These Days

When did it happen?
When did I become
old?

Last time I checked
I was vibrant
impulsive
naive.

Last time I checked
life was all about
what I craved
what I fancied.

Last time I checked
I stayed up
past ten o'clock.
I enjoyed many friends
basked in being
the life of the party.

Last time I checked
I was trivial
presuming that life was
primarily focused on me.

These days
I've become old
I've stopped checking
stopped thinking about me
started breathing
started living.

I've become old
sixty-two years
days of love and loss
but more than that.
Years of learning
that life is so much more
than what I observe each day
skimming the surface.

I wonder how and why
I've been blessed
lucky
or maybe just someone
in that special spot
at that perfect moment
when all the starlight sparkled.

But now my soul
once anxious
unsettled
is becalmed.

I've finally become old
quite the same
but with a different twist
these days
content.