Age

 

Does it all come down to this?

A daily crossword, an unchecked list

A wish, a kiss and curtain open morning

A body struggling to move, to sit

Without the pain of feeling it.

The struggle dragging on your sock

And watching seconds pass on mantle clock

A life well lived becomes a yawning

As drooping eyes and sagging jaw

Become the life which once was so much more.

The carpet sweeper stands corroded by

And biscuit tin or zimmer frame

Became the props that strut your day

As deeper in the tunnel you disappear,

Face each day the struggle and the fear

Of age, aches and all your life is here,

By lapping fire and soothed by radio four.

Another cup of tea you pour and sip and nod

Your last days away. But say how are you today?

The heart is still so strong though legs are gone

And eyes cry out with pain and every day’s the same.

The inner you is still so clearly there although

So curtained, dimly glows the flame, but you remain

And can and will and shall come again in slow

And cushioned love no matter that you go.

When time has come it may slip by so fast,

But these last months and years give time to dry

Our tears but also smile as all the while

We remember, cherish, value you and all your ways

And care for you in these last golden autumn days.

 

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