When I Retire

by Lorna Wood

I will live in a castle in the air,
high above the city 
(I will travel too, of course).

I will spend whole days writing poems
about the blue of the sky meeting
the blue of the lake.

I will read Proust in French
and learn Piazzola Tango Etudes
on the violin and tinker 
on the baby grand.

I will go to musicals,
symphonies, operas,
ballets, museums, and parks.

I will work out in fashionable clothes
and become slim and tall—

even though I am five foot one
and will also be cooking gourmet dishes 
in my marbled kitchen.

Bathing by candlelight in the jacuzzi,
my husband and I will fall 
in love all over again, though not 
when the maid is there.

I will get my hair done 
regularly, and tell anecdotes
about my stylist, using her first name, 

at fabulous parties I will throw
and attend, and I will get used 
to saying words like “fabulous.” 

When my old friends visit,
we will have nothing to talk about.

I will be distressed by homeless people.

My husband will get older, 
and gradually we will fall 
into our old routines.

Often I will wander around,
admiring the furniture.

Lorna Wood is a violinist and writer in Auburn, Alabama. A featured poet in the erbacce-prize contest, she is the author of the collection, The Great Garbage Patch (Alien Buddha Press). Her poetry has been published in the US, the UK, South Africa, India, and Australia. She has also published fiction, creative nonfiction, and scholarly essays. Find out more at https://www.amazon.com/author/lornawood.