Retirement Dreams Poem by john tiong chunghoo

retirement, the business
of settling down to the ebb
of life before time pulls its hand out
to close its doors on us, one last cold
cold setback everybody has to take lying down,
without even the privilege of expressing whether
we like it all or not. everything's too planned in
advance sorry, like this retirement.

retirees are sunflowers tilting
and shining a splendid lustrous
dextrous yellow in the evening breeze,
in the full splendour of the sun before they
slowly gently glide into the hands of the
expansive horizon, dip into infinity of time.

sweet and honey for those who
have the means and the plans to live out
their sunset dreams but a turbulent outing for
those never interested in squeezing
the succulent grapes of youth to make the
exquisite scintillating wines for vantage years
the days run on and on like a race to nowhere