Some Tips For the New Silver Sneakers Instructor
Leah Mueller
Put a group of elders
in a room with a massive tub
filled with rubber balls,
and invite them to play.
They will comply
within seconds, glad
for the break in routine.
Watch them throw
the balls to each other,
while one of the guys
shakes his hips to jazz.
The elders will play
the whole hour
if you let them:
tossing balls
back and forth,
running around
the room in circles.
At the end of the game,
you’ll need to tell them
to return the balls
to the container.
They will comply,
but they won’t be
happy about it.
When noon comes,
they’ll have to return
to being old, and no one
looks forward to that.
The elders will
show you their scars,
detail their operations,
recite a long litany
of body parts, removed
for one reason or another.
They will thank you
for teaching them yoga.
They will cover
their bodies with hats
and jackets, then leave:
stoic, fortified for traffic.
You’ll scoop up the
debris of class,
return everything
to its proper container.
The rubber balls lie inert
in piles, securely covered
until the next time
the elders come to play.
