#poem #poetry #amwriting 23

23

I'm rolling them loose these days,
saggy and loose, and hard to pull
with arthritic fingers.
Loose on the bone and hard on the lung
that's how. Drooping down,
more out than in, and hanging.
I'm rolling them loose

And every time I see him
he asks when I'll stop
and I say when death comes calling.
And every time death comes
I take an aspirin
and he whimpers like a puppy
in a box beneath the tree
at Christmas.

And every time I see him
he asks how you are
and I say I haven't noticed.
And every time I notice
you are much the same.
I thank
whatever sets your compass
and keeps our light burning.

And one day the doctor
will say I'm a miracle,

I'm rolling them loose.