Does Lard Go Bad?

by Juliet Cook


You envy new experiences because
once you get old, less and less people care,
not even you. Because at least half
the older people prefer to surround themselves
with younger people. At least half of your life
is gone, sucked into the eyes staring at the bodies
of those 30 years younger than you.

Because kids, grandkids, and scantily clad models
get more attention than middle-aged women.
Because pregnant bellies are so sexy,
but a flabby middle-aged gut is the total opposite
of life. Because the bodies you rolled
your eyes at 20 years ago are now you
and more than half your life is inside other people's trash bags.


* * * * *

Juliet Cook's poetry has appeared in lots of print and online publications. She is the writer of quite a few poetry chapbooks, recently including Another Set of Ripped-Out Bloody Pigtails (The Poet's Haven, 2019), The Rabbits with Red Eyes (Ethel Zine & Micro-Press, 2020) and Histrionics Inside my Interior City (part of Ghost City Press's 2020 Summer Micro-Chapbook Series). Her most recent full-length poetry book, Malformed Confetti, was published by Crisis Chronicles Press in 2018. She is brimming with black, grey, silver, purple, and dark red explosions. You can find out more at www.JulietCook.weebly.com.