Area 51. <br />Unites State Secret. <br />UFO's <br />And who knows <br />What: <br />Ion-drives, anti-gravity propulsion <br />Ray guns and Martians in cryogenic suspension. <br /> <br />Age 51 in an hour from now – <br />Two if I count by GMT <br />And not where I happen to be, <br />Rather than by this Wehrmacht grey, teutonic timepiece, <br />Synchronised with clinical efficiency <br />To an atomic clock <br />That loses barely a millisecond in a million years... <br />Unless someone pulls the plug out, that is, <br />Like that Stateside hospital cleaner <br />Who couldn't find a socket, <br />So she unplugged intensive care machinery <br />[albeit temporarily] <br />Diligently hoovered <br />And dutifully re-plugged <br />Before leaving the room both <br />Spotless <br />And, sadly, <br />Lifeless. <br /> <br />Countdown academic. <br />Slipped away and fell asleep <br />Well before the 'witching hour' - <br />Woke to find myself 50 no more. <br /> <br />51's a strange age though: <br />At 35 you feel too young <br />To be half way through the three-score and ten. <br />51, <br />However, <br />Tells a different tale – <br />Over the 'hump' and heading <br />Slowly down the slow-but-sure slide. <br />Paradoxically I feel the younger for the latter years: <br />More alive to life and free of fears.<br /><br />Tony Jolley<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/younger-for-the-latter-years/
