Elegy (Not)

You categorize your supper
I pass you rolls, orange marmalade
You tell us the related jokes
I pass you canned fruit, gravy
(You remark we act as if you were old and feeble)

I never saw what a big man you are
I never saw how sweet your smile, how gray your hair
I never wondered with such sadness how many times more I have
When you leave, part of me will always be lonely
(And how can I come to this house without you here?)

I don't want to go play outside
I don't want to watch a movie
Let me sit and watch the lines of your face
Let me listen to your dry comments, your chuckle
(They come a little more slowly than before)

I was never so afraid to see anyone sleeping
I was never so glad to hear anyone coughing phlegm from lungs
I was never so relieved to see anyone hobble into the study
Take the old rocker and listen to the day's stock prices
(Wrapped in a bathrobe, blue and red plaid)

Dylan Thomas said it best but
I do not want to speak his elegy for you