When did I become old?

By

Michael F. McCarthy

When did I realize all my yesterdays’ had become greater than all of my tomorrows?
When did I become old?

When did I become an orphan?
When did I become old?

When did I start to lose my siblings?
When did I become old?

When did my walking turn into a shuffle?
When did I become old?

When did I start falling?
When did become old?

When did my favorite tunes start being played only on classic rock / oldies stations?
When did I become old?

When did I start going to retirement parties for friends that are younger than me?
When did I become old?

When did my memory start to fade?
When did I become old?

When did my collection of doctors start?
When did I become old?

When did I start taking medications multiple times a day?
When did I become old?

When did my hair turn grey and start to thin?
When did I become old?

When did my generation’s children start having children of their own?
When did I become old?

When did I retire?
When did I become old?

When did I start receiving Social Security?
When did I become old?

When did I go on Medicare?
When did I become old?

When did I start taking naps again?
When did I become old?

When did I start having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?
When did I become old?

When did I start to believe that my youth represented a golden age?
When did I become old?

When did I need to have my cataracts removed?
When did I become old?

When did I stop climbing on the rocks at Pemaquid Point?
When did I become old?

When did I stop climbing Maiden’s Cliff?
When did I become old?

When did I start needing a taller toilet?
When I become old?

When did I need to replace door knobs in my house with door levers?
When did I become old?

When did being old become me?
Never!