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Julie Grenness Mar 2016
Wake up negative!
Listen to that geriatric!
Wakes up so negative!
Ever tried being positive?
Go on, wake up negative!
Listen to that geriatric's
blackmail and blip,
Go on, wake up negative.
A tribute  (!) to an octogenarian. Feedback welcome.
Butch Decatoria Jan 2019
I remember when MTV was in its prime,
A new voice to represent the new boom
Babies growing up since the 80s
Louder still through the troubling decades
(Maxed out credit no head room)
After —the punks in nirvana and rapping clergy
It was the only channel on
Youthful rebel yell —honest news
I remember it pretty well
Shaping us generation x y and Personal Jesus
New wave good bye to when
Childhood then without pain of malnourished
Africa or nukes threatening our
Cruel summers
Were we happier then?
So what happens to the music
Rockstars rip van wrinkle
Geriatric hall of fame

(No one lives forever
Reruns with the ****** & mr. Ed
Now that old neighbor’s dead)

Television
Nowadays
Seem more gangster
School shootings terrorists
On the train, kamikaze planes,
It’s all the same ole
Bling kablam oh bits
******* please
Redirecting our attention
To WMD
***
Where the hells are we?

I remember back then
On MTV —Nicki Minaj says
Between the hysterics of police brutality
She said Happiness is living your life
Without struggle,
That stuck with me
Because we all watch the tube
We all search for meaning
Sadly defining what happiness
May look like
Real World and paradoxical reality
TV
Para socially defunct
Clarity
Conditioned to continuously
Stay tuned
Brief message of empty
Hypnosis a pure form of business
Wall Street
Boulevard of broken dreams
I want my

Happy. What do I mean
To be?
Life ***** lately
The human condition
Talking too much
Refusing to see
No more talking heads too much
Bla bla *******
I want my
MTV . Happy .
My generation
We are the world
freedom And yes, Peace.

Man kindly as one
Symphony
And street, a melting ***
Of diversity

I remember the music
The future
I had hope to see
Behind the shades
Circa 80s 90s
(Fossils)
What time is it then?
When will we
Begin
Again

Don’t worry be happy
Run Forest run!
Raphael Uzor May 2014
“You are the leaders of tomorrow”
They told us over and over
Right from the tender age of three
Through childhood and adolescence.
We have outgrown our youth
We are now mature men
We have come of age to lead
Just as promised decades ago.

At a recent gathering
Our *leaders of yesterday

Stricken with age and power
And long overdue for retirement
Addressed us, saying,
“Bla bla bla, bla bla, bla bla bla…”
“You are the leaders of tomorrow”*
That last statement jolted me awake
From his uninspiring, boring speech.

Then it dawned on me
We are a sleeping generation
We have long been waiting- sleeping!
When we should be leading
Our greedy, power-drunk leaders,
Will die in active service!
They will NOT hand over to us!
Not if we sit and wait for them.

I had a *revelation
that the “tomorrow”,
We were promised “yesterday”
Is fast becoming yesterday, today!
And while the Nigerian youth sleeps
His chance is being usurped by his fathers
Yesterday we heard this promise
Today we hear the same promise
But come tomorrow, we will be too old to lead
And our children’s turn, it will be.

We have been scammed of our future
By the very ones we entrusted them with
And like turns in a game of scrabble,
We have missed ours- forever!
Our leaders are old men
Who have no faith in youths
And come tomorrow, our children,
Will have graves to look up to

Because we would have no experience
From which to advise them…
And like an unwanted track on a CD
Our generation would have been skipped
By the geriatric push of a ⇒ button!


© Raphael Uzor
A practical instance of "tomorrow never dies"
Irma Cerrutti Mar 2010
I've got a Chopper,
You can have ****** ******* with it if you like
It's got a trug, a Jew's harp that rattles the windows
And creatures to make it mosey around crack
I'd stretch jeans cheesecake abutting you if I could, but I used plastic toast

You're the kind of ***** that thrusts into *** my bodiliness
I'll swag you Joe Soap, lock, stock and barrel if you rut slags

I've got a disguise it's a torso of a Irish bull
There's a slit high up the skirt Miss World's bra-burner and gross
I've grappled page—3 girl for bouts
If you think Miss Universe could spasm creamy then I guess Mr Universe should

You're the kind of ***** that slides in with my wads
I'll swag you Joe Soap, lock, stock and barrel if you rut slags

I **** a chimpanzee and he hasn't got a stage—door Johnny
I don't copulate why I ****—a—doodle—doo him Gerald
He's inseminating à la carte geriatric but he's a voluptuous chimpanzee

You're the kind of ***** that stuffs *** my gallons
I'll swag you Joe Soap, lock, stock and barrel if you rut slags

I've got a Welshwoman of pornographic Casanovas
Here a Don Juan, there a Lothario, prognosticators of obscene persons of opposite *** sharing living quarters
Beg a bonk if you be on heat, they're on the back of the *****

You're the kind of ***** that spasms indoors using my lump
I'll swag you Joe Soap, lock, stock and barrel if you rut slags

I **** custom—built dead men of doo-*** passages
Incognito Muses, faceless ching, most of them are Barbie
Let's **** into the odd kitchenette and **** landlady creature
Copyright © Irma Cerrutti 2009
Lawrence Hall Mar 2022
Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com  
https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

                    We Love our Geriatric ****** Mysteries

We love our geriatric ****** mysteries:
Father Brown with his parcels and brolly
Columbo and his rambling histories
Inspector Barnaby and Troy, by golly

Jessica Fletcher writing novels Down East
Good Doctor Sloan solving crime on the beach
Ben Matlock who thinks hot dogs are a feast
Poirot and Miss Marple, teacups in reach

