At 87 ...

Blog152:

At 87, she moves

As if just yesterday, she was 40 or 45

That I could remember ...

Many waking days, at 4 or 5 AM, she rises to start the stove

And boil water, or rice

So that her son, he himself an early riser,

Could have something warm and solid in his stomach

Before he heads out for work at his wokplace, a multinational-managed plant

At 87, she moves in the kitchen

To get meals prepped and made

As if just yesteryears, she was 30 or 35

And my siblings and I were just rising from night's sleep

And preparing to begin our journeys in school ...

At 87, she moves around the house

Taking care of this and that ... living esentials, she says ...

She lists what needs to be bought from the marketplace

She looks over what items of clothing must get to the laundry

She takes callsfrom friends and family and shares her thoughts

At 87, she moves

As if just yesterday, she was 40 or 45

That I could remember ...

Only supported by her walking cane

She navigates the roads and the neighborhood on her own,

Or accompanied by a good-hearted tricycle driver

So she could get her medications from the pharmacy

And pick up fruit and vegetables from her favorite grocer

At 87, she stands tall though a bit weakened

By her old bones, some of which were dislocated

From an accidental fall many moons ago

At 87, she reminisces of WWII experiences

She glimpses back on photographs of old and new

Family and friends ... parted, moved, living close by

At 87, she picks up a magnifying glass to clearly see

With her teary-eyed and degenerating vision

Words, pictures and thoughts from magazines or the paper

At 87, Hermie doesn't show slowing down

She independently thrives, lives her day-to-day life

Unceasing to give up control over her weakening being!