Walking up the stairs,
Halfway up,
I see a young lad,
Waiting at the top.
Our exchange
"Oh I'm sorry" (me)
"That's OK take your time" (polite young lad).
This experience,
One that may happen,
Almost every day.
Somewhere, someone
Older and younger,
Exchanging, something similar,
Got me thinking.
This young lad,
Polite.
He surely saw the older one.
The grey hairs ( pre hairdresser), perhaps;
The general looks of life lived, perhaps;
How he observed,
The climb of the stairs energy, perhaps.
Even if, I did not feel my age;
I am now one of those people,
Who once like the young lad,
Saw the older person,
And did the same thing.
Gave way,
Felt the need to step aside,
Let the older person,
Make their way up the stairs,
At their pace.
An acknowledgement,
That an older human,
Just needs their space.
And their time,
To get up the stairs,
Slower
Then young energy.
That they could in years past,
Taken these steps with speed.
The young, pausing, waiting,
Without intruding
In the older ones space.
It helped me feel,
The shoes of those,
Even older than I am.
Who may be feeling,
They aren't ageing,
That every birthday,
Is just another number.
Our features change
Our pace may change,
With age comes,
Blessings of experiences;
With age comes,
Kindness of youth;
Like this young lad today.
May he be an example,
Of all his generation.
So my ageing generation,
And his in the future,
Live in a world,
Where old and young,
Recognise what once was,
And what will be;
With gratitude
For every breath
Of every day
Started: 01.August.2026 (on the train ride back from the gym)
Finished: 5. August.2026 (as I pondered this situation while cleaning)
Published: First time on this website on launch
Linda G Thorpe
Sequel to The Stairs of Ageing
The week that was,
Since writing the stairs of ageing,
An incident at home, a bathtub slide,
Bruising my right thigh.
I sat up and checked myself.
Only a bruise,
No broken hip,
No broken back,
Did not hit my head.
Stood up.
Felt I was OK.
Reminder of,
Age is a thing,
Falls are a thing,
Keep strong,
Keep safe.
Something I never,
In my 20s, thought of
Planned for;
Here I was
Kicked into gear
Plan for the future
Older me.
More to come.
Started: 09.August.2026 (reflection of the week)
Finished: Same day, edited for publishing.
Published: First time on this website on launch
