The Face of Youth

It is with great pleasure and thanks that we present a poem by Carrie Giffoni. It is a poignant message to the next generation that how we live our lives has consequences.

The Face of Youth

By Carrie Giffoni October 17, 2011

I look through old pictures…Ah…youth is divine!

Skin that is flawless, eyes that sparkle and shine.

What happened to the face of “not so long ago”?

    It was youthful… seemed ageless and had such a glow.                                     

I look in the mirror and what do I see?

A face so much older…a stranger to me.

 

Could yesterday’s face look better right now?

If I’d changed my lifestyle, back then, somehow.

Did I smoke, or drink…did I do that and more;

Ingest many toxins that rotted my core?

Did I stress over things that I should have let go

That caused these wrinkles to flourish and grow?

 

Did I hold any heartache or hatred inside?

When confronted with conflicts, did I run and hide?

Did I love in all the ways, I felt that I “should”?

Did I dabble in evil or more in what’s good?

When I saw someone wronged, did I stand up for right?

Did I get enough sleep, or did I party most nights?

 

 Age catches up no matter what, come what may…

But we hasten its pace by what we think, do and say.

So, take heed young people while you’re still in your prime!

To neglect mind and body is an unforgivable crime!

Think hard before you “do” and mind what you “say”.

Care for mind, body, and spirit or you’ll surely pay.

With premature aging you unknowingly selected

That confronts you in the mirror when least expected.

***

11 thoughts on “The Face of Youth”

  1. I, along with most women who have “achieved my level of maturity”, can really relate to this insightful poem. It’s true that when young we tend to feel bulletproof & not look much past our next vacation, paycheck, party, etc. If at that age we could be more farsighted, I think we may make some different choices. The thing that strikes me most disparate is that how we feel on the inside rarely matches that face in the mirror. My plan is to cling to my inner youth & not spend as much time looking at my aging reflection:-)

    1. Hi Vi.
      I remember a conversation I
      had, at the age of 31. with one of my good friends. She was only 19 years old. We were in the car waiting for our husbands to return from getting gas. I looked in the rear view mirror
      and saw a few of those dreaded lines around my eyes and made a comment about them to her. I said…”well, we’d better really start working on the “inside” because the
      “outside” isn’t going to last forever.” Little did I know how true that statement was!
      Thanks for your insight, which is thought provoking.

  2. WOW! I REALLY LIKE THAT ONE AND IT MADE ME LAUGH OUTLOUD ,WHICH I THINK IS MEDICINE THAT KEEPS US YOUNG, THIS POME SHOULD BE PLACED IN ALL HIGH SCHOOLS FOR OUR CHILDREN AND THE WORLD THAT TODAY HAS SO MANY BAD THINGS IN THEIR REACH.
    I THINK THE WORDS OF MRS. GIFFONI COULD OPEN QUITE A FEW EYES AND MINDS.

    1. Thanks so much for your feedback on my poem MZCHANGE. It is very much appreciated.

  3. So much truth in these verses. True peace in your heart reveals we have truly cultivated each wrinkle with each individual choice we make. Take care if your body, be kind, compassionate & empathetic. Mind what you say & do because it will reflect back from your mirror one day.

    1. As you know, I agree with your comments in response to my poem. Thank you so much for your positive feedback! ?

      1. I forgot to mention your name in this last message Cheryl. Sorry about that and thanks again for your response.

  4. I don’t feel old until I look in the mirror and wonder about what time has done to me. My friend calls the wrinkles battle scars. I agree

    1. I understand what you are saying
      Eileen! Some of those lines are, indeed battle scars from just taking on life, however some are actually from laughing a lot or simply from smiling.
      As I wrote in my poem; I think many of the lines etched into our faces are from things we would have done differently had we realized then what we know now:
      The sun is only our friend if we bask in it moderatly.
      Forgiveness releases us from the bondages of negativity.
      Fast food is not healthy food.
      Love conquers “almost” everything.
      Around 78% of the things we worry about never come to fruition and worry never changed anything except for our stress levels.
      The list goes on and on.
      Thank you for your feedback. It is appreciated.

  5. Good morning, how true this poem is – when we are younger, we never seem to think of how it will be 50 years down the road – when I look at my face in the mirror, and see all the wrinkles, even with powder, etc., I wonder where they came from, but then when I remember having gone from Nazi Germany, to Bolivia, lived there for 12 years, struggling to make a living, waiting for my parents to find their friends who had moved to Ohio, to sponsor us, as everybody in those days, needed a sponsor, then finally coming to the U.S., taking classes to become a naturalized citizen, which was one of the proudest days of my life, then marrying a man who was Bi-Polar which was brought out by the Korean situation, then, all I can say is – treasure your youth, and enjoy every day that G-d has given you, and now that you are older, you can be proud of all those wrinkles in your face, with or without powder, you earned them. Ursula

    1. Hi Ursula.
      Thanks so much for sharing a synopsys about your life. No one can possibly comprehend what you went through in your earlier years of life but you. I can’t imagine!
      Your story definitely touched my heart. I can only say that I am so glad you made it here to this amazing country! I hope that once you were here in the USA your life became something entirely different and that many of those lines were born from smiling and laughing.
      God Bless You.

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