Don’t collect ceramic birds and other signs of old age

Don’t collect ceramic birds,
whether doves, cardinals or hummingbirds
to display on every bookcase and corner table,
nor collect silver spoons to display on wooden cases.
In spite of the modern book collection, showing
you have the time to be well read, your house
shows all the signs of “old person”, the array
of family portraits, all taken in Sears portrait shops,
little boys dressed in blue and girls in pink,
all rosy cheeked, the blushing brides in white,
the families, all lined up in Sunday’s best.
The furniture has no style, the pictures are
faded landscapes from fifty years ago, even
then of poor quality, the bedroom “sets” are
painted white with lots of floral pillowcases
and matching shams.
The house smells of cabbage soup and
fragrance of “old person” that no one can define,
but everyone recognizes.
Let us all age gracefully, but please help me keep
a home where one does not arrive and say
“oh, an old person lives here”.