Checklist

Here’s a little checklist
If you think you’re getting old.
Check off fewer than a couple
And perhaps you’ll be consoled.

Are you losing hair or finding it
In places unexpected?
Do you crave a turtleneck
So extra skin goes undetected?

Do you need a nap by 4 p.m.

And doze by the TV?
Do you wake up nightly, several times,
Because you have to pee?

Does a cough or cold last weeks and weeks
While energy is lagging?
Do the wrinkles in the mirror
Make your spirits feel like sagging?

Do you read a book or see a film
And then cannot recall it?
Does technology require help
‘Cause you cannot install it?

If you’ve answered yes to most of these,
Then, sadly, you’re among
Those of us, including Dylan,
Who are not “forever young.”