Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Last Rites


In times such as these, I think of my vulnerability.

Never when I was young and capable, strength of
an ox, and will strong as steel, would I entertain such
a loathsome notion—

one slip and fall could immobilize me and end it all,
home alone and helpless to recover on my own.

At times I have resigned myself to the inevitability of
such a fate.

On the refrigerator, a pink legal document hangs—
Do Not Resuscitate!

No hospital or nursing home for me. I’m serious, leave
me be. But one worry, one concern remains for me—
rescue and care for my two small dogs.

The older one, Apollo, needs to be taken out frequently
to pee; the younger, Carmen, is trained to go inside on a
doggy pad if necessary.

No dog pound or shelter for either, please. Euthanize and
cremate if need be. Should I be found comatose, and
if legal, do the same with me. No Last Rites or memorial,

for neither my pups nor I are ordained religiously.

                               -30-

Chris Hanch 3-24-2020



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