his bony fingers
are frail and thin,
and hide beneath,
his falling skin.

the wrinkles on his palms,
a calloused story,
telling the time he fought in war,
for freedom and glory.

his deteriorating nails
are chipped and cracked,
when he protected his wife,
she was brutally attacked.

the hinges in his hands,
although worn out,
creaked with the same song,
that used to be his patriotic shout.