My sky has slowly been getting dark,
but before they gather
to return body to dust,
I’m not finished with the World just yet;
my fighting spirit is
still alive and kicking;
before the lights go out,
I’ll keep on polishing the rough edges;
before I encounter the last stretch
of my life’s journey,
I’ll continue to glow as I grow.
The number of folks by my side
continues to shrink;
peers, agemates, family, and friends
keep on vanishing to kingdom come;
and the young kindred are busy
building their own lives.
But I’ll strive
to put colour into my grayness;
I’ll maintain a positive mentality;
I’ll flow with nature,
and live with equanimity
because the way of nature
is the way of life.
Society has continued to care
less and less of, and for, me;
and so I have encountered
more and more days of emptiness.
But I have learned to let go
of my attachments;
I have learned to enjoy
and embrace solitude;
to live alone,
without being lonely.
The road ahead might be rocky I know,
littered with uncertainties, precarity,
illness and ailments;
and eventually, I’ll return
to my life’s starting point, the bed;
to be cared for once again,
just like when I was an infant.
But until the time
when I breathe my last,
I’ll treasure what I’ve had,
I’ll cherish what I have,
and enjoy life whilst I can.
And when the time comes
for them to finally proclaim
‘dust to dust, and ashes to ashes,
I know that Saint Peter
will be standing at the Pearly Gates
ready to usher me in with the words;
“Congratulations,
for a long life well lived.
Welcome to your divine abode,
Welcome into your Shangri-la.”
