'Decade of Decline'

‘Decade of Decline, Blues at Seventy Six’

A doctor friend told me,
at seventy decline quickens,
some disease may kill me
Many diseases will sicken

organs will betray us,
everything goes downhill,
ailments will prey on us
we will add pill after pill

nurses, aides and phlebotomists
will try to be kind to us
while they check our vitals,
endure organ recitals,
and inflict little pains
pricking our veins.

We’ll reluctantly meet new physicians,
our dysfunctional organs, they’ll inspect,
while we adopt various positions
not knowing what to expect.

The whole truth of course is
old users of medical resources
are ever more deeply enmeshed
in the medical services net.

In senectitude there is no immunity
to joining this final community
-GL

CODA:
So we will know them all,
the mornings, evenings, afternoons,
we will measure out our lives
in doctor’s waiting rooms.