Being Old

Old age brings old minds,
Old limbs and old ears,
Bad vision, nearly blind,
And old, salty tears.
Tears for the offspring
Grown up and now gone,
For lost wedding rings,
The faucet's turned on.

The children are small
Adults, looming high,
Proportion, as you recall,
Say men don't touch sky.
All the people mutter,
God only knows why,
Everything they utter
Makes them seem quite shy.

Nowadays, knees buckle,
Sadly, belts do not,
Everybody chuckles,
And reason isn't sought.
Teens just want to dawdle,
Or drive around in cars,
Or slouch a silly waddle,
Or smoke a small cigar.

But, you've got respect,
A place of honor great,
You always are correct,
And food is on the plate.
They offer tasty cakes,
Pies and tarts and sweets,
You need not stay awake,
All the loose ends meet.

Being old ain't bad,
It has its ups and downs,
You teach the kids to add,
And tell them not to clown.
Heaven's door is nearing,
The kids'll have to wait,
They've still got good hearing,
Can't pass through Heaven's gate.