trappings

there’s a guy i know

who bought a quiche lorraine two days ago

and gloats that he still has half of it left

and thinks he’s deft

because pressing the microwave number one

renders it perfectly done.

.

there’s a guy i am

who feels like I am on the lam

from death herself

so food that’s disappearing from the shelf

is replaced by say oat bran and sardines

because i am learning what degenerative diabetes means.

.

the thing about devil-may-care

is that a metaphorical devil is really there

and what they care about is closing my account

by zeroing out the dwindling amount

of elan esprit de vivre vitality spark

and gearing down from drive

to neutral

to park.

.

one thing about old age

you can rail and weep and rage

pound your fist against the brick

but there’s brief daily ecstasy to be had when you awaken with a pulse and awareness and you hear the lovely affirmative sound of the internal odometer clicking itself another click.