One and the Same

I woke up in my early seventies the

other day. I never saw it coming, the

way the body faulters and fades. In

my way of stinking thinking, this only

happens to the other guy, not me. You

are a self-centered, damned fool, my

body told me. Look at what you’ve done,

all the excessive bullshit you’ve put us

through. We look and feel 10, 15-years

older than we should. And now we have

to pay. I couldn’t care less what the brain

has to say, body sighs. I’m the one who

has been ravaged by your careless ways

and passing of time Huh, my mind tells

me, you, body, are helpless and weak.

Get over it. Good and bad, pleasure,

pain, and otherwise, we’ve crossed that

rickety bridge together. In life, there is no

turning back. Bitch and complain. Say

what you will, the time for reviving better

days has slipped away. Like it or not, you

and I are one and the same, always been

the case. Face it, patheically and inextrica-

bly tied together, we deserve each other.

Chris Hanch 12-15-19