So I went to a luncheon 
For the retiree's association 
And I suddenly realized 
That I was staring into 
The same faces I had seen 
At the place my mother 
Lived before she died 
Old 
Gaunt 
Empty 
Like corpses biding their time 
trying so hard to be alive 
By eating spaghetti, meatballs, 
And chocolate cake 
And I wanted to run away 
To scream 
Because I am not them 
I am not spent and valueless 
I am here 
In the moment 
Relevant 
And then they drew 
The winning raffle ticket 
But it wasn't mine 
So now, I also 
Must bide my time 
Until the next luncheon 
The raffle is the incentive 
To I can compete 
With the other corpses 
For the right 
For a moment 
To be alive 

©️ Kevin Fraleigh 2022