HELLO, ole man, you’re a-gittin’ gray,
An’ it beats ole Ned to see the way
‘At the crow’s feet’s a-getherin’ aroun’ yore eyes;
Tho’ it oughtn’t to cause me no su’prise,
Fur there’s many a sun ‘at you’ve seen rise
An’ many a one you’ve seen go down
Sence yore step was light an’ yore hair was brown,
An’ storms an’ snows have had their way-
Hello, ole man, you’re a-gittin’ gray.
Hello, ole man, you’re a-gittin’ gray,
An’ the youthful pranks ‘at you used to play
Are dreams of a far past long ago
That lie in a heart where the fires burn low-
That has lost the flame though it kept the glow,
An’ spite of drivin’ snow an’ storm,
Beats bravely on forever warm.
December holds the place of May-
Hello, ole man, you’re a-gittin’ gray.
Hello, ole man, you’re a-gittin’ gray –
Who cares what the carpin’ youngsters say?
For, after all, when the tale is told,
Love proves if a man is young or old!
Old age can’t make the heart grow cold
When it does the will of an honest mind;
When it beats with love fur all mankind;
Then the night but leads to a fairer day-
Hello, ole man, you’re a-gittin’ gray!
(Paul Laurence Dunbar)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Man Poems, Night Poems, Mind Poems, Place Poems, Hair Poems, Mankind Poems, Honesty & Integrity PoemsBased on Keywords: prise, a-gittin, oughtn