Memento Mori (adapted from photograph of Grim Reaper sculpture at Shelburne Museum)

I noticed today the loosely wrinkled skin
On legs and arms, no defect, no disease
But simply signs of time, the body’s decrease
Of power and of repair as these begin
The ultimate indications of old age.
~ A.D. Hope (“Memento Mori” via Australian Poetry Library)

I return again to memento mori, not to wax morose or moribund but to remind myself to laugh and dance and take nervous risks and strain toward lofty dreams. The shadow knows…