The Old Man Poem by John Rickell

The Old Man
The old man before the fire
Slumped and comfortable
pale blue bright eyes
Staring to the past
Fine lines confirme a
wit of keenest edge,
and kindness sealed it all.
Tranquil, thoughtful
And ninety five
Tick tock tick tock tick tock
Went the clock
Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub,
The heart replied.
Grandfather's and father's clock
Tall impassive measurer of time
Tapping out the pace of time
Recording not a moment.
Dictating, unchallenged
How long time seems to be.
He turned his thoughts
Upon the clock,
never known to be late, or stop..
Tick-tock -tick-tock-tick-tock
Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub
each had shared the room
Playing a double fugue
Lub-tock, dub- tick, tock-lub, tic- lub,
Other hearts had joined
Young and old played minuets
Waltzed and polked across the rugs
And through the door.
Times have changed,
Beats a little quicker
But little else.
John had lived a useful life,
family had success through him,
Emily gone these last ten years
Richard had a grandchild
(He was sixty five)
Enigmatic June had gone a broad
Strange June........
Strange like him.
'I miss June....had guts'
'She never writes'
'But then I don't'

“Ah, well time for bed”
Damp down the fire
Put out the cat and light
Close up the cupboard
Leave everything tidy.
' Ninety five's a grand old time'
The old knees not what they were.
but old habits keep them supple
'Our Father which art in Heaven'
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock...
Lub-dub, lub...............
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.