I wake to the ache in my bones,
the muscle spasms in my back,
a quiet coup under my flesh.
The mirrors say sixty,
my hands say forty,
my mind thinks it’s still seventeen,
wants to skinny dip with my girlfriend,
run down a fairway,
cruise to the pond,
rod in the trunk,
fish on a line,
heart thundering like the feral fields of youth,
lungs full, as if time is just a concept.
That perfect ting on hole number three,
the golf ball arcs against the sky,
white on pale blue,
and I imagine no pain in my knees,
my spine stretching like a stiff fence pole.
The pond waits, slight ripples in patience,
but I dive anyway,
laughter splashing across the water,
telling gravity to kiss my ass.
Bones creak, grind their warnings.
X-rays lecture in black and white.
But I slip into my golf shoes anyway,
throw the line,
swing the seven iron,
jog the stretch of road
where the wind is crisp
and the earth feels younger than me.
I’m a stubborn test,
an experiment in defiance,
a mind that laughs
at the calendar.
Evening sets the skyline
in orange and violet fire.
I bend to untie my shoes,
fingers stiff,
back humming low.
Yet I remember every made putt,
every crushed drive,
every sudden tug of the line
and the clean disappearance of the bobber—
the smell of wet grass,
the bite of cold water,
the raw pulse of living
in spite of age.
I’ll wake tomorrow
and do it again.
This is my small war with time,
my proud insistence:
I am not done.
-
Author:
Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: April 5th, 2026 09:32
- Comment from author about the poem: Just posted a brand-new long-form poetry reading on my YouTube channel! In this session, I share poems from my past collections and give a sneak peek at my upcoming book, Searching for Nod, coming out this November. I hope you enjoy the raw, unfiltered moments and the rhythms of each piece. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFGFJcFzKfY My books are also available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=xsU45&content Thank you for reading, listening, and supporting poetry—it means the world!
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 37
- Users favorite of this poem: Teddy.15, Tristan Robert Lange, sorenbarrett, Syd
Offline)
Comments11
Great write!
Thanks
Well happy 60! Skinny dip away even when you are 100 🌹 🤣 great imagery and a lovely way to except ones self in all its glory small wars fabulous.
Thank you, sweet Teddy.
Really like the earth feels younger than me. Excellent piece!!
Thank you.
You line "and the earth feels younger than me." hit me hard and is a great one. The whole poem speaks for age and its deterioration but also the determination to keep it at bay and rage against the light. Well done Thomas this is a fave
Thanks
Most welcome Thomas
Sometimes a war that seems like one of attrition 🙏🏻🕊️
I appreciate it.
Most welcome, dear Thomas 🕊️🙏🏻
Very relatable indeed. I love these lines - "where the wind is crisp
and the earth feels younger than me"
Brilliant 👏 👏 👏
- Syd 🍄
Thanks, Syd.
Get that feeling too.. staggers off to very comfortable armchair to plan, I say plan..my next move...
Weary me has the feel of it, Thomas.
Thank you, my friend.
Welcome to my war my friend .. it might not feel right but at least its real and a good indicator that not all is yet lost .. in effect, this ones a keeper .. Neville
Thanks, my poetic friend.
Let's give the Middle Finger to Age .
A fine Poem.
Yes. Thank you.
You are definitely not done - a mind that laughs at the calendar and attempts to conquer age with determination , confidence and defiance
Thank you.
most welcome!
I have a friend who says, push the boundaries!
I prefer to know my limitations.
I hear you. Thanks.
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