As the nurse ages, he sees more and more patients of his generation lying or dying there in the bed. It does give pause to ponder.

Bad Habits Deluxe

Lately I've been pondering
My own mortality,
I've been taking care of the morbidly sick
Who are just as old as me.

I imagine that I own
Some magical health protection,
A barrier to sick and evil diseases
Courtesy of divine selection.

I purport that my meatless diet
For 30 years and more,
Is the secret to my longevity
My key to the healthy door.

And I'll claim that the genes I inherited
Don't stack up to the usual condition,
Of diabetes, heart disease and stroke
I'm protected by selective rendition.

But who am I kidding with this ridiculous story
Each one of us thinks, it will be the other guy,
Either bad habits deluxe, or a squeaky clean life
Flip a coin, I could be the next one to die.

Pondering my immortality
Is a better wager I think,
So many lifetimes of adventure
Gone in the eye of a blink.

Fibril_late;
3/29/10