Holding On

If I let go I know
time will speed up
and I’ll find myself
hurtling towards the inevitable.

It’s halfway through
the working week
in a bleak street
and the world tilts.

By the weekend
I’ll be pedalling
to the Post Office
to collect my pension.

By the end of summer
I’ll be spending my days
in a dressing gown and slippers
and turning up the heat.

By autumn
will come a fall
and a discontented winter
spent in hospital.

By spring I’ll be in a Home
remembering that once
I could ride a bike,
drive a car
and recite my own name.

I know
if I dare to let go
it’s all downhill
from here.

Old Man

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons