.
i’ve come to accept
that i’m old
i’m not 68 years young
i enjoy Senior Citizen benefits
discounts and meal portions
but i’m not a member of some Golden Age club
whose members spend their days
playing cards
or sitting in deck chairs
on a Florida beach
.
i’m not retired
that will only come
when i’m too feeble
(mentally and physical)
to be compensated
for anything worthwhile
my body
(skin, organs and joints)
is wearing out — nothing drastic
that medication won’t attenuate
inevitable
.
statistics indicate
that i can expect to see
twelve more years
hopefully, enough time
to organize and donate
that for which i want to be remembered
and erase from my hard drive
those incriminating words
i wish to take to my grave.
for whatever ensues
bring it on
i’m ready
.
Dennis Cardiff: Poems and Prose 
Leave a comment