Went with the Wind: Flatulence after Fifty by John RC Potter

John RC Potter is an international educator from Canada who lives in Istanbul. He is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, a member of the League of Canadian Poets and the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and has published more than 450 pieces of poetry and prose. His gay-themed children’s picture book is scheduled for publication in the UK in November 2026. He is on X at @PotterRc9391 and Bluesky at @johnrcpotter.bsky.social. More of his work is at johnrcpotterauthor.com, and more poetry from The Feedsack is here.

Went with the Wind: Flatulence after Fifty

The passage of time as we soldier on,
signposts on the path of our lives;
whilst this journey flickers and unfolds,
like an old film in black-and-white:
Retro and vintage, a personal panorama.

After childhood are The Troubled Teens,
when our emotions and hormones
are on display and all over the map;
first loves, unbridled lust, trying our wings:
Chomping at the bit, lost in the drama.

With a bang we enter The Roaring Twenties,
entailing college or work; maybe even both.
Living one’s life on the edge, taking chances.
Life in the fast lane…Destination, Anywhere:
Like 3-D set pieces within a new-age diorama.

The next decade is The Thrilling Thirties,
careers flourishing, relationships too;
delightful dreams, and high hopes;
thinking one can live on forever:
Striving for the gold and glamourama.

In a flash comes The Fabulous Forties,
when working still gives much joy;
feeling settled, one’s life established,
living to the fullest, full speed ahead:
Characters caught up in a cyclorama.

Alas, arrives The Flatulatory Fifties,
signifying all that lies ahead of us;
over the peak, down the mountain,
with bladder issues and passing gas:
Trucking on despite all that trauma.

The moments become more precious then,
when the yardstick of one’s life shortens;
the winding path that once wandered,
now shows birds against the setting sun:
Each of us becomes our own Dalai Lama.