How strange to look at my image And see the telltale signs of age More gray hair, more new wrinkles Life's book has turned the page. How I feel a deep sadness To see my girlhood gone. Middle age has taken over Leaving me alone to face the dawn. I have lived through love affairs Some unfair - some not too kind. Resisting from here on With no desire to again be entwined. My future sees my children Grown up as young men. My written words mean more now than ever And truer than any lover has been. Of all the passions I have lived Now all my secrets I can voice Of being a wife, mother, and lover Written in poetry of my choice. After the men I have loved And the dreams I once believed I kept my one precious possession The freedom to be me. ©Carol Barton 2004 Used With Permission All Rights Reserved By Author Website Mail