Living to be 100

Carmen wants to live to be 100
the trick, she said is to be healthy

alert and mobile
otherwise cut the cord

no need to hang around
as a burden on the system

or her family
sucking up all the medical

resources and social security
that must be available for others

who paid into the system
but how do you know it is time

to let go?
Articles in the newspaper

highlighted three centenarians
one rode a balloon, another told her story

the third one had a party but all are still waiting to die.
I wondered why they bothered

and why would we celebrate elders
who don’t know when it was time to leave

did they stay because they had important
work to do and did they think

they had an obligation
to live as long as they could?

I looked in Carmen's eyes
and wondered what she could possibly do

for thirty more years to make it worth
her while other than working out at Gold’s Gym,

having lunch with her friends,
or traveling to Mexico one more time.

I’ve taken up painting since my retirement
and as much as I enjoy it as a pastime

I can’t imagine doing it for thirty more years.
Will I eventually be good enough

to become famous or at least decent
enough to sell my work

or will I become like a hoarder
buried in canvas

from the floor to the ceiling
waiting for the latter part of my life

to have meaning?
If I look at things I’d like to do

I can make a list a mile long
but when I circle the ones

that have purpose greater
than my own amusement

my best days are gone
I’m grateful I haven’t squandered

the time I've lived so far
but ponder as I repair what is broken

make choices to minimize
my burden for the future

how can I bring joy and happiness
to those I love

and make a difference
if I live to be one hundred?