At Seventy

“Surprise me” 

—Leonard Cohen, in Rolling Stones Interview, 2014

Don specs that frame your eyes
as though they were a portrait
by Kahlo or by Klimt.
Purchase many pairs.
Switch them when you’ve snagged
a stare or conversation.
Choose tattoos
that state your permanence
while suggesting mysteries
deeper than your skin.
Go platinum one day;
the next streak your hair
with lavender and black;
style it elegant and swish.
Then shave the back
and ink your skull
with quotes from Kant and Cohen.
Wear sensible shoes
and Jimmy Choos,
your bra and Depends
over lululemons.

Bare your legs.
Flaunt gauzy skirts
that whisper secrets
to the floor.
Make yourself a cartoon
character chameleon
some actor’s older twin.

Just keep them guessing.

Towards the end
when you tire
of outwardly expressing
your inner crone, do more
than play with numbers.
Reveal everything.
Write to your cousin, friends
who think they know you,
the local paper; tell don’t show
the world that never writes to you
what actually happened.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash