November 15, 2009

Come, Grow Old With Me

after John Lennon

through 'The Seven'

they sang last night

            a short engagement

            celebrating a long commitment

“grow old together with me”

celebrating an invitation

given and accepted

many years gone by

and the walk that followed

and there, in the middle

you stand

the center of our joy

surrounded by friends

growing older together

you did it!

thanks to our God

you really did it!

fifty years

eighteen thousand days

each day a new “I do!”

in constant chain from the first

raising others, themselves

growing older, together

your example lives on

in the eternal place of ageless love

but last night

oh, last night,

surrounded by friends

each one wishing well

it seemed that growing old

together

was not so bad a thing

at all

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of

my parents, George and Grace Rhebergen