GERONTOLOGY
A George Herbert tailgater bluesanelle
Consuming agues dwell in every vein;
Rheum and catarrh do not exist in vain --
When one grows old life’s nothing but a pain.
The sun arises, shines into my eyes
Through the blinds, blinds me in both eyes;
Consuming agues dwell in every vein
As I awaken. When I go to sleep
The moon arises, but I cannot sleep --
When one grows old life’s nothing but a pain.
Hack, spew, cough, sneeze and groan away,
Sneeze, cough, hack, spew and moan all day --
Rheum and catarrh do not exist in vain.
Creak in every joint, weak in every limb,
Lean upon a cane for it’s your extra limb --
When one grows old life’s nothing but a pain.
I see when I’m awake I’ve been forsaken;
I pray that when I sleep I’ll not awaken.
When one grows old life’s nothing but a pain.
Consuming agues dwell in every vein.
Copyright © 2013 by Lewis Turco, all rights reserved.
An epitaph for George Herbert may be found here:
Wesli Court’s Epitaphs for the Poets, by Lewis Turco, Baltimore, MD: BrickHouse Books, (www.BrickHouseBooks.com) 2012, paperback, ISBN: 978-1-938144-01-1.