Standing before the mirror, an elderly woman speaks to herself… I stand before the mirror and ask myself… Why have you changed like this? Why do my hands refuse to obey me now… Why do my legs plead with me not to stand for long… The strands of hair on my head seem to ask, Why don’t you care for me like before… The clothes neatly arranged in the cupboard seem to smile and ask, What happened… why don’t you choose and wear us anymore… The stomach that could digest anything, Why does it now refuse even simple food like idli… The body that once sat comfortably on the floor listening to stories, Why does it now search for a chair… The eyes that once challenged the brightness, Why do they now seek the comfort of darkness… The heart that longed for relationships, Why does it now prefer solitude… The once courageous heart, Why has it become so fragile… The tongue that relished spicy and sweet delicacies, Why does it now refuse to taste them… The hands that once worked like a spinning top, finishing tasks in no time, Why do they now move so slowly… The lips that always said “I am fine” to everyone who asked, Why do they now say, “I am just somehow managing”… Everything that once felt joyful, Why does it now feel exhausting… Journeys that once felt pleasant, Why do they now feel like a burden… The children I raised with love, Why do they now seem to have cast me aside… The eyes that once refused to sleep, Why do they now beg for rest… Why is there a tremor in the hands that once held strength… Why does the heart that beat steadily now flutter with unease… Why this forgetfulness… Why these pains… For all these questions, the single strand of grey hair that fell on my face whispered the answer: “Old age .... #life — Savittri Raju💐