Choices made, events thrust upon me,

Life has been kind and cruel,

I made some great decisions, 

.. for an uninformed fool.

.

Met people – was cold, was kind,

Took some along, left others behind.

Each left their mark; scars, inspiration,

Your name is there, in the final citation.

.

Soared like a bird

Blundered and stumbled

Learned and grew,

Forgot and fumbled.

.

All adds up to a life

With its share of disasters,

Adventures offered –

Some failed, some mastered.

.

Fifty-four – is here, uninvited,

Paths cleared, overgrown, I’m calmly excited,

Each day is the first, frightening and gorgeous, 

Beyond each horizon, life stretches before us.

.

Windhoek

October 2020