The Lucky Ones

Have you found the beauty of
getting old yet
or is it still lurking
and hiding
within the lives of those
lucky ones
who are lucky enough to
age gracefully
would it be too much
for me to ask
you to stop fading
away from me
because every time I look at you
all I see is
the weight of sixty years
breaking you
down
sixty years that went by
too fast and of which
only seventeen you knew me
but you loved me
and you watched me grow
while I watched you grow
and now I'm watching you
slip away
but sixty years is not fair
now is too soon
for me to call this beautiful and
if I ever hear anyone say
that there's beauty in
death
then I'll assume
they've never seen anyone
dying or at least they've never seen
my grandmother
after her third trip to
the hospital
in a month
they've never seen
her smile
fade away because she couldn't
speak loud enough
for anyone to hear one of her
classic jokes
I don't give a damn
if heaven needs
another
soul to sing heavenly ballads
sixty years is not fair
and if she goes
I'll break
even further than
I've already broken
just watching her
go
and wishing that she
was one of the lucky ones.