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Impermanence
The residents slowly amble
toward the buffet,
some using canes or walkers,
a few sitting on scooters,
others standing,
schmoozing, joking, laughing.
Dinner is the social hour
in senior living food
a common subject
conversation not momentous
who won at cards family
medications the weather
A murmur and peaceful
burble of many voices until
suddenly a high-pitched wail
an ambulance yellow lights aflash
rounds the corner and
stops.
Blue jackets rolling bed
medical kits EMTs quick-step
toward the elevator
return someone is lying flat
people crane their necks
which friend had this bad luck?
Did someone fall again?
have a heart attack?
but maybe
it’s nothing serious
they’ll be back tomorrow
(thinking it could be me)
In senior living
people go to the hospital
stay a while come back
or not
friends leave for assisted living
become forgetful
move to memory care.
We live with the impermanence
of the permanence of our reality
we grieve for lost friends,
but we keep on loving caring
living every day to the fullest
Copyright ©
Barbara Peckham
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