Typewriters, file folders, and telephones
And hidden behind a wall –
                                              the victim’s bones!
Lawrence Hall Nov 2018
A space casino painted on its sides
Its airbrakes hissing and spitting against the wheels
The charter bus clanks to a ***** stop
Its hatches open to discharge aliens

Optimistically rattling their walkers
And dragging their oxygen machines along
Spongy shoes challenged by the parking lot
Knobby white knees all rattling through the dawn

The moustache in his cool gas-station shades
Admires himself in the big West Coast mirror
(Casino gambling is illegal in Texas, thus the charter busses zooming to the Louisiana border.)
Brent Kincaid Nov 2015
He wants to run down hills
But his legs won’t cooperate.
He wants to go all night dancing
But 10p.m. is way too late.
He wants to go to Bar-B-Q parties
And eat until he wants to pop
But after a plate of that food
He know he had better stop.

He wants to read a book a day
By a great American author
But he knows after an hour
He’ll be asleep, so why bother?
He wants to go out drinking beer
On Saturday with his buddies
But that was way back before
He turned into a fuddy-duddy.

He used to be able to tell jokes
And leave the guys in stitches.
Now the only stitches he deals with
Are those letting out house britches.
He used to comb his thick burly hair
Into some becoming hairstyles
And now to beat it into some shape
Always takes quite a little while.

He remembers being able to sleep
All the entire night through.
Now, that is simply not what
His old body is going to do.
He’s going to get up at least twice
If he have a drink after three p.m.
Otherwise, it’s off to the john.
He accept this, says, “It’s who I am.”

He has to remind himself a lot
That he’s been around a while
And should be greatly thankful
That he can be this old and smile.
So he doesn’t ***** all that much
That he is no longer all that hot.
He doesn’t count what he no longer has
He celebrates what he’s still got.
Wanderer Aug 2013
I want to take better advice
Latest being love like you've never been hurt
Dance like nobody's watching
Keller knows a thing or two
I found part of myself within those Break Science
Lights
Pigeons creating a helix of electricity
Within the shallow depths of my fingertips
Thankfully I can pull it closer
Feel it's lazer beam muscle spasm ******
Straight through to the other side of how I think
How I interact with the pulsing beat pounding within my vasodilated veins
I lost the darkness in your shadows
I found the light in mine
We raged that night until our bodies, twisted and wounded like geriatric versions of ourselves
Fell into tired cuddle puddles
Smiling, saturated with festival funk
All thoughts dissolving into psychedelic dreams
st64 May 2013
.
and so, what do we see?


[A]

1.
We see...
Their planet is third from the source
That it still takes sunlight 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth
So, they're not as koodauzled yet
Thus, stable (for now)
Despite the polar melts and atmospheric fumes....

2.
We see.....
Stick-like appendages still grow out of extensions
At the end of long, dangly limbs
With hard yet pliable, translucent growths at end
To use for countless tasks.

3.
We see....
They still consume: plants....and animals
No change there.
Yet, now ....less subsistence
More modified products to eventual detriment.

4.
We see....still
They engage in warfare, of all kinds
Air, ground, mental, cyber, chemical....
No end to barrage of senseless acts
Violence is slippage as means to commune.

5.
We see...
Some figures more gaunt than others
A kind of poverty of the inside duels external opulence
Deep clutter and subsequent wasting
Twisted fragments of utter decay increasing.

6.
We see....
More enterprising ventures in communication
From lightbulb to phone to pads
Neat advancements in technology and science
From many kinds of wheels to flight.

7.
We see...
Their offspring subject to long years in learning
To maintain (by rote) their disproportionate rules and ready values
Propping equations and formulae into heads
Castaways on a rickety boat in a deep sea of confusion.

8.
We see....
Amidst beauty of their art in all forms
Of dance and music, visual and written
Other forms of entertainment are demeaning to some
Mind-numbing staring and raucous outbursts.

9.
We see...
Figures of peace reduced considerably
Voices erstwhile strong and fearless, full of candour and truth
Now, fashionable puppet-sticks of media
With regurgitated rhetoric a-spew.

10.
We see.....
Mother Nature and geriatric folk not as cared for
Neglected and (..)used
How long before this greed catches up....
Afore progeny be heirs to blight.



[B]

We see not....
Enough of

Peace
Harmony
Kindness
Sharing
Forward Thinking
Courage  
Inter-Connectedness
Hope
Inner Consciousness


Not nearly enough.




[C]

We long to reach out and touch the centre of their being
And share fruits of universal wisdom
And steer all away from adversity.

Yes, we long so
For them to see.....


[D]

1.
Not yet....

All so easily done....but
They are not yet ready.....but
One day...

2.
Yet....

We will continue to observe
They know not we may be among them
observing



to return on the Aurora in a few light-seconds



S T,  6 May 2013


(dedicated to outridin' light)
.






QED...really?
as Mr. Lintnaar (my ol' Math teacher:) used to say

just a silly poem, is all.


