curb

some persons feel

deep discomfort

at change

or unsettling disorientation

with lack of foundation

when confronted by

the irreconcilable

right is white, divinely given

anything else must be

wrong and therefore evil

without realizing they are

trying to restrain

vast spirit within their own

limitations

elder humor

deep, wrinkled crevasses

beside her mouth

spell out her age

in decipherable hieroglyphs

but her sense of humor

stays young, biting and fun

challenging those who can see her

as a person rather than merely

an old woman

summit Mt. St. Helens

eight-year-old Adelaide
smiles atop the mountain
she had just conquered
proud father and grandfather
grinning at her
reveling in her grit and determination