PESSIMISM

My parents are watching their old friends die
And thinking of bad things ahead.

There’s little enough to look forward to
And more than enough to dread.

And I am beginning to notice
That life”s not as light as it was.

The easy times last a little while
Then comes that extended pause.

I know the pain of being besieged
And feeling the trials and the tests.

Now i’m showing some signs
of a mother who pines

Because of an empty nest.