everyone
looks younger
in love.
we haven’t been
there much,
lately. i count
crows
feet around
your coronaries,
the hard-ish wrinkles
over my veins.
we need more red,
re-awakened
part-sun days,
thornless. river-
mud between
our toes, not
rose but rust-gold
long(ing)-
fingered lenses
through which
all the world
seems wetter and
better for it,
like spring,
like summer
in a mirror
in a cabin
on a side street
by the ocean, yes.
everyone
looks younger
in love.
the tenth muse 
I really enjoyed this poem and the theme of “everyone looks younger in love.”..very true.
thanks, sl. it is a curious phenomenon. smiles.
this is lovely, still sad, but with a touch of turning a corner, slightly, maybe like a subtle shift of weight on a bicycle or a knee on the steering wheel. I love the colors, the mirror, and the pacing, the lines and triplets
thank you, Ray. i hope it is turning a corner indeed
Wow…so beautiful Joanna. Made me a bit weepy! I love seeing what you see. Thank you 🙏
aww, thank YOU, Eva!
smiles…lovely verse joanna…there is a lot of feeling bubbling just under the surface of it…the looking younger in love contrasted with the focus on the crows feet and wrinkles….ouch….
hey, thanks, brian. was trying to keep the “ouch” to a minimum. smiles.
I love this one, Joanna. I was talking about this general topic last night and couldn’t explain myself, but you’ve nailed it in a poem. Fabulous.
thanks, Carl. sounds like a good discussion. glad the piece was timely. 🙂
Technique-wise (and consider the ignoramus source), I like the brevity, the economy of each line. Yes, everyone looks younger in love because they’re happy. So how do you explain my weary eyes, the dark circles underneath and the girth flopping over my belt? I’m in love too. I liked this very much, dr poetessa.
i’m glad you approve, Sir Mosk. i was especially hoping you’d take note of the more positive tone here. 🙂
Yes, I liked the positive tone, if I didn’t make that clear. I expect your next poem to include the phrase “Zippity Doo Dah” – if there’s a poet who can do it, it’s YOU! – moskaroo
Such lovely images… and it’s true. We do look younger (and lighter) in love… especially at its onset.
the goal should be to keep it that way! 🙂 thanks, Laurie.
Most definitely!
Truth well-spoken… er, written. The secret to looking young is to always be in love! The work involved with that–ay yi yi! But I so love when I see it written on the faces of an old couple, you know they had to fight hard to keep it. I want to be them.
You’re so right! We should all aspire to that, I think. *smiles*
Everyone does look younger when they are inlove 🙂 Lovely poem, Joanna.
thanks, lady! 🙂
Love your effective use of color here…a lovely, poignant write 🙂
thanks, jacquie!
Lovely poem… and it rings so very true…
Young love, red (as joy?)… old love, literally hardened… I really liked the contrast here.
Glad that I read this.
thanks so much, goldberry! 🙂
Just lovely. I love how you used color, short lines, and the “everyone looks younger in love” to begin it and end it. The way the message of the poem seems to be was fitting with that line of “younger in love” as if to say, “let’s go back to an earlier time” where we were “younger” and “more in love” then now.
thank you, Lila. i appreciate tremendously your thoughtful comment!
Very nice theme… I like the photo, too. Did you take it and process it?
Hi! Thanks. 🙂 Yes, I took it with a digital cam and then filtered in camera raw/photoshop.