Will I Hum Along?

You reap what you sow

But the reverse is true, too

You sow what you've reaped

For nothing is new

*

I think of old age

In my reaping and sowing

Which kernels will keep bursting

While my memory’s slowing?

*

When you show me a photo

Or play me a song

Will my eyes light up?

Will I hum along?

*

In my first 40 years

I’ve done good-and-bad sowing

I harvest each day

But my field’s ever-growing

*

There are sweet recollections

That fill and color my cup

And foul, rotten roots

That run too deep to dig up

*

So, when my old mind flickers weakly

Will it locate its joys?

Or be pulled down dark paths

And get lost in the noise