Corroded

I like the way it seems
Railroad tracks, toy cars, and model trucks,
Blinking signs and crash landings
Why crawl out? Why unfurl the slide?
Why claw and climb and cling
To this kind of half life, not after, not during,
Just waiting, wilting,
Target practice
Aim and shoot and stop fighting
There’s no contest to who dies slowest
You know it’s near
Why shouldn’t it be noble, with dignity,
Something to be admired,
Something to honor, to retire
I was a person
People knew me, knew of me, talked to me,
Not like this.
The way we coddle and coo and
Chant affirmations,
Mantras, incantations,
You’ll get better
Or you’ll succumb
You’ll close your eyes
You’ll go to a better place
What a blessing it would be
To go anywhere