A Rap Poem

I have an email friend. We live 3000 miles from each other. We started emailing back and forth a couple, maybe three years ago. We send poetry to each other. I asked her permission to share this poem on my blog. Here 'tis.

“The Senior Laughing Club” by Kay Weeks

Well, I’m in such a rage
Can’t get it on the page!

Do I pout, NO! Just get it out!

Do you have any doubt
What defines the human race?
Look at my face!

It IS a race, a jealous, competitive
Stampede to the end, to the cliff

This is how it goes:

You gotta be first You gotta be right
You gotta put me down
Shove your food scraps on my plate
Tell me how I feel. Did you finish YOUR meal?

I mean, it’s war here. Let me ask:

Do you have your teeth?
Is your hair gray?
Can you see—well, not me.

Senior is a word
It means NEARLY GONE

Read GENERATIONS, the senior rag.
Sorry Mary McGraw, you’re a good gal—

But it’s all about therapy, fat pants,
Hearing aids, Planning your will,
Keeping your spirits UP for God’s sake…
Nurses, caregivers, PABLUM,
Actually I have total recall, so nix
The Vitamin B 12.

Asking you: All this down stuff.
What you gonna do about it?

I dance, draw, I love someone—well—
OK, we’re supposed to be over all that! Just a cat!
I smell the salt air, and not on my knees or in a chair.

Speaking of which, Yeah!
I know one good fall
Down my steep stairs
And it’s all over!

Let’s review that in case our memories
Are less than clear:
A young friend brought it up the other day:

Hate to demean ya
But what do you think
Sen-ya means?

Benefits, Respect, Leading, Chief, Elder, Superior?

How about elderly person, old folk, old timer
Pensioner, retired person.
Oh, here’s SENIOR EDITOR,
I’ll take that one!

How about sweet? Smell my feet!
It all means we're on our way out.
How you gonna take that? Not lying down, I hope.
Let your frustration, your anger out out out
Dylan Thomas said it best
DO NOT GO GENTLE UNTO THAT GOOD NIGHT!

Up with our spirits, up with our day.
Age is only a word, not in MY vocabulary anyway,
Now, I mean it, HAVE A GOOD DAY.
_________

October 17, 2009