Middle Age
To sit in a recliner, watching any reasonably good
TV show, is enough, especially after a good meal.
Thoughts of going out to party, or secure some
Illicit drugs, or to chase after some hottie are
Either not there, or not very urgent any more.
One's body is content to be at rest, fed, and secure.
No more jangling adrenaline urgency to prove
Ones self to the world or a best friend, or anyone.
At work, either in a busy office, or at a physical job,
Every sudden motion is paid for with twinges of mortality.
Walking swiftly down a hall is now impeded by a sore
Cramping muscle somewhere, or a gimpy knee. Old
Injuries have accumulated; now they wait their turn
To manifest anew, and let you know you ain't getting
Off so easy anymore, bub. Movement has cost now.
Exercise can be a real boon, make you perk up good.
You can move easier, and sleep better at night. But,
Lest you think you have acquired some super-rejuvenating
Powers, a youngster will breeze by you on the jogging
Track or sidewalk - flitting by effortlessly without a seeming
Care in the world. You think, "Did I used to be that agile?"
One gets less tolerant of difficult, bossy people. It is time to
Eliminate oppressive, irritating personalities from your group
of friends and acquaintances. Live free or die, and that is
Coming all too soon anyway. Might as well keep the chosen,
Precious few close at hand, and get rid of the noxious weeds.
Your span of years dwindles, and you begin to think in terms
Of what can I accomplish, not so much how can I have fun.
You think in terms of legacy and avoiding heart attacks and
How one can duck the dreaded Cancer. If you have kids,
You might obsess over them and their futures, or even
Be supporting them at home, long after they should have left.
Middle age spreads out before one, like a banquet full of
Bizarre dishes, some tasty, some awful. But you have to
Try them all, indeed cannot help yourself. This path surely has
Been trod before, but one tramples down the dust and keeps
Going - it definitely beats the alternative - to be six feet under!
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