To those who keep saying ‘age is just a number”, here’s my take on this. I know I look much younger than my age, most Caribbean people do, and I may even feel younger than I look; but there is a meaning to the word ‘Aging’. It’s a process, it’s continuous.

If I wear, tight fitting or short clothing, you all will say, ‘she think she young’. If I marry or even date a guy 15 years younger than I am, you will say ‘she rocking the cradle’. If I pierce my nose, I’ll be criticised for it. So age can’t be JUST a number when there is a huge disparity between youth and middle-age. After the age 50, I feel less active, can’t do the things I used to do. It’s true I may be as young as I feel, but no longer in the category of ‘youth’

I loved to climb trees; I dare do that no more.

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I go down on my knees, and I can hardly get off the floor.

I wake up in the morning and start moving;

Pracks, pracks, I hear my joints cracking.

That damn menopause, I can’t run away from,

When I feel hot in an air-conditioned room.

I go to bed at 11:30pm, then I wake up thinking it’s day-break;

Alexa, what time is it? ‘The time now is 01:48’

Fall back asleep about an hour later

Only to wake up again at 4:30. Bummer

How can age be JUST a number, when try hard as you may,

You can’t stop your hair from turning grey.

The plump lips and skin you were flaunting

Now everything from forehead down, start creasing.

Don’t even talk about the eyesight

Without glasses, you squinting black is white.

Age increases in number, so stop the hypocrisy

And celebrate all events and birth anniversary. This is MY philosophy.

J.Edwards