In the twilight hours 
in the life of a man 
when the spirit sours 
as it must,  'cause it can 
there comes realisation 
of the yin and the yang 
and the urgent sensation 
that the song that he sang 
through the decades of strife 
and the nights full of bliss 
when the meaning of life 
was enshrined in a kiss 
as he looks to the past 
to a million decisions 
and to those who were cast 
in odd roles  without vision. 
And he takes a deep breath 
as the  brilliance sinks in 
that the sight of one's death 
and the Reaper's sly grin 
wakes the force  of a need  
to convey to the masses 
that the truth shows indeed   
we are ignorant asses 
though we think that we know 
as we strut our stuff 
and proceed with the flow 
always clever and tough. 
But the youngsters are like 
all ignorant fools 
as they say 'take a hike',  
and embrace their dumb rules 
seeing war as exciting 
have no concept of love 
act as if constant fighting 
was ordained from above. 
Of the three score and ten 
only five are enlightened 
though this talks about men 
as in women a heightened 
sense of softness resides. 
Let us look at a mother 
she's a woman who  hides 
not her love for another 
she will patch up and mend 
and at night fluff your pillow 
she will walk as your friend 
to the lovely old willow. 
So, the gist of the thought 
of my own twilight years 
is that those who have fought 
the occasional tears 
over all the missed chances 
and all the spilled hate,  
over silly old dances 
and pathetic debate 
will have learned that a mother 
is the one who will say 
'please be kind to each other,  
 let your world be okay.'
Herbert Nehrlich
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/twilight-thoughts/