It's Not a Good Time to Be Eighty

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 It’s not a good time to be eighty

My wife said in a voice soft and sweet

Having recently had my eightieth birthday

My heart just skipped a beat 


“Whatever do you mean, my dear?”

I asked, with bated breath 

She said some famous octogenarians 

Have recently met their death


Pete Rose prompted her observation

He had his last time up to bat

Kris Kristofferson had died a few days before 

Really hurt when I heard that


It always catches our attention 

When we hear a famous person died

A reminder of our mortality

That cannot be denied 


Of course, it is more intense and painful

When we lose a loved one or close friend

But we don’t usually think about

How and when our own life will end


There is something about turning eighty, though 

That brings the process close to home

We’ve surpassed our life expectancy 

Our flight is approaching the landing zone


Still, death isn’t something that we dwell on 

But it no longer seems surreal

Obituaries of younger folks we knew

Underscore that it is real


Feel like I’m getting too serious here

Saddened by memories of those who’ve passed

Hell, we are all sitting on ticking time bombs

One day our bomb will blast!


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