Balm

Will you come with me to Gilead?
I hear they have a balm there,
And skilled physicians
Who can treat what ails you.
And most of us - well, OK, I -
Want a quick fix if there is one.

Speaking of that, I fully agree with
Whoever said "Growin' old ain't for sissies."
Hell, sometimes
I'm not so sure
If it's even for the brave.
And trust me, I'm not counting myself
Amongst the brave.

Sciatica is its own special form of torture
Pain lacing fire through the nerves
From the buttocks down
Through the outside back
Of the knee and on
Into the calf.

Sometimes the pain is so great
I cry out before I can stop myself
Sometimes so sharp, I have to sit
Or lean on something
Before I quite literally fall over.

I sure don't want
All the emotional upheaval I had
When I was a younger man, but
I there are days when I do
Miss what that body dud naturally,
Without a second thought

These days I try what I can -
Ibuprofen. Acupuncture. Soaking in
Hot water with Epsom salts.
Massage. Yoga. Marijuana, even.
I know the relief, if there is any,
Will be temporary at best.

Like Dives, who wanted
A drop of water from Lazarus' finger
To cool his tongue, I cry out.
I should be grateful; my life
Has been one of relative ease,
If not extravagance. Dives
Never got his droplet of relief,
And his torture was eternal.
Mine (I pray!) is temporal.

This, too, shall pass.
But I will repeat:
Growing old ain't for sissies, and
That trip to Gilead
Sounds better and better
All the time.

— Zachary