When does old age arrive

Some say eighty five

Others offer numbers lower

Still others think we’re aging slower

Some grow old before their time

Some stay longer in their prime

But in the end we’re set to fail

Our bodies will grow bent and frail

Perhaps our minds will fail us, too

And we won’t distinguish who from who

With luck we might stay smart and clever

No matter, we will not be here forever

-W.A.