Shedding - Karl Kadie

[Lawrence Robinson]

Shedding
 
I never thought a man
with a beating heart and warm skin
could shed this much.
 
First, the hair deserts my head
like refugees running from fire.
Then, I surrender vision,
as blurring, black flashes, and
peripheral darkness carry me
to the edge of blindness,
my eyes forever after
skeptical of clarity.
Lately, arthritis, digestion, and other ailments
lash me with a thousand cuts,
driving me into an ever-smaller
coffin of daily living (CDL).
 
When the gods tell me,
“You’ve lost enough. It’s time to transition,”
I reply, “I’ve got news for you. I’m not dead yet.”
As Satchel Paige said,
“Age is a case of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it don’t matter!”
And the part of me doesn’t mind
refuses to be shed.
 
Despite the steep, slow trail of decline,
age continues to gift me,
as I soar to new perspectives,
hear the jokes that don’t wound,
smell trouble before it enters the room,
see the candle of goodness flickering
in my closest enemy, and whenever I can
taste the flavor of each living moment.
 
Hope and reality may be the oil and vinegar
that refuse to mix, but I can still use them
to dress and eat this late-life salad.
 
No need to wait for more freedom.
It’s here.
 
	- Karl Kadie
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