To Whom The Gods Have Not Given Long Life Poem by Charles Chaim Wax

Harry Willing recently returned
from his third heart operation
which he explained to me
but sadly I couldn’t fathom the intricate details
as his second stroke, at age 49,
had impaired his speech.
Once a bus driver
today Harry stood next to the mailman
and told him the apartment number
for each name on the envelope.
He needed this job. It gave
him a sense of purpose.
In the end, six months later,
he disappeared into death
not wanting to
the work still to be done.