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Longevity
by
Anita S. Pulier


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The wispy gray-haired stranger
at the locker next to mine
looks up, says hello,
how are you?


Fine, I say, and you?
Still here, she says.
Yes, still here, I confirm.

She nods, 88 years old,
she says, and still here.
Yes, I repeat, still here
and at the gym.


She continues,
when I got up this morning,
I swore I would come to the gym,


and tomorrow
I will see if I can pull the
whole trick off again.


Aha... I thought
showing up is the secret.

From Paradise Reexamined (Kelsay Books, 2023).
Used here with permission.

 


Anita S. Pulier is a retired attorney who, many years ago, traded legal writing for poetry. She and her husband, Myron, pursue a bi-coastal life between New York City and Los Angeles, where they are daily hikers in the NYC parks and the Santa Monica mountains. Anita has been very involved in the Southern California poetry community and, recently, even Myron (a retired psychiatrist) has taken up poetry! Anita’s poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals and her work is included in nine print anthologies. The author of multiple collections, her most recent is Paradise Reexamined. Learn more about Anita at http://psymeet.com/anitaspulier/main/index.php.

                        

 

 

 


Post New Comment:
Jo:
Showing up is half the battle. I enjoyed the poem and the comments.
Posted 04/06/2024 11:56 PM
Anastasia:
That's the spirit! I hope to be like that at her age when I reach it!
Posted 04/06/2024 10:44 PM
CamilleBalla:
Nice to see this lady in the poem. Not only is she showing up but she is friendly and asks how YOU are. Inspiringyes!
Posted 04/06/2024 02:46 PM
Lori Levy:
Inspiring!
Posted 04/06/2024 01:33 PM
Tom Sharpe:
At 99, Mom pushes her walker to every activity offered at the care center where she lives. To have so much energy.
Posted 04/06/2024 10:44 AM
Wilda Morris:
Yep!
Posted 04/06/2024 10:42 AM
cork:
I am 88 years old and swim for one hour six days a week as long as I show up.
Posted 04/06/2024 10:20 AM
wayne.goodling@yahoo.com:
Gosh! I've heard this before (about showing up) but when I read that last stanza, I think I got it. Thank you.
Posted 04/06/2024 08:15 AM
mail@schoolbusmart.com:
Ah yes, showing up is half the battle. The secret though is getting up. LOL. Randy Mazie
Posted 04/06/2024 07:44 AM


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