“I know how far-gone I am

when I forget how old I think I am

when someone asks me,

“How old are you?”

So my pool-rat buddy and I joked

when we showed up at the pool today,

the first Tuesday of the month,

to be reminded by an empty pool

and the entry-way, locked.

The pool is closed for maintenance

every first Tuesday of the month!

Has been for years!

At least as many years as I’ve been forgetting

not to come

on the first Tuesday of every month!

O’Well…

What the Hell!

The desk jockey tells me the steam room’s open.

So I’ll sweat a while in the heat,

shower and beat it home early

to my lady.

We’ll make a salad, maybe

or use my unscheduled arrival

to get some undone chore done.

Or maybe I’ll have a serendipitous

Tuesday night date with my mate to Taco Bell!

OR…

maybe get to bed, “not tooooo late”

(which is shorthand for something

only olderly’s know about…)

I say to my buddy,

“May all our troubles be as serious

as only having a steam bath when the pool’s closed.”

I suppose I could write on my desk calendar

on each first Tuesday of each month:

POOL CLOSED – DON’T GO!

But why?

Isn’t that what aging is all about?

Learning to improvise!

“If ya can’t do X no more, then why not try Y?

God knows it can be fun!

And it’ll keep me,

well, if not young,

then at least swimming at a steady pace

during these last few laps

in this long distance, free-style race.