A bypass ticket online
Poem by Patricia Peters
Failing sight, loss of hearing,
Sleepless night, muddled thinking
Pad for leaks, dressings for ulcers
And painful feet which can’t be mended.
You don’t think about getting old.
It won’t happen to you, not yet.
Not yet, and when it does you think
That you will go there gracefully.
With dignity and with all your
Various parts well working.
Good luck my friend. Only a few
Have managed to achieve this goal.
Mostly this old age blunders in
Suddenly and with no warning.
Dragging you and others down to
The valley beside your mountain.
There in the place of no-return
You might linger, even flounder
For an uncomfortable time.
Held in suspension by the nurse.
Who states your life has a value
Or a child who persuades you of
Your function in the family.
Or suddenly, your friends need you.
For those not interested in deep valley life
There should be a bypass ticket online.
Allowing them to leave with Grace
Before they turn into beings
They would not like to become.
