Disposable Wisdom

Each day Annie Lesley opened a can Her eighty-six-year-old hands trembling As she sat with her cat and ate pet food What is wrong with this elder’s rendering? Pride swallowed to remain independent Large, sunken eyes peered from her weathered face Her late spouse a decorated hero Annie’s lifestyle a national disgrace More enlightened cultures all over the world Have revered their seniors throughout history Asians and Native Americans Are just two who honor their ancestry Polynesians, other Pacific tribes Respect the wisdom that comes with age Seniors are welcome in family homes But here in the states they’re placed in a cage Bone-thin Annie Lesley chose to be free Amazing neighbors with her endurance When social services tried to intervene She fought with remarkable resilience Old photos on walls told many great tales But only purring Tibby was listening Each morning she rose to care for her cat Until the day that Tibby went missing In tears she claimed he must have been poisoned Though in cat years he was older than she Each day she sat by the window, staring Awaiting the homecoming of Tibby She’d been abandoned by society Lost in the world’s most “progressive” nation For sacrificing her spouse in World War II Annie received little compensation This widowed war bride never had children Her mate had met his fate in Normandy Posthumous awards she dusted each day Annie’s life was defined by loyalty To a man and a cat who never came home And the vigil she kept all alone Ended quietly one warm summer night When an angel came to take Annie home With a can of cat food in hand when found Annie had nothing else to eat in her house This is the way a veteran’s wife died And tear stains had blemished her faded blouse Although seniors’ wisdom is heeded In societies that grow from history Too many like Annie lead lonely lives Wisdom untapped, they die in poverty