Creeping Gray

By Andrew R. Duckworth

There is pepper in my beard,
And it didn’t get there
Through the dinner table.
Streaks of white have creeped
Up on my scalp.
I’ve heard it before-
Stress and old age.
I’m thirty five.
My father has a head of white.
Sometimes I want to dye my hair.
Other times, I’m ready to embrace
What is coming-
The hair that comes through
Experience and wisdom.