Connection

by Connie James


The elderly sit in their wheelchairs and those that use a walker try to get around more. Maybe they say hello but alone they feel.

They have lost their connection from their life, they have no sense of belonging.

The culture parts them away like old love letters.

Family visits and leaves the blue moon for them to see alone.

Being alert doesn't always belong to youth.

The elderly are constrained. No contact, no touching as though they are deaf and dumb.

Try a smile, try a hug. Listen to your heart beat and tap with it as you dance the love for them, for they live between the dark and light of their life now.

The giving and receiving this is truly connection. Does old age have anything to do with it? I ask you this because maybe you haven't retired yet and dealt with white hair or realized your climate is changing.

Giving becomes the natural response to receiving.

Let this connection express the wonderness overflow.


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Connie James is a poet, mother, and grandmother who has lived in Eugene, Oregon for many decades. She has been published in literary journals and anthologies such as Mermaid Mirror and The Elephant, and has published two chapbooks: Magic Mirrors and Poiesis. Connie is also an artist, and her illustrations are included in her chapbooks. When not writing or drawing, Connie is an avid supporter of all arts.