Only The Fear Of Death Poem by Francis Duggan

His face looking old and showing the wear of time
And many Seasons have passed since he was in his prime
Tired of the World and of his aging nagging wife
Happiness seems far away from his life

No longer a member of any sports club
Though on Saturday he has a few beers in the pub
But he no longer talks of cricket and football
Sports nowadays does not interest him at all

Married to the one woman for far too long
Their bond of love broken for years it was strong
Married and living under the one roof but a bed they don't share
Yet every day they argue and at each other swear

In his late sixties his best days in life he has seen
His eldest grandchild a young woman has turned nineteen
Their children and grandchildren the only thing in common he and his wife now does share
Nowadays stories of dead loves are no longer rare

Just one more aging sad sack of the town
In life there is many an up and a down
His better and happier days in the long gone
And only the fear of death makes him live on.