Living in Reverse - A Backward Biography

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What if life ran in reverse? Imagine wrinkles vanishing, burdens untying, and growing lighter with every step. This whimsical tale turns the ordinary timeline upside down, showing us a world where endings become beginnings and every goodbye is really a hello.

I collaborated with ChatGPT 5, to put this tale together.

I come up with silly ideas, it produces a tale. I continued to collaborate and sometimes, send the outcome back to jail. Eventually, we both agree this final result is the best it can be. I Hope YOU agree!

Living in Reverse - A Backward Biography

You begin at the end, with hair snowy white,

Your steps slow and shaky, your grip not so tight.

The world sees you old, but you secretly grin—

For you know what’s coming, your youth tucked within.

Soon you abandon your cane and your chair,

Your back straightens up, less silver in hair.

Doctors’ appointments all vanish from view,

Your medicine cabinet empties out too.

Retirement parties now fade in the mist,

The boss says goodbye, you don’t even resist.

Your mortgage is gone, the house sells with ease,

You pocket the cash without paying the fees.

Taxes get smaller, your pension is spent,

Till one magic day—poof!—they owe you a cent.

Responsibilities all start to unwind,

The clock ticks backwards, relieving your mind.

Your kids grow younger, they giggle, then crawl,

They hand you advice—then no wisdom at all.

They vanish to playgrounds, to slides and to swings,

Till one day you’re childless (imagine the things!).

Your spouse grows more vibrant, more youthful, more bold,

The wrinkles reverse, and no one feels old.

You fall out of love in the gentlest way,

With nothing but fondness that softens the day.

Middle age passes in triumph and cheer,

Your belt fits just right, you’ve shed twenty years.

The sports car you bought in a panic now goes,

Replaced by a bicycle, simpler in prose.

Your nine-to-five melts into college again,

Except you’re much smarter than most of your friends.

You study for fun, you dance without care,

Your future’s a blank, no loans to compare.

High school is next, but without the teen gloom,

Acne runs backward, it clears up the room.

Awkward first kisses become shy goodbyes,

You hand in your heartbreaks for sparkling eyes.

Then back to the playground where slides are a thrill,

Your biggest concern is who hogs the swing still.

Naps are a blessing, not battles to fight,

Cookies and cartoons make everything right.

Now back to your toddler years, pure and wild—

You scribble on walls, a mischievous child.

You babble in joy, then you coo, then you hum,

Your vocabulary dwindles to “Mama” and “Mum.”

At last, you return to a cradle so small,

Rocked gently to sleep, no worries at all.

Your universe shrinks to a lullaby’s tune,

Warmth in the morning, stars in the noon.

And finally, back to the place you began,

Before the world shaped you as woman or man.

A spark in the dark, a whisper, a cheer—

The story un-written, the slate crystal clear.