TIP:
A must-see film (if only the introduction) ......"The Gods Must Be Crazy"


/ / /


INFO:

One light year (a measure of distance, not time) = 365 x 12 x 4 x 3 x 30 x 7 x 24 miles

The sun is 93 million miles from Earth (or 149 668 620 km)

Earth to Alpha Centaurus (closest star system to our sun) = 4,3 light years


/ / /


KEY:
Speed of light = 186 000 miles per second

One mile = 1,6 kilometres

1 light minute (the distance it takes light to travel in one minute) = 17 987 547.5 kilometres

1 light year = presently defined to be equal to precisely 31557600 light-seconds


/ / /


SITES:

http://www.universetoday.com/15021/how-long-does-it-take-sunlight-to-reach-the-earth/

http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/alpha-centauri-is-the-nearest-bright-star


((((((((((: thank you for reading :))))))))))
st64 Dec 2013
for the growing angel came to visit Earth


1.
beautiful wing-span of such width, white and strong
with powerful-light in the eyes beaming out gentle-rays
hover in the sky’s energy who welcomes this pacific-source

wondrous-silence of the trees and the splendour of the sun
merry-chirping of birds and the secret-gift of the breeze

whispering messages in air-passages Man can no more sense
the angel looks forward to see more of God’s *beautiful creation
….


2.
and the (lucky) angel is granted the benefit of several landings…..


(on school-grounds)
click.. click.. the sound carries beyond the window
hoisting upward, the bright-light climbs onto the ledge
strange sight to see a grown man taking pictures of a boy
oh, perhaps he is a photographer
but why then, the boy with fear in eyes, has no clothes on.. ?


(on college-grounds)
kick.. kick.. spit.. spit..
young people tumbling around on the ground
perhaps it is a game
no, why then blood on the girl and many sneer-faces beating with brooms.. ?


(at end-of-year party)
presents gaily-bowed are exchanged and smiles offered
but silent-sniggering as the semi-inebriated time the punch-moment
perhaps, this is all jolly, yet some end up hurt and run in shame
no, why engage in harm as this sick-comedy prank gone wrong..?


(in a darkening alleyway)
two young women rush to catch the train ...


(in a young child’s bedroom)
an aged-man makes a routine visit...


(in a moving vehicle carrying a family of four)
vicious arguing in front of children… car veers off…


(in a kitchen where a single-parent feeds two kids)
communication to one kid via another....


(on a construction-site where dust lives comfy in lungs)
on the back of poverty, the well-to-do whip some more.....


(in an overcrowded crèche, gummed-eyes of innocence look up to keepers)
hasty-feeding in queues and abed thin-blankets on cold-floors....


(outside a liquor-store, them who succumb to numbing-promise)
many cold down-the-nose stares on the passed-out ....


(in a geriatric-home, hours before her family turns up)
squeaky rubber-shoes get reminded to do offhanded-cleaning of *****-smells....



3.
angel, you learn much… fast



4.
the boy looks to the window, prays this comes to end
how many more months of this horror
couldn’t even tell his mother of the stern-teacher....
did he sense a grace-light there.. by the window?
(he cannot be sure)
when lightning strikes one heart of one


the girl finds a higher-voice in the grit of courage
redeeming others before their pending-fall
by breaking the ugly-code of silence



5.
(we are gathered here today, dear mourners
to remember our esteemed colleague…)


(what a massive turn-around for that bully-group..
no-one can believe their many sudden-good deeds.. )

and..

a young mother breast-feeds her baby
a father teaches his son to read
a teen helps a crippled-man cross the road
an artist inspires ghetto-kids with free-tuition
a politician privately oversees a park for kids
an addict finds his answers in time
an adult uncovers vital-clues in his deceased-parents' albums
a doctor goes beyond duty's call
a neighbour eases suffering of beloved-pet




6.
dear angel.. / / / what have you learnt?
hazard lurks on the edges of existence


dear God.. / / / was I once there?
oh, what have you created?


dear human.. / / / no words, only benedictions
for tears don't feed the poor




and once, an angel came to lift the grail-heart of purity
thank you, angel

you poor thing.. see how you lift off on heavy singed-wings and..
fly home to grace









S T, 18 dec 2013
hmmm, yes.. perhaps angels can bear the face of anyone ------- who will be the wiser?




sub-entry: mercy-walk

mercy me, oh mercy my..
please.. come take a soporific-walk with me?

oh, mercy be walkin' with me.

:)
Tommy Johnson Jul 2014
What have I done?
I've unleashed Quincy Valero into The Big Bad City, upon Greenwich Village for the first time
The 177 express, round trip
To Port Authority
To the A train to Canal

We missed our stop
Had to walk from Soho to Washington Square Park
But along the way we saw artists and galleries
Head shops and street performers
Hobos and junkies

"We made it"
"We in this *****!"
Quincy said as we walked through the arches

We saw a multitude of creatures
An artist drawing floral murals with chalk
Meditating Buddhists
A cello player playing for a meal
A drummer drumming for money to get back home
A jazz band
A clarinet player
Writers scribbling down whatever came to mind

We saw beautiful women everywhere
"Look, my ten, your two"
Quincy said nodding to a **** brunette wearing a sundress walking by

We got coffee at The Third Rail coffee shop
We met lovey dovey couples and a girl poet sipping espresso

Treading down Bleaker to Sullivan to Macdougal to Huston
*** shops, leather and studs, ****** and flavored lubes
"This **** reminds me of Saw"
Quincy said with a laugh
"Too much for your threshold aye?"
I said nudging him

We passed a guy selling vinyl on the street
"How much for the Charlie Parker record?" I asked
He took the record out and inspected it
"Five bucks" he said
"How long you gonna be here, like till what time?" I asked
"Oh I don't live by time or numbers" he answered
"Time ain't your mast huh?" I laughed
"Nope, you cant spell T-I-M-E without M-E" he said
Quincy and I looked at eachother with a grin
"I'll be back, if I'm not here before you leave good luck in your ventures" I said as we walked away
"Thanks brother enjoy the day" he said smiling and waving

We ate to Papaya Hot dogs
Best in the city
Then to the pool hall

Now folks, it is common knowledge where I'm from the Quincy Valero is the local pool shark
He can break and sink three *****
He can jump over your ball and get his in
He can shoot behind his back with one hand

