Eliana Beam uses irreverence and comic relief to convey to her readers the subtle losses endured with blindness and aging.  You'll find yourself chuckling out loud as each verse delivers a closing punch line.  Her lyrical verses are salted with an edge of attitude.  Beam is pissed off, because she's lost her central vision along with a lot of other precious things like her memory, friends, driver’s license, and four inches in height.

But one thing she hasn’t lost is her sharp mind.  These verses were written in 2006 at age 90.  In spite of clouded vision and a weak heart, she's learned to live to the limit with her magnifying glass, talking books, and sharp wit.  She rants about “child-proof” safety caps, shrink wrap, automated phone messages, and customer service call centers outsourced to India.  You'll smile, you'll sigh, and you'll resolve to live your own life more fully and be kinder to your elders.

If you are in that fastest growing "aging" segment of the population, this book will make a perfect gift to your children and caregivers to sensitize them to the everyday physical challenges you face.   It is sure to evoke meaningful discussions about the issues you are confronting as your health declines.  You are not alone in your grievances, from people who mumble to technology that bewilders you.

Beam's light verses on serious subjects are autobiographical, opening with My Headless Hostess, about macular degeneration which afflicts 13 million Americans.  In an excerpt from Bird Watching, she writes:

These chaotic words are less about birds
Than my eyesight.  You know what I mean?
My loss is like missing the magic of kissing
At the tender age of sixteen.

Her rhymed and metered verses are filled with metaphors that elicit poignant emotions.  In House for Sale, she laments:

When you can't drive anymore and can't get to the store,
That's when your kids become warders.
Your kids, hard as stone, say, "You can't live alone,"
And you -- well, you have to take orders.
You may weep, you may wail, but the sign says "For Sale."
You're about to be homeless, but cared for.
And so you adjust as all of us must
To that end that we seldom prepared for.

Lest you think she feels sorry for herself, her closing lines about selling her house sums up Beam's approach to aging: 

With roles in reverse, you forfeit your purse
And try not to be a boo-hooer.

The verses are supplemented with information and Web site links on blindness, hearing loss, dementia, osteoporosis, incontinence,  elder care, and more.  If you are a caregiver, you'll find this book packed with useful resource information.  Whether you are visually impaired or not, you'll enjoy listening to her verses and the song Eliana, recorded on the CD at the back of the book.

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 Sample poems from Old, Blind, and Pissed Off:

• Disclaimer
• My Headless Hostess
• Who Are You?
• What Was I Thinking?
• House for Sale

Sample links to information on blindness, aging, and elder care

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