Tuesday Poem

Listen to Me

Don’t let yourself get old,
but if you must get old,
don’t let yourself get crazy.
If you get crazy,
don’t let yourself get mean.
If you get mean,
don’t be surprised
to find that love
only goes so far
before you find
yourself alone.
Old, crazy, mean and alone
is about as shitty as it gets
until, of course, it gets worse
and it always
always
always
gets worse.
So, buck up.
Get your exercise.
Eat right.
Pray, if you believe in that sort of thing.
Do what it takes, right now.
Tomorrow is right around the corner
and the day after that
then another
and it all comes rushing.
Don’t let yourself get old.
I don’t know what else to tell you
except that the world finally swallows
everyone, we all know this,
and it is very sad
but sometimes the swallowing
goes much too slowly
for comfort,
too slowly for any of us
to bear.

by Jeff Weddle
Jeff Weddle’s Book:
Advice for Cannibals