Straight up is how I'm supposed to pull
the weight from the floor, how my arms
are supposed to push the dumbbells up
and away above my shoulders— a clean
line, says the trainer: work the deltoids, engage
the back muscles, tighten the glutes and core.
What I've heard about people growing older— taking
a fall, breaking a wrist, a knee, a hip— isn't mainly what
drove me here; I don't suddenly want to run a marathon,
hike the Pyrenees, or swim the English Channel. I just want
the strength to pull my trash bins to the curb, heft
grocery bags without stumbling; look forward
to walking around foreign cities I've always wanted to visit:
nipping in and out of museums, bookstores, and coffee-
shops; falling into bed after a whole day of exploring, then
waking up in a body excited at the prospect of doing it again.
Purveyors of fine poetry since 2003.
