Swan Song

My shoulder hurts when I vacuum

So, I bought a lighter machine

But then, my eyesight has softened

So, the dirt, it isn’t seen

 

My memory is a tad faulty

Out of sight is out of mind

So, my counters are covered with things

That I easily need to find

 

My back hurts to bend over

My knees ache to get up

But somehow, I still manage

To garden and walk the pup

 

Cooking is now a hated chore

Wasting precious moments of my life

So, I buy gadgets to make it faster

No more chopping with a knife

 

My nerves are frayed and brittle

The cat’s purr calms me down

I have to take the back roads

No busy freeways or crowded towns

 

I’ve embraced the double-chin

The saggy boobs and flabby arms

But the sudden sneeze or cough

Causes me much alarm

 

My heart is broken daily

And I cry a lot

But my soul is overflowing

With a joy that can’t be bought

 

My friends and family live hither and yon

Flowers and trees have taken their place

I hear their voices in the wind

And in the flowers, I see their face

 

Kindred souls are always near

If we have housed them in our heart

Love doesn’t disappear

Just because we are apart

 

I still paint and crochet and knit

Weaving my life into my threads

And if you read my poems, they’ll tell you

I don’t believe that dead is dead

 

I’ve stopped all my medications

Who needs a body if the mind is gone

It is a race now to the finish

Of this bitter-sweet swan song.

 

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