vertigo
eye floaters
ear crickets
missing teeth
a left-footed limp
permanently pulled groin
hyper-active thyroid 
words slippping away
   on the stage coach going south

old age states of nature
you rub them like smooth stones
accept their limitations
keep them in the dark
for what can the young guess
   about their existence

you imagine the next life
being without authority
it’s not that you do whatever you want
but whatever you need to
in a casual unhurried manner
like handing a bucket of well water
   to the next person in line on the fire brigade
 maybe it’s a library everyone is saving

each day will be wondrous 
& will bring another drop of clarity
as slowly you slide into the habit
of just being a good guy