Decollette

I suppose you could say
these wrinkles on my chest
at 37
are from too much fun in the sun
too many late drunken nights
in my youth
too many cigarettes

but they are over my heart
and where some tears fell
down

they tell a story about me
the story that
I like to sleep on my side
like a baby at night
sighing with happiness
in the comfort of my bed
after a long day

that I lived my life to
the fullest
even if it wasn’t always the best

If I could go back to my
20 something self and say
you better use sun screen
cause you will look haggard
when you get older
you better not spend
time in the “sun”
because you’ll pay for it later

she would say, why not live today
why waste your youth
worrying about what you will
look like in middle age
that is no life

so I am tired of fighting them
I will embrace them
as sacred
as a book without words
containing the lines
of the story of me
and they are beautiful
they mean
that I have lived
and lived to the fullest

~Jenny