Gout.
I have heard of this obscure disease
Maybe in a Dicken's Novel once
A disease of indolence and wealth
Of red meat and alcohol
Of excruciating pain with no cure.

It winds up being in
The top ten most excruciating conditions
And my husband of 28 years has it big time

We are neither indolent or lazy
We don't drink hardly at all
We have almost no risk factors

Now this gout is chronic
Driving my husband from sleep
To the ER at 3 am this morning
Try prednisone this time. Sigh.

Aging is not fun
There is something as bizarre
As chronic gout
Who would ever guess
Such a weird thing
When you are 25?

I feel entirely powerless to help
Other than to pick up the slack
Do more chores,
Bring him pillows or an ice pack.

Enjoy your youth because
We are feeling it at only 53

The Buddha says we will all suffer
We all become older.
We all get sick
We all die

The mastery lies
In having pain, without it
Turning into suffering
But you can meditate a lifetime
On one koan
And still never achieve
Liberation.

When I was young I took it for granted
Smooth muscles gliding past each other
Tolerance for imperfect situations
And a general ease about life.

If I had to do it over again
I would have appreciated
My youth more than I did
Now that it is gone, it is most
Revered,
like the Buddha.

Maybe next lifetime