Should had died at age 76 of cancer
medical treatments saved my life
at 80 another pending medical crisis
a pace maker staved off the threat
now at 80 and nine months I’m worried
I feel too goddamn good
riding an exercise bike 2 hours daily
working out 3 times a week
writing thousands of poems
I might live longer than I want to
like my mother who lived to her late 90s
from working decades with the elderly
I’ve seen living too long
is often fraught with problems
possibilities of more health conditions
maybe a dementia or Alzheimer’s as well
maybe in a wheelchair or on a walker
quality of life becomes diminished
medical costs can keeping adding up
might be in an assisted living facility
unable to take care of yourself
or consigned to a bleak nursing home
fully dependent on others for your care
your independence, your freedom
and your extended long life
essentially finished before you die.
Bob Boyd