ivor or ivor.e hogg - Unwelcome Guest

Arthritis my old enemy
insidious and stealthy foe
attacks my joints determinedly.
An enemy I’ve come to know
as I grow old: Intimately.

I have no choice I must accept.
That when the weathers damp and cold
the aches and pains which I expect
return and take firmer hold
on any joint which they select.

This is the price I have to pay
for living to a ripe old age
There’s no effective remedy,
although pain killers may assuage
the pain temporarily.

When winter comes I stay indoors
resume my thermal underwear.
Don’t venture out without good cause
and if I must I take good care.
Make sure I’m warmly dressed of course.

Arthritis my old enemy
ensures that I obey the rules.
The limits which it sets for me.
Disobedience is for fools
prepared to suffer needlessly.

I won’t give in I can defy
if not defeat my enemy
It only means I have to try
to retain my mobility.
When normal rules do not apply.

18-Jan-08

ivor or ivor.e hogg

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