<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Becoming Old<div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Like leaves in autumn<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">The days fall off the tree of my life.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Bright, some — dull-colored, others,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Which makes the brilliants shine.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""><font class=""><span class=""> </span></font></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">All precious, gathering speed,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">While I valiantly try to slow,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Never quite fast enough,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Never quite succeeding.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class=""> </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">One day, closer, closer, my tree<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Will be bare, the branches bony,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">No longer dressed in anything<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">But the memories of my folly,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">And those few bright moments that<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class="">Make it all worthwhile.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""><font class=""><span class=""> </span></font></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class=""><span class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Alexandra Hart<o:p class=""></o:p></span></font></p></div><div><font face="Tekton Pro" class=""><b class=""><br></b></font></div></body></html>