It’s very hard for my friend to age
she has been beautiful for so long.
Holds up a picture of herself taken years ago,
asks me if she still looks the same.
You look lovely now,
I say avoiding the dreaded words: for your age.
I understand her plight,
when she flashes her eyelids to men half her age,
who look alarmed,
my heart cries for her.
It’s difficult to age for one who has been beautiful for so long.