Stroll with me under the trees
to where the old road bends,
at the hanging sycamores
then walk away
beyond my sight
for I cannot follow
do not turn back,
you have many miles to go
and new companions to meet
I will wait here, in the shade
tired feet need to rest
visit me now and again
when the leaves fall
but only in memory
walk on

Yes, here I am
In my 1955 model body
Sipping hot toddy
But on the inside nothing has changed
It’s all on the outside.

And there I go
Like the old man in a song
Shuffling along
Inside, nothing has changed
But, oh, the outside.

The years have passed
One on one
69 have gone
In the blink of an eye
But the changes you see, tell a lie.

SE      May 24