Once The Old Were Those Who Had Little Time Left Poem by Shalom Freedman

ONCE THE OLD WERE THOSE WHO HAD LITTLE TIME LEFT

Once the Old were those who had little Time left,
Now we have too much Time
Years upon years of retirement
Years upon years of declining health
Years upon years without the work they once had
Years upon years without physical strength
Years upon years to search for ways of occupying themselves
Years upon years to search for entertainment
Years upon years to feel ourselves useless
Years upon years to feel ourselves a burden
Years upon years to maintain our dwindling resources
Years upon years to lose power after power ability after ability
Years upon years of losing friends
Years upon years of growing less and less part of the world-

Once the Old were those who had little Time left
Now we have decades before us
To live lesser and lesser
Smaller and smaller lives
Until sad and weak and pathetic and hopeless
We go on and on until
Still breathing
We do not even know we are not alive.