Generational Trade-Off by Helga Gruendler-Schierloh

My wilting hands are weaving

invisible threads into the fabric

of cherished, nostalgic patches   

gathering on the plateau of age.

My adult offspring are thriving,

specks of grey accenting their

still illuminous strands of hair

crowning their rapturous smiles.  

My grandchildren are growing,

mischievous sparks in their eyes,

their rapidly expanding minds

prying into the mysteries of life.

My thoughts are taking refuge

amidst rich, treasured insights,

my eyes trained on the mirror,

shunning any echoes of youth. 

---

Helga Gruendler-Schierloh is a bilingual writer with a degree in journalism and graduate credit in linguistics. Her essays, short stories and poetry have appeared in the USA, the UK, and Canada. Her debut novel, "Burying Leo," a #MeToo story released in 2017, won second place in women's fiction during Pen Craft Awards' 2018 writing contest.