They say, as you get older, you become invisible
That you no longer matter. That youre simply in the way.
They say it with such chill in their voices that it stings
as if fading from sight is part of the contract of growing old.
As if youre expected to slip quietly into a corner
to become little more than furniture in the room
silent, motionless, out of mind.
But I was never made for the corners.
I wont ask for permission just to exist.
I wont hush my voice so I dont trouble anyone.
I was not put on this earth to become a shadow of myself,
nor will I shrink so others can feel at ease.
No, gentlemen.
At this agewhen many simply wait for me to fade away
I choose, instead, to blaze.
I do not hide my wrinkles.
I wear them with pride.
Each one is a signature of my life
proof I have loved, I have laughed, I have wept, I have endured.
I refuse to stop being a woman,
just because I no longer fit in societys neat boxes,
or because my bones are done with high heels.
I am still desire.
I am still creativity.
I am still freedom.
And if that unsettles you
all the better.
I am not ashamed of my silver hair.
Id only be ashamed if I had not lived long enough to earn it.
I do not dim.
I will not surrender.
And I am not stepping off this stage.
I still dream.
I still laugh out loud.
I still dancejust as I am able.
I still call up to the sky, letting the world know theres more I must say.
I am not a memory.
I am presence.
I am a steady flame.
I am a living soul.
A woman with scars
one who no longer needs emotional crutches.
A woman who needs no ones gaze to know her strength.
So do not call me poor thing.
Do not dismiss me, just because I am older.
Call me bold.
Call me strong.
Say my name
clearly and with your glass raised.
Call me Grace.
And let it be known:
I am still here
upright, with a spirit that burns bright.











