The Years You Reclaim

At seventy-five you find the body argues back:
the knees that stall on the stair, the breath that comes up short,
a name that will not come when you reach for it,
and the empty chair where someone used to sit.

But ours is a time that can tend the body’s wear:
the ache, the pressure, the fading, eased and carried now.
So reset, and give these years to the great things:
new chairs to fill, a purpose to serve, a joy to reach.

The sun rides lower now, but the day is far from done:
make the best of what you have, and today, you can.