The Friday poem: ‘But when?’ by Rachel McAlpine
Getty Images
New verse by Wellington writer Rachel McAlpine.
But when?
Most of us are afraid
of a slow fade,
a late grave.
Most of us equate old age
with panic and despair
and things we could not bear.
We say, Not us! No way!
We want to be hit by a bus.
… But when?
Most of us blaze through middle age.
Much later, we mellow.
Less yellow. More grey.
And later still, we fade.
Then death is subtle
and dying is wise.
I asked my sister, When
will I be ready to die?
She answered, When you die.
Rachel McAlpine, 2018
The Spinoff Review of Books is proudly brought to you by Unity Books.
Rachel McAlpine
Rachel McAlpine lives and writes in Wellington. Her first book of poems was Lament for Ariadne, published in 1975, International Women’s Year. For the last 25 years she has been otherwise engaged, but her ninth collection is scheduled for next year. Rachel was born in Fairlie in 1940.
