​POPO POETRY

"Beneath my aging face,
my self image, a younger woman."
                                    Photo by Weebly.com                                    

Putting Wrinkles Back
by Jan Russell

​​Apply miracle creams,
   seek Botox treatments,
possibly a face lift too. 
   Advertisements are so convincing.
Aging is not acceptable.
    Youth and beauty are in vogue.
Lines of time should be erased.
    Beneath my aging face,
my self-image, a younger woman.
    Spirit of youth is still with me,
although my body resists,
    the mirror reflects the truth.
My outer image, reflected back, 
    lets me see what others see.
 Who is that old lady in the mirror?
 
Wrinkles are a roadmap of my life,
    joys and sorrows etched in my face.
Lines deepen as I smile or laugh.
    I am wiser now, an elder, a crone,
 a sage to be listened to, respected. 
    Should my life be denied
and all that has been,
   all that has chiseled character in my face?
Can I see my beauty within,
    love the character without?
I shall let others see me as I am.
    Wrinkles are not flaws
to be hidden or taken away.
    They are beauty marks
of life well lived.
    Time to put the wrinkles back.

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​​Jane Russell lives in Pittsburg, California with her partner and two beautiful cats. She is a retired teacher, counselor and university instructor. She started writing poetry in high school. She belongs to a creative writing critique circle and is a member of the Bay Area Ina Coolbrith Poetry Circle. She especially enjoys writing poetry about nature and her extensive travels. Several of her poems have been published in the Avocet, a Journal of Nature Poetry, and a poem was recently published in the Suisun Valley Review, quarterly printed edition. She enjoys taking a variety of classes through OLLI, especially creative writing and also singing in a local women’s a capella choral group.

Jane Russell is a first time contributor to Vistas & Byways

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