Euthanasia

                                                             LXXXVII

I always write in the present tense, but the verses are not  always autobiographical.

When I was young I thought
Euthanasia was a good idea -
Who would want to live if they couldn't
Run - or see - or hear?

When I reached my sixties
I was not too sure,
Life isn't only about fitness
There is so much more.

In your seventies walking slows
As joints begin to fail,
All too soon you are on
The hip replacement trail.

All through your eighties
Mobility gets worse,
The natural ageing process
Is impossible to reverse.

But even if you're no longer
Too steady on your feet
Life is still worth living
Life can still be sweet.

Now that I have reached the age
When it might apply -
Remove DNR from my notes
I do not want to die!


(DNR - do not resusitate)
July 2006