Carole’s Debate

“You are old,” says the voice in my head.
“You have many years left,” says my beating heart.

“You are slowing down — it’s to be expected,” says the voice in my head.
“You have so much to see and do,” says my beating heart.

“You must prepare for the limitations to come,” says the voice in my head.
“You should be open to opportunities and adventures,” says my beating heart.

“You must act your age — let your hair grow gray,” says the voice in my head.
“You should do as you please,” says my beating heart.

“You must be strong and self-reliant,” says the voice in my head.
“You should not hesitate to ask for help when you need it,” says my beating heart.

“You must be ever vigilant for it is a dangerous world,” says the voice in my head.
“You should welcome and be grateful for the kindness of strangers,” says my beating heart.

“You must learn to live with loss,” says the voice in my head.
“You should view each day as a new beginning,” says my beating heart.

“You must come to terms with the Inevitability of Death,” says the voice in my head.
“You should find Purpose and Joy in Life,” says my beating heart.

The debate is intense. Each side is so convincing.
When it concludes, who is the winner? My head or my heart?

Can both be right?

Carole Leskin
caroleleskin15@comcast.net
YBAlone on Facebook
August, 2019

Carole Leskin

Carole Leskin is a retired Director of Global Human Resources. Embarking on a second career as a writer and photographer concentrating on her personal accounts of aging, her essays and poetry, frequently accompanied by her photos, are published in Jewish Sacred Aging, Jewish Women of Words, Starts At 60, Navigating Aging ( a Kaiser Health publication), Women’s Older Wisdom, Time Goes By and Next Avenue. Her poems, “Father Time” and “Carole’s Debate” were selected for inclusion in the 2019 anthologies of poetry, New Jersey Bards. Her photos have been featured in Mart R Porter Nature Forum.