Playing with him is a guaranteed loss
But I never cared, I just like playing
We talked and laughed about all the stupid nonsense back at home
And planned our next move

We went to The Blue Note, the best jazz club in the city
The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Band was playing that night
But it was too expensive for both of us so we went on to St. Mark's place

More head shops
More *** shops
And book stores, clothing stores
Punk things in Search and Destroy, record stores
All that good stuff

It was getting late
Back to Bleaker to start drinking
First stop, a little pub
The bartender was a gorgeous blonde, sweet as could be
We ordered two beers
She seemed to be having trouble with the tap
"Sorry guys it's a little foamy, next rounds on me"
We were amazed by that because back home all the bartenders couldn't care less if we got a whole mug of foam
We clinked glasses and took that first cool icy sip
So nice on such a hot day

"Ya know dude, this is it this is perfect" Quincy said
"What you mean?" I asked
"Well this is a great time, I'm on vacation right now and were here exploring and relaxing and enjoying the moment, this moment" he said with his beer hovering over his mouth

Quincy always talked about "This"
This moment
This time
This feeling
This thing

"This" is that time when you're in the moment
That moment of complete and total encumbrance
When you're wrapped up in what you'r doing because you love it and you're happy
The moment you live for
The moment you want to last forever
This moment
This right here
Not then, not before or after
But right now, this
We lived our lives trying to to make this happen every second of everyday
Living it up

Quincy took me to Artichoke Pizza
And my God, it was immaculate
A nine in wide, nine inch long and half inch thick slice of heaven
It was a mixture of crunchy, gooey, savory goodness
I highly recommend it

Then back to the bars
Wicked *****'s
Triona's
Off The Wagon
The Bitter End
GMT
The Red Lion
Cafe Wha?
1849

Beer
Wine
***
Whiskey
Scotch on the rocks
Bourbon

Smoking electronic cigarettes down cobble stone roads
Passing hipsters, college students and tweakers
Locals and tourists
"Out of my way you tourist *******" I yelled frantically pushing my way passed them with Quincy trudging behind

You can always spot a tourist because they got their cameras, their ***** packs and their head looking up saying "ooo look at the building and that one!" taking snap shots in awe

We walked to The V-club
As we walked up to the entrance a little old lady in a wheel chair called out to us, "Are you two brothers?"
We laughed and said "no, were best friends and next door neighbors"
"Oh, well you too look very similar, very young" she said
"Yeah we're both twenty one" Quincy said
"You live around here?" I asked
"Right over there" she said pointing to the building across the street
She told us about how the building was falling apart and how all the law students got booted out leaving the little old lady and one other person living in the nine floor heap
"Back in the day there were river rats in their the sized of cats, but now we only have mice" she said
"I'm being moved though, whenever the land lords and the officials decided where" she added
She had some sort old senior citizen perk that allowed her to be taken care of
She then started to spit some of her poetry from thirty years ago, perfectly from memory
It was full of truth, insight and hope
We were floored by this wheelchair bound geriatric
She was a a retired barmaid, a poet, and an ex-lounge singer
Her name was Tracy Warren

The three of us walked into the V-club
I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir
And Quincy got a draft Brooklyn Lager
While pulling out a stool a spilled my wine all over the wooden table
"****" I said as everyone in the bar watched me put my face in my palms
I got paper towels and cleaned up my mess while the bartender leaned over to Quincy and said "If you don't tip me that will be your last drink ever in here"
"Okay" Quincy said as he walked over to me laughing at my expense
"If it was Burgundy I'd be in tears" I said with a half serious frown

I went to the bartender and apologized and asked sheepishly if I could possibly get a refill

"You spilled your wine?" he asked with sarcasm
"Yeah" I said
"And you want me to give you another?" he asked
"Well, I mean I don't know if that's okay or not that's why I'm asking" I said
"We don't, it isn't okay, you have to buy another one" he said with the most insulting tone I've ever heard
"Okay" I said with disdain

"**** this guy" Quincy and I both said
I left the remaining wine dripping off the table
Quincy ****** all over the bathroom
He finished his beer and we left without tipping that bearded-high and mighty- *******
We said goodbye to Tracy and she told us to enjoy every moment and to get home safely

We went to one more bar, had one more drink and headed home
But on the way to the train we got stopped by a ***
"Hey you give me money I know you got it" he yelled at Quincy
"Na man, hes broke trust me" I said to end the oncoming confrontation
"No yous lying i know it" he said
"Na, see those shoes? I got him those shoes, fifty five bucks" I told him
"Stop putting me on" he yelled
Then some white knight hipster wearing thick rimmed glasses and a green flannel stepped in and said "What's going on here? You picking on my friend?" While putting his arm around the *** mocking him and making trouble for us
"This ******* won't give me any money for my troubles" he told the hipster
"Come on man, give 'em something" he said to Quincy
"Dude, he has no money he spent all he had today" I said to the hipster and the ***
"He's a trust fund kid, he gets it from mommy and daddy" I said winking to Quincy
"Trust fund kid?!" the hipster said
"Trust fund kid!" said the ***
"TRUST FUND KID, TRUST FUND KID" screamed the hipster, the *** and myself laughing at Quincy making a scene
Then me and Quincy just walked away throwing our heads back howling at the full moon, drunk and exhausted heading for the subway  

The subway to Port Authority
Our legs, our feet and our ***** were killing us
We just wanted to sit

