“Forgotten”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

Those who fade away
Dust-covered and forgotten
Hushed in melancholy thought

Those of us denied
Peering through the river reeds
Watching joy drift out of reach

Who will remember
Those abandoned on the path
Those who fall by the wayside

We the silent ones
Mournful ones invisible
Just a burden nothing more

Will our lives echo
Down the road you travel on
Will our mem’ries be erased

As easily as
Closing your eyes and your hearts
As you pass us on your way

To something better
One day you’ll be one of us
Old infirm alone and weak

One day you will weep
Reach out bony fingers as
Youth and beauty pass you by

As you fade away
Dust-covered and forgotten
Hushed in melancholy thought