MAiD

A prose poem

My grandfather once said
     I wouldn't want to be that old
when I asked him
     Would you want to live forever?

The possibility hadn't occurred to me. Living forever might mean continually aging. I was a child and figured I'd always be one. He'd always be the age he was
     old but he only got older
     kept alive by machine 
     my grandmother refused to
     pull the plug.

I kept thinking of what he said that day and my mind
     kept screaming
     pull the plug.
But I suppose she thought he ought to live forever.

My uncle knew when it was time to go. Lungs so damaged. I got to phone him before he got his MAiD service. Told him I'd miss him. Remembered fondly all the things he taught me. I didn't get to do that with anyone else.

I would have said to my grandfather
     Thank you for reminding me
     not to dwell on the chance
     the future might be miserable
     (he would laugh and say it will be)
     the present is what matters most.

---

I found this scribbled in an old notebook, written a few years ago. Never know what you might find when you keep a million notebooks stashed around the house. Sorry if the poem was a bit of a downer, but I do hope you all have a wonderful 2024!