looking back at 37

Sometimes I can't deny

that every so often

I feel as though

my prime is passed

But these thoughts are fleeting,

merely a mistake not worth repeating

as I realize that there are always 

new goals in which to strive for,

so many more fears to slay

before I lay down to rest

life has brought me far

but I know deep within my soul

that in this journey there will soon

be a quickening that will take me

well beyond where I am today

the year past has forged

me strong and sharp,

like Damascus steel,

light playing off its edges

from the long dark night

my ego is shriveled like

a raisin in the sun

yet my soul has emerged unscathed

and ever more hungry

so here I stand before you....humbler,

a little more weathered, a bit wiser

and much more brazen,

with an unfathomable and deep

appreciation of the gift of life

and my time here with you.