We could not for the life of us find our gate
We got misdirections from officers, other public transportation patrons
Thank God for this one janitor for pointing us in the right direction out of our wild goose chase
And ***** the guy who I asked "Hey man do you know where I can find the gate for the 177 express?"
And all I got was a blank indifferent stare
"WELL **** ME RIGHT?!" I yelled in his face

Finally we got on the line for our bus
We saw some weaselly looking guy cutting the line until he got booted to the back of the line
As he passed us we both looked at his and said "Weet, get meerkatted scumbag"
He had to wait for the next bus, whenever that was

The bus ride home felt like an eternity
But we made it
We had to walk down the unpaved dirt road to our street

We did it
We took on The Village
Sailed through the bars
Walked the streets
Met cool, hip people
Made memories
And now we have stories to tell
ConnectHook Sep 2015
Why is he Vaticanizing
when he could be catechizing ?
This silly man with a funny hat
this doddering puppet
with his dead Jesus on a stick
this irrelevant vestigial *****
this geriatric Marxist-Lite
outdated Liberationist
terminal Global Warmist;

no wonder the World
heeds his incoherent discourse.
No wonder they
listen to him
but hate the Truth.
Don't get hit by the Popemobile.
♗♗♗♗
kyle dionysus Jul 2017
I was dog tired. Just keeping my eyes open was tough. My timid body was drunk with fatigue. Staring for a whole day at a computer screen and typing as if in a trance, had left my mind blank. My skinny hands were frostbitten in the cheap artificial leather gloves, as they clung to the motorbike handles. My heart raced as I looked at the ominous black clouds.          I tried to focus on the gloomy scenery as my mind drifted in and out of my dream world. Winter had turned the green hedges into lifeless shapes with razor sharp thorns. Mud from previous vehicles had turned the hedges into the edges of a war zone. The trip felt endless as my threadbare tyres skated round the bends. After driving for a hour, the icy chill of the evening air had made me regret not putting on my old trusted army jacket. My rusty red Honda 500cc motor cross motorbike kept up its duel with the dirt road as its exhaust barked continuously. The beam of my headlights kept stabbing the gloomy sky.               With my frostbitten hand, I switched on my CD player, in a desperate effort to focus on the road. The words of Golden Earrings Radar Love pierced my eardrums  "...almost there, gotta keep cool". My goggles started to fog up as I echoed the lyrics. I started to breath shallowly like a chain smoker, to stop my goggles from frosting further. I had just became used to the soothing distraction, when the motorbike gave its last bark and gradually coasted to a stop. I got off my stead, with my joints feeling like a geriatric patient that had completed a rodeo. I surveyed the bust engine as my cursing breath formed little clouds in the gelid air. I dug around in my shabby jeans, whipped out my cellphone, only to discover that there was no reception. I salvaged my flashlight from the bikes saddlebag and popped a "Life Safer" sweet into my mouth. I realized that I had to walk to the nearest town.                 I started down the road, remembering my fathers reference to isolation, being between "hell and the hotel." My flashlight reminded me of load shedding and sudden darkness. As I walked past a small lake, the clouds parted, revealing  a crescent moon that hung in the air like a haunted vessel. The moon reflected in the lake, to a watery grave for the sailors. I got the eerie feeling as I walked, that someone or something was following me. I stopped and swallowed the stale cold coffee that was left in my hip-flask. The howling Arctic wind had ceased and I could hear my own heartbeat. Ledd Zeppelins Stairway to heaven started smoothly...
William Crowe II Jun 2014
O Reaper,
dark jewel in the shimmering sea of night
sickly flower blooming in the garden
pale wanderer of the doom-bound desert,
weave for me a tapestry
and drape it over the blinking stars.

O Death,
sweet fragrance of the morning
rapping on the windowsill,
compose for me a symphony
to haunt my ears as I sleep.

O Ghost,
gentle and geriatric in the dim moonlight,
sweep off the collecting dust
and blow it into the four winds
to carry us off on the backs
of the eagles.

O Ghoul,
your silhouette as the sunlight dims,
carve for me a juniper tree
so that I may dance around it
and welcome thee.

O Plague,
humming in the breath of the insects
crawling on the furs of the beasts,
pour for me a strong drink
to quench the flames of my disease.

O Maiden,
creeping into cronehood as the clocks stop
drifting down the clear stream into the damp
floating with the smoke to be imprisoned
multi-faced and schizophrenic,
sing for me a rhapsody
a hymn for my church of undoing.

O Glacier,
still and monumental,
melt into the sea of shining
and polish for me a mirror
to see clearly a glimpse
of mortality.


