The Waltzing Dead

In 2050, the <US> population aged 65 and over is projected to be 83.7 million - www.census.gov

See them shuffling slowly out of assisted living, squinting against the sun, groping for entitlements

Seeking out all sorts of doctors simply in order to have a human, anyone to just keep talking at

Fumbling continually for their reading glasses so they can call you once again, for an hour or two

Herding in limping troops towards earlybird cafeteria dinner specials, every afternoon at four

Huddled in volunteer clutches mindlessly repeating make-work civic duties, so very, very slowly

Gulping vast quantities of placebo supplements in a totally vain attempt to regain their youth

Bent over in shiny new sportscars, burning bald spots, bulky sunglasses covering dead eyes

Spiky white hairs sprouting in every direction from their ears and noses aid in locating their victims

Angrily sharing incriminating pictures from their methodical, daily dog turd inspection tours

So weakened by a long decay that they just keep telling the same tired stories over and over again

Displaying their rank in the stability-clutching pack by the size & number of their liver spots

Reaching out to hug you with arthritis-twisted fingers while first calling you by 3 other names

Pausing urgently every 20 minutes with the need to relieve themselves, yet again

White-haired, wrinkled, shriveled & pale - all ethnicities looking so very scarily, all the same

Stumbling through the mall in their giant no-lace athletic shoes, searching for conversational prey

Mumbling the names of 1800 costly Medicare-financed drugs they need to Ask Their Doctor About

Viciously attacking small children who accidentally take a step on their far-too-perfect lawns

Hypnotized by 24x7 televiewing into ceaseless, demetia-inducing repetition of Faux News soundbites

Unremitting in their howls for death to moochers and angry warnings to leave their Medicare alone

Drooling from the side-effects of potent anti-psychotic meds given to keep them still & compliant

See them painfully searching out the handicapped-friendly at Wal*Mart in wheelchairs & walkers

Their plaque-infested brains bringing on a brutal & obscene honesty which must be hidden away

Nonetheless, they clamor for supersized doses of Viagra and ineffective cosmetic facial surgeries

Laid out on stretchers, they are carted off by bored EMTs as their peers gawk amid pained whispers

Far, far too eager for everyone to start appreciating the vital importance of their bowel movements

Starting to watch their health - after 3 heart attacks, high blood pressure & obesity-caused diabetes

Unashamed of any of the 14 government-subsidized drugs they take like communion, 3 times a day

Desperately seeking only to recapture simple normalcy in a society that has no use for them, at all