Changes (Old Age) Poem by sharon catley

My life is out of control
It runs ahead of me like some wild rampant dog
And I tethered to it must stumble behind trying to keep up.

Not that long ago things were different
I was a rock,
A paragon of strength to which others anchored their lives,
A giver of comfort, a fixer of problems.
In bloom
But now I fade.

Disasters
Both personal and global
Have drained my energy.
Deterioration of the mind and body
Those two have crept in and taken residence
While I was not looking.

In pain and confused,
All my resources dwindle
Only my will is left to sustain me
And that one spits and gutters like a candle at its end.

I am drowning in a whirlpool of endless responsibilities and tasks.
I try to focus
To gain some hand or foothold to pull myself out
But lack the power.
I am afraid to reach out for help
Lest I pull someone down with me.

The whirlpool swirls,
The dog keeps running.
Eventually I fail..
I fall
Only to be dragged along.