If I must boast, I will boast
of the things that show my weakness.
I will flaunt my gammy knee
and its ability to forecast a heavy early mist.

I will brag of my swollen ankles
as examples of my tendency to slow and amble,
perhaps presenting this as a sign of maturity,
rather than my inability to hurry as I used to.

I will showcase my leg brace
as perhaps a sign of my Maker's kindness,
gifting me a thorn, lest I boast
in one of the great many talents
entrusted to me against His return.

I will display (with no little pride)
a profile characterised by a receding hair line
and a stoop suggesting the weight of decades,
letting the eye of the beholder perhaps assume
wisdom commensurate with my years.

If I must boast, and I surely should,
I will boast of the things acquired by age
and glory in these weaknesses
that cast me more fully on God’s good graces.

If I must boast, I will boast
in my God’s long faithfulness.