APPEARANCE DOESN’T MATTER ANY MORE - A POEM

Appearance Doesn't Matter Any More

I knew I was good-looking
as a young boy blond and lean.
Combed my hair back to a duck tail
Stretched my height out as a teen.
Sex appeal was so important
As a college young adult.
Some outstanding wedding photos
Display the superb result.
Obligations soon took over
I gladly became a dad.
I learned children prefer play time
To good looks I thought I had.
Nonetheless employed by others
I made sure that I looked smart.
Yet mirrors gradually told me
Signs of ageing had a start.
Kids grew up and career moved on
Thinning hair, a few pounds more.
Arrest the pace, start the program
Trim the fat, strengthen the core.
I did all that for many years
Now experience lets me say
I'm genetically compromised
My dad had a part to play.
So here I lie beside my wife
And she sees someone other
Than the young man that she married
She likely sees my brother.
He too has realized the truth
Nature's laws will never bend.
Plastic surgery and workouts
Can't reverse this trend.
I have coffee with my friends now
Talk comes easily and free
Guards are down and we are honest
They all seem to look like me.

© Ron Unruh, November 2017