No, He Is Not Like He Used To Be

By Richard E. Noble

No he is not exactly like he used to be.
He often sits on the porch and stares vacantly
as the cars pass by.

Sometimes he appears to be confused
over the slightest interruption
to his daily routine.

He complains more than he ever had.
Now he seems to whine constantly
about nothing in particular.

His hair is always looking rough
and he seems to be losing a bit of it
more and more each day.

His appetite is good.
We can’t seem to stop him from nibbling
and poking at something.

He eats far too much chocolate.
He never used to eat cookies
and the ice cream is getting out of hand.

He seems to be limping
a little bit lately
and he has been stumbling.

He is not hearing well.
It is rather obvious.
You have to talk right at him.

He probably isn’t seeing all that well either.
But he hates going to see a Doctor
or a specialist of any kind.

The old boy is getting old.
He just ain’t what he used to be.
But I love him so.

He has always been so good to me.
He always did his best to make me happy.
I can’t really fault him for anything.

But this old age is a hard thing to deal with.
No more solo flights for this guy.
I’ve really got to watch him.

Especially when he tries to climb the cedar tree
next to the house
and get up onto the roof.