Praises are sung of the rosebud faces of youth
but little is said about a face with lifelines.
The bold reds of former years
have given way to silvery hair
that surrounds her face like in a cloud of wisdom.
Her lips have narrowed and lost their fullness,
but they speak truthfully,
having little to hide.
Sorrow and joy are furrowed into her cheeks,
crisscrossing them like a plowed field.
And her eyes! What have they not seen?
These sea-colored globes quiver
with her soul’s struggles and triumphs.
Her face no longer gleams with innocence and wonder
but with a refined radiance
born of life’s hard-won experiences.