Tribal Survival

This story in the San Francisco Chronicle inspired the poem below:

http://projects.sfchronicle.com/2016/living-with-aids/story/

Tribal Survival
3 March 2016

A part of me wanted to shed a tear,
But my well of feeling was so deep
It felt more like mourning’s nadir.
Profound feelings managed to seep
To the depths of my weary soul.
I was reading stories of long-term
Survivors of the hiv and AIDS  toll.
They coped while others became infirm,
And tended them until they expired.
The survivors living on to become
Victims themselves, overwhelmed and tired.
In some cases getting to be scum,
Too sick to work, but too healthy to perish;
Ending up in medical and financial limbo.
In an effort to avoid more nightmarish
Emotional trauma, they isolated in woe.
Still living and struggling to adjust,
In trying to keep it all together,
Some days it’s been a case of just
Putting one foot in front of the other.
But it’s not over until the fat lady sings.
Disappointment, joy, loss, love, despair,
Boredom, hope and gratefulness are fillings
For their individual stories of life’s scare.
In a few cases older men have connected.
Ultimately, who will be the last man standing;
The last man to tell his tale, respected
For enduring to the final disbanding?

Any Clock's Toolbox

Any Clock's Toolbox
4 July 2012

This little rhyme
Reminds every schmo
That life is time.
You just never know
How long you've got,
So I advise giving
Life your best shot
Here and now; living
Usefully and productively
To improve the existence
Deftly and constructively
For all earth's residents.

Epitaph Gaffe

It has been brought to my attention by the people I play cards with that my signature phrase is "What a rip!" Tonight while playing at my nephew's, the idea came up of putting it on my tombstone. I'll agree to it only if it rhymes.

Epitaph Gaffe

22 May 2011

What a rip! Here I lie

Buried six feet under.

A choice I couldn’t deny.

You there full of wonder,

While breathing and living,

Delighting in friendship,

Still doing and giving,

Here I lie, what a rip!