The Cycle Poem by Dann Thomas

I'm new, I'm just born
Pure and innocent as a flower can be
A jewel for my parent's,
The center of attraction for all around me
And a dream come true for my family
But what will I turn out to be?
That, they'll have to wait, watch and see

I can just about walk now
Mumble a little and cry my displeasure
Of anything that doesn't taste nice,
Or given in small measure.
I like school as we just sing and play.
But the television is my bestest friend
With hours of cartoons, that never end.

I've finished with school now
They've tried to teach me a lot
But I've grown smart. I'll decide for myself
What's needed and what's not.
Church I visit when there's nothing else
A Sunday is a time on myself, I can splurge
Would be a pity, I think, to waste it in a church

I'm much older now
Working, with money to spare
On friends, clothes, bikes, and mostly myself
I live without a care
And one day I bumped into an old guy
'I got no money for you', I happily lie
'Why can't they keep these guys in a home,
to wait their turn to die'.

I've got children now
The sparkle in my line
My little dreams for my future
A solid investment in time.
And when I'm gray, bent and old
I'll have my children around me,
Not locked up somewhere all alone.

Why I've grown old now.
Time's long lines drawn across my face
My children I see little of
Sometimes, not even a trace.
Nothing much to do alone
Just waiting for another day
I'm just another in a home somewhere nearby
Nothing to look forward to, just waiting to die?