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Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States

Friday, May 7, 2010

We're Not Old Enough

We're not old enough for the senior center.
We joined the "friends" for the travel club,
Securing a bus ride and admission to
The MFA and its annual "Art in Bloom."

We had to meet with the travel coordinator
At the Yarmouth Senior Center
To pay the bill and make reservations
For future trips to Newport and Providence.

What a dismal experience!
The lobby and corridors are reminiscent of
A seedy nursing home or a fleabag motel
With ancient, bored volunteers at the desk.

Bulletin boards everywhere are replete
With medical advice for every known disease,
And announcements of services for those unable
To perform life's basic tasks.

The internal decor varies from dirty beige
To dirty brown, in places where it may be viewed.
Otherwise, the fluorescent lights turn everything to
Looking like accoutrements for an emergency room.

In the side rooms are very old people
Playing pinochle or mah jongg, or something,
Looking like they had been dumped there
By their caregivers for the day.

But there are all sorts of more lively activities,
Ranging from bridge to line dancing to yoga.
My favorite is exercise from your wheelchair.
Don't forget daily lunches for two dollars.

The whole scene reminds me of the clubhouse
At a vast retirement community in Florida,
Where the purpose of life is simply to waste time
Between doctor's appointments and the inevitable end.