In My Country

The Pakistani man asked me

if I lived with my children,

knowing they were grown

and living on their own.

Mostly, in my country, this

is not the case. The elderly,

I told him can either make it

on their own or are relegated

for care in a nursing home.

(He shook his head in disbelief,

as tradition in his country was

contrary to this practice.) The

old ones are revered and cared

for by their offspring. How

do you live, being hobbled

by age and condition, he was

also curious to know? I am

paid Social Security, I went

on. It’s not a lot, but it is

enough. Nowadays, I don’t

need much anymore. Do your

children help you with money,

he asked me? No, I told him,

but sometimes I help them

when they get into a scrape

or times are lean. I think he

had a hard time understanding

the meaning of scrape and lean.

Such are the ways in these

United States, I went on—The

Land of the Free and Home of

the Brave.

Chris Hanch 6-18-18