At his door I rang the bell
then rang again so he could hear
I saw his form across the room
He cautiously walked near
He fumbled with the lock
and with a smile he let me in
I set his meal down on the counter,
asking how he'd been
Just like every week he said,
"Well, I'm still here, you know
But seems I get a bit more weak
and increasingly slow!"
He laughed and shook his head
and rubbed his hands through sparse, white hair
He started coughing, reached out
for support, leaned on a chair
And then I saw his eyes
and knew his sadness, grief, and pain
Through the milky film of cataracts
his tears fell unrestrained
He told me of the road trips
and adventures with his wife
She had died the year before
It seemed another life
A convertible of royal blue
was never long in park
They'd jump inside and drive for miles
to Vegas for a lark
"Nowadays I cannot see
to drive it down the street
so it sits right there in my garage-
idle, empty, neat
I apologize for my complaints
I know that youth can't last
But never did I think that I
would get so old so fast."
submitted for Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, Wed. With Peggy, It's In the Eyes
*
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen
8 comments:
Me either!
what a story...how sad too...i am glad they loved life while they could...and ack, i hope it holds off on me a bit...
too damn fast. guess I wasn't paying enough attention during the ride.... ~
you know I paid attention, I looked around, I felt and smelled, I sang and cried, but none of this slowed the time and so here I am, in the midst of aging frailty reminding me every moment of the distant future comes to fast.
yes, mi amiga, enjoyed your portrayal in this piece because I saw it in my mother, seeing it in my in laws, now see it in the mirror.
I'm trying so hard to embrace the moment
My mother often tells me "don't get old". She just hasn't told me how to not get old.
Such a personal story, which carries all the weight of a cautionary tale.
I like the way you told a story here--his story as well as a glimpse into your life, and a kind of universal story too. You always have such neat mouse photos on you blog, too, that I enjoy.
But never did I think that I
would get so old so fast.
Certain scenarios tend to make things stressful and that can get on the nerves! Nicely Lola!
Hank
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