I wrote this poem last July, shortly after the first lockdown began to open up. The acting college where I had been teaching voice part time prior to lockdown invited me to come back into the studio to teach, and I didn't consider it safe—for myself, or for the students—so I declined. It occurred to me that I would almost certainly never be offered such work again. I had been extremely lucky to have kept on teaching at the tertiary level for as long as I had, well into my 70s.
Thoughts on ageing weren't new to me. But this seemed more pressing, especially with all the understanding by that stage that anyone over 80 was especially vulnerable to Covid-19. When 80 is only 4 years away, and those years are accelerating by faster than a Formula 1 car driven by Jensen Button, it feels like tomorrow.
Hence this poem.
It was published in October 2020 as part of the collection "Sunsets & Kites", which is available from Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1838194614?pf_rd_r=4WP1SY0EPMP4JXWEF279&pf_rd_p=e632fea2-678f-4848-9a97-bcecda59cb4e) online.
Enjoy! And stay safe.
Image courtesy @gsultangeorge
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/amIoldyet)
• Please donate to our crowdfunding campaign, so that we can pay the performers and upgrade recording equiment. https://fnd.us/AmIOldYet?ref=sh_1DCqMf
• Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website (https://www.amioldyet.com/episodes/) if your podcast app doesn't provide them.
• You can leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews,
• @AmIOldYet2
• The music featured in Seasons 6, 7, 8 and 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Bandcamp.
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289
• Thanks for listening. Stay safe.
