The old man shivers
he’s in his apartment
it’s winter
the temperature is below zero
he can’t afford the high cost of heat
he wears layers of clothes
he drinks hot coffee
it’s not enough
he still shivers
he’s still freezing
he’s all alone
with no one to help
he knows he’s close to freezing to death
he doesn’t care about living anymore
his breathing becomes shallow
his pulse becomes weak
he tries to light one last cigarette
but he’s lost his coordination
his reflexes too
his muscles have become stiff
he can’t light the match
he closes his eyes
takes a faltering final breath
his heart stops beating
and he dies
Bob Boyd
Author: BobBoyd
79, cancer survivor, work out 3 times a week, ride my exercise bike 2 hours daily. Began writing poetry October 2023, living in Greensboro, North Carolina, originally from just outside of Boston, MA.
Retired and enjoying a solo, reclusive life always researching and gaining knowledge. Most of my poems are fictional.
I write about many things: Spirituality, Mysticism, the Paranormal, Cryptids, Werewolves, Ghosts, 411s, Nature, Birds, Animals, Romantic Love, Death, NDEs, Women Persecuted as Witches, Fictional Characters I Create, News Stories, AI, Robots, Insects, like the poem entitled, Hail Caesar Bob, (about when bees were swarming me outside the door to my apartment), and many other topics. I write a minimum of 3 poems daily, sometimes more. I like and abide by the saying life's too short to be taken too seriously.
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