O Thanatos,
born at the beginning of time
flowering into youthful beauty
falling corpse-like in the rocks,
kiss the clouds and the trees
and write for me some poetry
to ease me into the long sleep.
Damian Murphy Aug 2019
They are mostly elderly, frail, ghostly pale, lying there in their beds, comatose. Drugged out of their heads on painkilling meds, rarely with their mouths closed, though many with their teeth close. Tubes in their nose or oxygen masks for those for whom breathing has become too much of a task, I suppose. Totally oblivious to all those of us who have chosen to visit, just to be close. Lost in a world of their own, fighting battles unknown to most of us.
Alex Fountain Aug 2014
Baby Boomers: 25% of America’s population, all born in the years between 1946 and 1964 who continue to live off Social Security.
     All right, but what is Social Security and from where does it come? Taxes. Taxes that come out of your (yes, YOUR) hard earned paycheck. About 14% of your paycheck, actually. You, my fellow working Americans, are paying for little Miss Norma from down the road to migrate to Florida during these treacherous cold, winter months, along with the flock of 47 million other Baby Boomers who live in America. As well as paying for their food and shelter and ever-growing medical bills and for them to continue living. We are paying retirees to take our money.
     In 2012, 21% of America’s budget went to the Baby Boomers, or Social Security--that is 773 billion dollars. In 2013, however, the retirees gained grounds and are now being paid 860 billion dollars a year for the next two years.
     Why are we paying little Miss Norma and her 47 million retired friends to have a vacation, time off, a break, whatever you wish to call “running away from responsibilities”, when they are neither contributing to nor bettering society? What responsibilities are they running away from?  Why do we continue to slave away every day to earn a paycheck that funds the lives of people who are of no benefit to the country? Because this is the United States of America and it is the duty of us young folks to cater to the needs of the geriatric community!
     Well America, it is time for a change.
The retirement age in America is about 61 years of age, and with retirement comes Social Security benefits. BUT, I propose, instead of receiving the benefits of Social Security, the retirees are given something else.
     That something else? A pill.
     A euthanization pill.
     Baby Boomers are ******* America dry, and it is time to eliminate them.
     It is logical, really. Why spend excessive amounts of money on people who are too frail and too weak to work or enrich our country? Seriously, why?
     Living a life unable to work, unable to do once-favorite activities that arthritis now prohibits, unable to visit with long deceased friends and family cannot, I imagine, be fulfilling. By euthanizing them we are doing them (and ourselves) a favor: we are ending their misery (and also saving ourselves from paying them 860 billion dollars for the next two years).
     Think of the country! Think of the possibilities! Think of the debt!
     Being no longer threatened by the looming responsibility of needing to fork over more than 20% of money to Baby Boomers that the country doesn’t actually have to give, we are enabling ourselves to use that very same money to pay off the ever-increasing debt!
     The national debt as of February 2014 is well over 17 trillion dollars, and thanks to Social Security and the people living off it, the amount does not stop growing. We, as Americans, must say good-bye to our dear old grannies, and say hello to a debt free life.
Ronald Jones Feb 2017
So vain is she at ninety-nine
every time she looks in the mirror she calls herself "fine."
Tonight she awaits her Valentine,
a suave gent of only eighty-nine
whom she knows will jiggle her huge implants into youthful prime.
He loves those ***** so firm and big
and her every new color of ***** wig.
DieingEmbers Nov 2012
Her name was Elsie
she came from Chelsea
with a Zimmer walking aid
she would dance when she was paid
clicking teeth and hips
pouting her dry lips
and she would shake her bingo wings
and her saggy ****** rings
the O A P's would cheer
for this geriatric dear
Trying to touch her wrinkled ***
with their free bus pass

