A Grey Perspective Poem by Bill Mitton

A GREY PERSPECTIVE
Ask me not of ethereal things
even less of Queens or Kings
from politics and diplomacy
I pray dear friend deliver me

What care I of ozone holes
of rising seas or dwindling poles
Of warming world I worry not
of carbon footprint not one jot!

Ask me please of creaking joints
that with oils and unctions I anoint
the worry of the hair I loose
the fight to find wide fitting shoes

Sympathise about my aches
the decisions my bladder makes
Stiffness that invests my bones
each move a serenade of moans.

What care I of worldly din
which politicians loose or win
Beijing nor Kremlin bother me
of Parliamentarians set me free

I’m afraid I just can’t find the time
For hoodies, druggies, wars on crime
Indeed nor can I any interest show
For where Rainforest or Gorilla go.

I must admit that I care an awful lot
about this arthritic foot I’ve got.
and likewise I find it most concerning
the lack of interest my pension’s earning

Dispensing sage-like wisdom free
Is not a gift you’ll find in me
The aches that plague my aging joints
detract from making salient points

The interface twixt life and me
is far less tenuous than it used to be
sixty years of gravity has taken toll
How far away the stone and hole.

So join the cause and fight good fights
Greenhouse gases, Human Rights
Me, I’m opting for a gentler plod
to anoint my aches and wait for God