#182 / 2011 Winter: Albuquerque

GLAD TO BE

#182

Jody and Doris went for a stroll

she turned incandescent

at the sight of a Thrift Store sign.

While she rummaged bargain bins

Jody considered his fate,

he had been diagnosed

with pancreatic cancer

and informed by an

oncologist that his

lifeline would soon unravel.

He saw a woman in a wheelchair

with banners and balloons

floating behind her

she seemed happy and resolute.

He fantasized changing bodies with her,

he could no longer hike

the mountain trails

but maybe it would add

a few bonus hours

to his time sheet.

He saw a blind man

plodding along with a probing pole,

if they could swap places

he would have to cancel

his Netflix account

but it might extend his days.

He saw a healthy young man

strutting along in a marine uniform

supremely capable of climbing

Mount Shasta with

a hundred-pound rucksack.

Jody viewed the American military

as a self-justified terrorist group

but if he could tote a gun

he might live long enough

to retire with benefits.

Doris appeared with her sack

which included a lotion to keep

her face wrinkle free

and youngishly smooth.

“Let’s walk for a spell,” she suggested

“and we’ll return to our

cozy nook and a bowl

of chowder and barley.”

Jody held her hand

and considered how lucky

he was to have a loving caregiver.

He remembered an uncle

who had a brain tumor

and the family finagled

to find him a place to die.

Doris cooked for Jody

helped him bathe

and catered to his every whim.

Jody decided not to be

a woman in a motorized chair

her accelerator might stick

and she’d be crushed

in traffic.

The blind man might

fall down a staircase

and break his spine.

The soldier will probably

return for another tour

of duty in Afghanistan

and get  blasted by a

roadside bomb and die

while deluding himself

he was fighting for freedom.

Jody realized he was glad

to be himself and to have

time to prepare for the

next major life transition

Beatlick Joe Speer