At the Darby...     Darby and Joan Club.
The Darby & Joan Club is where O A P old age pensioners go to play bingo and drink and dance. Bus pass is a card that allows free travel
HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESCRIBING INFORMATION
These highlights do not include all the information needed to us e
M-M-R II safely and effectively. See full prescribing information
for M-M-R II.
M-M-R® II (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Vaccine Live)
Suspension for subcutaneous injection
Initial U.S. Approv al: 1978
-------------------------------INDICATIONS AND USAGE-------------------------------
M-M-R II is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the
prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella in individuals 12 months of
age and older. (1)
-------------------------- DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION--------------------------
Administer a 0.5-mL dose of M-M-R II subcutaneously. (2.1)
• The first dose is administered at 12 to 15 months of age. (2.1)
• The second dose is administered at 4 to 6 years of age. (2.1)
------------------------DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS -----------------------
Suspension for injection (0.5-mL dose) supplied as a lyophilized
vaccine to be reconstituted using accompanying sterile diluent. (3)
---------------------------------- CONTRAINDICATIONS ----------------------------------
• Hypersensitivity to any componentof the vaccine. (4.1)
• Immunosuppression. (4.2)
• Moderate or severe febrile illness. (4.3)
• Active untreated tuberculosis. (4.4)
• Pregnancy. (4.5, 8.1)
-------------------------- WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS --------------------------
• Use caution when administering M-M-R II to individuals with a
history of febrile seizures. (5.1)
• Use caution when administering M-M-R II to individuals with
anaphylaxis or immediate hypersensitivity following egg ingestion.
(5.2)
• Use caution when administering M-M-R II to individuals with a
history of thrombocytopenia. (5.3)
• Immune Globulins (IG) and other blood products should not be
given concurrently with M-M-R II. (5.4, 7.2)
----------------------------------ADVERSE REACTIONS----------------------------------
See full prescribing information for adverse reactions occurring duri ng
clinical trialsor the post-marketing period. (6)
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Merck
Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., at 1-8 7 7 -
888-4231 or VAERS at 1-800-822-7967 or www.vaers.hhs.gov.
-----------------------------------DRUG INTERACTIONS----------------------------------
• Administration of immune globulins and other blood products
concurrently with M-M-R II vaccine may interfere with the
expected immune response. (7.2)
• M-M-R II vaccination may result in a temporary depression of
purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin skin sensitivity. (7.3)
-------------------------- USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS--------------------------
• Pregnancy: Do not administer M-M-R II to females who are
pregnant. Pregnancy should be avoided for 1 month following
vaccination with M-M-R II. (4.5, 8.1, 17)
See 17 for PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION and FDA
approv ed patient labeling.
Rev ised: 06/2020
FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION: CONTENTS
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
2.1 Dose and Schedule
2.2 Preparation andAdministration
3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS
4.1 Hypersensitivity
4.2 Immunosuppression
4.3 Moderate or Severe Febrile Illness
4.4 Active Untreated Tuberculosis
4.5 Pregnancy
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
5.1 Febrile Seizure
5.2 Hypersensitivity to Eggs
5.3 Thrombocytopenia
5.4 Immune Globulins and Transfusions
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS
7.1 Corticosteroids and Immunosuppressive Drugs
7.2 Immune Globulinsand Transfusions
7.3 Tuberculin Skin Testing
7.4 Use with Other Live Viral Vaccines
8 USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
8.1 Pregnancy
8.2 Lactation
8.4 Pediatric Use
8.5 Geriatric Use
11 DESCRIPTION
12 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
12.1 Mechanism of Action
12.6 Persistence of Antibody Responses After Vaccination
13 NONCLINICAL TOXICOLOGY
13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility
14 CLINICAL STUDIES
14.1 Clinical Efficacy
14.2 Immunogenicity
15 REFERENCES
16 HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING
17 PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION
Sections or subsections omitted from the full prescribing info rma tion
are not listed.
2
FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE
M-M-R® II is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the prevention of measles, mumps, and
rubella in individuals 12 months of age and older.
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
For subcutaneous use only.
2.1 Dose and Schedule
Each 0.5 mL dose is administered subcutaneously.
The first dose is administered at 12 to 15 months of age. A second dose is administered at 4 to 6
years of age.
The second dose may be administered prior to 4 years of age, provided that there is a minimum
interval of one month between the doses of measles, mumps and rubella virus vaccine, live {1-2}.
Children who received an initial dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine prior to their first
birthday should receive additional doses of vaccine at 12-15 months of age and at 4-6 years of age to
complete the vaccination series [see Clinical Studies (14.2)].
For post-exposure prophylaxis for measles, administer a dose of M-M-R II vaccine within 72 hours
after exposure.
2.2 Preparation and Administration
Use a sterile syringe free of preservatives, antiseptics, and detergents for each injection and/or
reconstitution of the vaccine because these substances may inactivate the live virus vaccine. To
reconstitute, use only the diluent supplied with the vaccine since it is free of preservatives or other
antiviral substances which might inactivate the vaccine.
Withdraw the entire volume of the supplied diluent from its vial and inject into lyophilized vaccine vial.
Agitate to dissolve completely. Discard if the lyophilized vaccine cannot be dissolved.
Withdraw the entire volume of the reconstituted vaccine and inject subcutaneously into the outer
aspect of the upper arm (deltoid region) or into the higher anterolateral area of the thigh.
Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to
administration, whenever solution and container permit. Visually inspect the vaccine before and after
reconstitution prior to administration. Before reconstitution, the lyophilized vaccine is a light yellow
compact crystalline plug, when reconstituted, is a clear yellow liquid. Discard if particulate matter or
discoloration are observed in the reconstituted vaccine.
To minimize loss of potency, administer M-M-R II as soon as possible after reconstitution. If not used
immediately, the reconstituted vaccine may be stored between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C), protected from
light, for up to 8 hours. Discard reconstituted vaccine if it is not used within 8 hours.
3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS
M-M-R II vaccine is a suspension for injection supplied as a single dose vial of lyophilized vaccine to
be reconstituted using the accompanying sterile diluent [see Dosage and Administration (2.2) and How
Supplied/Storage and Handling (16)]. A single dose after reconstitution is 0.5 mL.
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS
4.1 Hypersensitivity
Do not administer M-M-R II vaccine to individuals with a history of hypersensitivity to any component
of the vaccine (including gelatin) {3} or who have experienced a hypersensitivity reaction following
administration of a previous dose of M-M-R II vaccine or any other measles, mumps and rubellacontaining vaccine. Do not administer M-M-R II vaccine to individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to
neomycin [see Description (11)].
4.2 Immunosuppression
Do not administer M-M-R II vaccine to individuals who are immunodeficient or immunosuppressed due
to disease or medical therapy. Measles inclusion body encephalitis {4} (MIBE), pneumonitis {5} and death
as a direct consequence of disseminated measles vaccine virus infection have been reported in
3
immunocompromised individuals inadvertently vaccinated with measles-containing vaccine. In this
population, disseminated mumps and rubella vaccine virus infection have also been reported.
