching
A singular being
They say. They.
She is old and gray
Bones brittle, eyes cloudy
A little creaky, a little stooped
They. They say she is fading, fading
So fast that she is almost invisible
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
They say
Dry as the desert
She. She says
Who knows how this one woman
Walking on shifting sand
Might shift the world
On its axis
Might just start a revolution
~mbe
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