Crossing the Border

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Crossing the Border

by Ogden Nash

Senescence begins
And middle-age ends
The day your descendants
Outnumber your friends.

______________________________

Ogden Nash is famous for his very short and very clever poetry. To help in the understanding of this piece, we need to know what “senescence” means. 

senescence

noun

1. The condition of growing old, or of decaying by time; decadence.
2. The state of growing old; decay by time.
3. The state or process of ageing, especially in humans; old age.

In four short lines, Nash’s thoughtful and introspective poem provides a specific benchmark for when old age has been reached. His conclusion seems to me, to be generally true, though perhaps not specifically so in all cases. Just as human beings begin life surrounded almost exclusively by family, they usually end life in the same way. The older one gets, the fewer friends that he or she has. The ties one has with those who are younger are usually ties with family, rather than non-family. 

I think some people could read this poem and come to realize they have prematurely crossed that border. If so, then maybe Nash is providing some motivation for some of his readers to go out and make friends while there is time to do so, and while one has a body that is able-enough to make the effort.