Nikil Srinivasan

The Society of Octogenarians

Rocking away in their La-Z-Boy,
One expects to find them,
With a ball of yarn, knitting away,
Or taking routine naps midway through the day,

At first I noticed them,
Actively working on their yards,
Raking the leaves, mowing their lawns,

I offered to help, said I would do it for free,
But their answer was no, they wanted me to let them be,
I did not understand, initially at least,
Their idea of self-respect, of dignity,

In new light, I see them now,
Though they have been there all along,
Reading a book or fixing a fridge,
Even hosting a game of bridge,

To us they seem to pull through with all their might,
But in fact they pull through just all right,
Showing the world their dignity and fashion,
So exists the Society of Octogenarians.




[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2011 EDITION]


Copyright © 2002-2010 Student Publishing Program (SPP). Poetry and prose © 2002-2010 by individual authors. Reprinted with permission.