This Body

Syd

This body creaks and groans
It’s certainly been abused
Many a sleepless weekend 
Excessive drinking in my youth

Remnants of sciatica
A spine that's been attacked 
Misaligned hips and shattered discs
That pop like bubble wrap

A cerebrum crinkled like a chestnut 
Crammed with everything it's seen
This heart's become a derrick 
Pumping oil and gasoline

Breath that billows black soot
Just like a steam train's song
Blackened lungs from inhaling 
Metallic fumes all day long

Blood becoming dark and thick 
Viscous like sump oil
Years of mechanical labour 
Grinding work and toil

This body is resilient 
Absorbing shock and stress
Clunking along on buckled wheels
While rusted gears still mesh

A digestive tract in disrepair 
After years of processed foods
Now fed Guinness and wilted spinach 
Barely loosening the noose

Failing organic parts 
Replaced by titanium and plastic 
A rusted machine idling
Still stubbornly automatic 

This body always remembers
This body never forgets
Stumbling over awkward terrain
From one week to the next

This body perseveres
This body's all I've got 
A vintage Vitesse still rumbling 
Despite many miles on the clock

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Comments +

Comments3

  • sorenbarrett

    I feel you with arthritis kicking in, muscle shrinkage, energy loss, aches and pains, a general slowing down age takes its toll. Well written

    • Syd

      Thank you. I'm actually not that bad, I just use the subject to draw inspiration from. I have a few minor health issues but they're exaggerated in this piece.

      We all have it coming eventually though. I hope you're managing ok.

      Thanks for your positive comment.

      Much appreciated - Syd

      • sorenbarrett

        You are most welcome and I won't complain for health has always been good to me

      • Friendship

        Well written. Your poem personifies the body as a machine, highlighting its aging, decay, and the artificial replacements that accompany it. Welcome to my world .❤️

        • Syd

          Hi Friendship, thank you for reading and commenting. I'm sorry to hear you can relate.

          - Syd 🍄

        • Teddy.15

          Awe, I know you will find the olive you need for your engine my dear Syd, I hope you are well my friend, just to cheer you up and please feel free to come back and look anytime, try being a a 51 year old gal with Memapause kicking in, everything aches all the wrong things grow and I'm always really really angry even with babies in prams lol 🤣 see I bet you have a smile now!



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