Like cheese, like wine

You haven't aged a day! 

Is a compliment, a thing 

People throw around like a 

Rose straight to the face. 

I want to say, instead,

I like the way you've aged,

The way your lines have fallen in pleasant places:

Starburst rivulets of laughter and determination

Graven and grooved into skin;

Eyes that carry the burden and light 

Of slow-earned wisdom;

Arms that have known the ache of emptiness and have offered the comfort of silence.

You carry the weight of your years like someone who has walked long

Learning to discard the things that don't matter

And to weigh the value of what does.

Does your hair glint, lighter than it used to be?

So, too, does your readiness to laugh 

And cry.

We are older, and I am so glad.

I like the way you've aged.