Death At 102

I know the goal of many is to live to be 100
but after the age of sixty most begin to dwindle,
their ability to give back becomes subtractive.
They are not as useful as younger people
in their forties. Has it ever occurred the reason

our children now have an extended adolescence
is because the older folks do not move aside
there is no need for the youngsters to step up
because the places they would assume
are still occupied by those who refuse to let go.

I think of my grandfather, who lived to be 100,
spent the latter part of his life waiting to die.
He outlived his wife by over fifty years,
never remarried because he thought his end
was just around the corner, spent his final years
taking long walks and long naps, which probably

contributed to his longer survival but if I look
at his extended time he really didn’t do much
worth remembering, maybe because he was
unprepared for his lengthy existence. The old
folks I know seem to spend their time playing
cards, games of golf, and extensive traveling.

Most of their pursuits are selfish endeavors to keep
themselves amused but little to make their life worth
the investment from taxpayers to keep them alive.
I stand on the threshold of making a choice,
if I’m going to live to be 102, what difference will I make
and how will it be worth the investment of money and time?