Staying active

'Joy of ageing' poetry competition runner-up Michael Alcott:

"This is the first complete poem I have written.  I recently looked at 'The Ode Less Travelled'‚ S Fry.  There I learned about the Shakespearean sonnet form.  My poem is an attempt at this form.  I am 69."

Jim's Retirement Plan

When I retire‚ he said‚ I'll educate
myself – read novels and poems‚ watch plays.
I'll draw and paint‚ play piano as late
as I wish. I'll have such wonderful days!
And so he did‚ for many happy years
until one day his fingers screamed in pain
and nights were filled with uninvited fears.
He knew he'd never enjoy good times again.
One day his son discovered him dead in a chair
with poems by Keats spread open on his knee.
Through tears he read aloud and stroked his hair‚
'When I have fears that I may cease to be'.
Such simple words that speak to every man
with or without his own retirement plan.

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Email: LivingRoom