Old Age - A Cancer of Dependency

An aggressive-malignant tumor,

the cancer of dependency 

surreptitiously saps 

the shreds of human dignity.

Stage one:

decision making slowly impaired

and problem solving undermined.

Brooding over what could've been

a sure symptom, but overlooked.

Stage two:

Your world has shrunk

and the cancer's grown.

With fewer friends 

and even fewer needs.

A routine of

food, sleep, defecation, and

zero altercations.

It's now a focused dependency;

a chimera of everlasting security

raising walls of complacency.

Chemo, radiation never sought 

so the cancer spreads unfought.

In a paralyzed mind and body

time is bought...until the metastasis!

Stage three:

The tumor pushes

against bone and muscle

seeking space to grow.

Alas! There is none.

Afterall, no caregiver lasts a lifetime!

One by one the plugs get pulled.

A yanking out of reverie

of life support dependency.

Incapacitated and bewildered,

sans flailing arms, free falling,

in a painful race to the end.