Twelve Poem by Michael Strianese

IF I ever grow tired,
Too tired to drive,

Tell me to pull over
To hand you my keys.

IF I ever grow lazy,
Too lazy to work,

Tell me to shape up
And stop being a bum.

IF I ever grow forgetful,
Too forgetful to remember

To water your plants
Or take out the trash

The date of your birthday…

To pay the bills on time
-or even at all-

Tell me to remember,
Remind me and help me recall.

All these things I need to know,
I need to know from you

And I'm not going to be happy to hear them,
But why would I be?

If you ever grow tired,
Grow lazy and forget to remind me

I'll tell you to shape up
And stop being a bum.