Alison Cassidy - ! ! A Graceful Octogenarian

She smiled as we passed her table -
a nod of politeness, rather than recognition.
She was lunching with her husband -
and thinly clad in the summer heat.
She must have been in her eighties,
but remarkably elegant and self-assured.

Her hair was swept up in a messy chignon,
Her voice was cultured without being posh.
She reminded me of mum -
without the cringe
and the scoliosis.
Same generous mouth.
Same kind, deep-set eyes.

After the meal
I noticed her leave the table
and return with a new coat of lipstick.
I thought how gracefully
she carried her years
and what a salutary lesson
she offered
those sad souls
for whom cosmetic surgery
seems the only option.

Alison Cassidy

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-graceful-octogenarian/