{"id":277,"date":"2024-12-04T06:38:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T06:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/?p=277"},"modified":"2024-12-04T06:45:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T06:45:55","slug":"a-geriatric-manifesto-by-richard-weigand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/04\/a-geriatric-manifesto-by-richard-weigand\/","title":{"rendered":"A Geriatric Manifesto-by Richard Weigand"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Geriatric Manifesto<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The mirror whispers of years gone by,<\/em>
\nOf creased foreheads, and clouds in the eye.<\/em>
\nThe hands that once built dreams with speed,<\/em>
\nNow tremble, but still hold the seed.<\/em>
\nThe seed of freedom, a stubborn flame,<\/em>
\nBurning bright, despite the name\u2014<\/em>
\n\u201cElderly,\u201d they call me now,<\/em>
\nYet I press on, furrowed brow.<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

The spine may ache, the memory stray,<\/em>
\nThe joints may groan, at the start of the day.<\/em>
\nBut dreams don\u2019t age, and neither does will\u2014<\/em>
\nThe heart\u2019s a rebel, defying the still.<\/em>
\nI\u2019ve sat in this chair, back stiff, eyes sore,<\/em>
\nPouring through knowledge, craving more.<\/em>
\nThe world\u2019s a puzzle, the pieces vast,<\/em>
\nAnd though I tire, I\u2019ll make them last.<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

The new age laughs with its shiny walls,<\/em>
\nIts barriers rise, its system calls:<\/em>
\n\u201cToo slow, too old, this is not your fight\u2014<\/em>
\nGive up your dreams, give in to the night.\u201d<\/em>
\nBut I answer back with a raspy roar,<\/em>
\n\u201cI\u2019ve walked through storms, I\u2019ve seen the war.<\/em>
\nYou think a wall can turn me around?<\/em>
\nWatch me climb; watch me rebound.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

Yes, it\u2019s hard\u2014oh, don\u2019t I know,<\/em>
\nThe body weakens, the progress slow.<\/em>
\nThe words on the page blur and fight,<\/em>
\nThe hours drag into the night.<\/em>
\nBut failing\u2019s not what scares me most,<\/em>
\nNor the thought of my final ghost.<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s quitting, surrendering, laying down\u2014<\/em>
\nTo wear the weight of a coward\u2019s crown.<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

So don\u2019t count me out; I\u2019m not done yet,<\/em>
\nI\u2019ve miles to go, and dreams to be met.<\/em>
\nThe end will come, that much is true,<\/em>
\nBut until it does, I\u2019ve work to do.<\/em>
\nI\u2019ll stand with the aged, the broken, the scarred,<\/em>
\nWith hearts like mine\u2014unyielding, hard.<\/em>
\nFor freedom\u2019s a song I\u2019ve yet to sing,<\/em>
\nAnd the echo of hope is a mighty thing.<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

So let the young laugh, and let the world spin,<\/em>
\nI\u2019ll fight to the last breath within.<\/em>
\nAnd when I fall, don\u2019t mourn or cry\u2014<\/em>
\nI lived, I fought, I reached for the sky.<\/em>
\nFor the only way to fail, my friend,<\/em>
\nIs to quit before the very end.<\/em>
\nAnd that\u2019s not me\u2014not my story, not now,<\/em>
\nI\u2019ll face the future, wrinkled brow.<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

This is my anthem, my creed, my vow:<\/em>
\n\u201cI ain\u2019t quittin\u2019\u2014not ever, not now!\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

Richard Weigand<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

1 December, 2024<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Geriatric Manifesto   The mirror whispers of years gone by, Of creased foreheads, and clouds in the eye. The hands that once built dreams with speed, Now tremble, but still hold the seed. The seed of freedom, a stubborn flame, Burning bright, despite the name\u2014 \u201cElderly,\u201d they call me now, Yet I press on, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,16],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-page-blog","category-poetry","tag-inspirational"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295,"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277\/revisions\/295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/counteringculturaldestruction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}