Like the light switch in the bathroom
I am on when I awake
The soldier I must have been in a past life rises,
Finds her feet in seconds and stands alert, weapon drawn
Ready to do battle, clear eyed and invincible.
The stranger in the mirror startles me
A woman no longer young tries to stare me down.
I pretend indifference, a calm I do not feel.
The echos of many voices come to me saying,
No, it’s only a number.
I would never have guessed your age.
I smile and pat the taunt flesh of their cheek or arm,
Thank them for the compliment,
but inside I am thinking,
Good, then trade with me, just for today.