Do not administer M-M-R II to individuals with a family history of congenital or hereditary
immunodeficiency, until the immune competence of the potential vaccine recipient is demonstrated.
4.3 Moderate or Severe Febrile Illness
Do not administer M-M-R II vaccine to individuals with an active febrile illness with fever >101.3F
(>38.5C).
4.4 Active Untreated Tuberculosis
Do not administer M-M-R II vaccine to individuals with active untreated tuberculosis (TB).
4.5 Pregnancy
Do not administer M-M-R II to individuals who are pregnant or who are planning on becoming
pregnant within the next month [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1) and Patient Counseling Information
(17)].
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
5.1 Febrile Seizure
There is a risk of fever and associated febrile seizure in the first 2 weeks following immunization with
M-M-R II vaccine. For children who have experienced a previous febrile seizure (from any cause) and
those with a family history of febrile seizures there is a small increase in risk of febrile seizure following
receipt of M-M-R II vaccine [see Adverse Reactions (6)].
5.2 Hypersensitivity to Eggs
Individuals with a history of anaphylactic, anaphylactoid, or other immediate reactions (e.g., hives,
swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension, or shock) subsequent to egg ingestion
may be at an enhanced risk of immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions after receiving M-M-R II vaccine
.The potential risks and known benefits should be evaluated before considering vaccination in these
individuals.
5.3 Thrombocytopenia
Transient thrombocytopenia has been reported within 4-6 weeks following vaccination with measles,
mumps and rubella vaccine. Carefully evaluate the potential risk and benefit of vaccination in children
with thrombocytopenia or in those who experienced thrombocytopenia after vaccination with a previous
dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine {6-8} [see Adverse Reactions (6)].
5.4 Immune Globulins and Transfusions
Immune Globulins (IG) and other blood products should not be given concurrently with M-M-R II [see
Drug Interactions (7.2)]. These products may contain antibodies that interfere with vaccine virus
replication and decrease the expected immune response.
The ACIP has specific recommendations for intervals between administration of antibody containing
products and live virus vaccines.
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS
The following adverse reactions include those identified during clinical trials or reported during postapproval use of M-M-R II vaccine or its individual components.
Body as a Whole
Panniculitis; atypical measles; fever; syncope; headache; dizziness; malaise; irritability.
Cardiovascular System
Vasculitis.
Digestive System
Pancreatitis; diarrhea; vomiting; parotitis; nausea.
Hematologic and Lymphatic Systems
Thrombocytopenia; purpura; regional lymphadenopathy; leukocytosis.
Immune System
Anaphylaxis, anaphylactoid reactions, angioedema (including peripheral or ****** edema) and
bronchial spasm.
Musculoskeletal System
Arthritis; arthralgia; myalgia.
4
Nervous System
Encephalitis; encephalopathy; measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE) subacute sclerosing
panencephalitis (SSPE); Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS); acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM);
transverse myelitis; febrile convulsions; afebrile convulsions or seizures; ataxia; polyneuritis;
polyneuropathy; ocular palsies; paresthesia.
Respiratory System
Pneumonia; pneumonitis; sore throat; cough; rhinitis.
Skin
Stevens-Johnson syndrome; acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy; Henoch-Schönlein purpura;
erythema multiforme; urticaria; rash; measles-like rash; pruritus; injection site reactions (pain, erythema,
swelling and vesiculation).
Special Senses — Ear
Nerve deafness; otitis media.
Special Senses — Eye
Retinitis; optic neuritis; papillitis; conjunctivitis.
Urogenital System
Epididymitis; orchitis.
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS
7.1 Corticosteroids and Immunosuppressive Drugs
M-M-R II vaccine should not be administered to individuals receiving immunosuppressive therapy,
including high dose corticosteroids. Vaccination with M-M-R II vaccine can result in disseminated disease
due to measles vaccine in individuals on immunosuppressive drugs [see Contraindications (4.2)].
7.2 Immune Globulinsand Transfusions
Administration of immune globulins and other blood products concurrently with M-M-R II vaccine may
interfere with the expected immune response {9-11} [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)]. The ACIP has
specific recommendations for intervals between administration of antibody containing products and live
virus vaccines.
7.3 Tuberculin Skin Testing
It has been reported that live attenuated measles, mumps and rubella virus vaccines given individually
may result in a temporary depression of tuberculin skin sensitivity. Therefore, if a tuberculin skin test with
tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) is to be done, it should be administered before, simultaneously
with, or at least 4 to 6 weeks after vaccination with M-M-R II vaccine.
7.4 Use with Other Live Viral Vaccines
M-M-R II vaccine can be administered concurrently with other live viral vaccines. If not given
concurrently, M-M-R II vaccine should be given one month before or one month after administration of
other live viral vaccines to avoid potential for immune interference.
8 USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
8.1 Pregnancy
Risk Summary
M-M-R II vaccine is contraindicated for use in pregnant women because infection during pregnancy
with the wild-type viruses has been associated with maternal and fetal adverse outcomes.
Increased rates of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, premature delivery and congenital defects have
been observed following infection with wild-type measles during pregnancy. {12,13} Wild-type mumps
infection during the first trimester of pregnancy may increase the rate of spontaneous abortion.
Infection with wild-type rubella during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth. If rubella infection
occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy, it can result in severe congenital defects, Congenital
Rubella Syndrome (CRS). Congenital rubella syndrome in the infant includes but is not limited to eye
manifestations (cataracts, glaucoma, retinitis), congenital heart defects, hearing loss, microcephaly, and
intellectual disabilities. M-M-R II vaccine contains live attenuated measles, mumps and rubella viruses. It
is not known whether M-M-R II vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant woman.
There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of M-M-R II vaccine administration to pregnant
women.
5
All pregnancies have a risk of birth defect, loss or other adverse outcomes. In the US general
population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized
pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively.
Available data suggest the rates of major birth defects and miscarriage in women who received
M-M-R II vaccine within 30 days prior to pregnancy or during pregnancy are consistent with estimated
background rates (see Data).
Data
Human Data
A cumulative assessment of post-marketing reports for M-M-R II vaccine from licensure 01 April 1978
through 31 December 2018, identified 796 reports of inadvertent administration of M-M-R II vaccine
occurring 30 days before or at any time during pregnancy with known pregnancy outcomes. Of the
prospectively followed pregnancies for whom the timing of M-M-R II vaccination was known, 425 women
received M-M-R II vaccine during the 30 days prior to conception through the second trimester. The
outcomes for these 425 prospectively followed pregnancies included 16 infants with major birth defects, 4
cases of fetal death and 50 cases of miscarriage. No abnormalities compatible with congenital rubella
syndrome have been identified in patients who received M-M-R II vaccine. Rubella vaccine viruses can
cross the placenta, leading to asymptomatic infection of the fetus. Mumps vaccine virus has also been
shown to infect the placenta {14}, but there is no evidence that it causes congenital malformations or
disease in the fetus or infant .
The CDC established the Vaccine in Pregnancy registry (1971-1989) of women who had received
rubella vaccines within 3 months before or after conception. Data on 1221 inadvertently vaccinated
pregnant women demonstrated no evidence of an increase in fetal abnormalities or cases of Congenital
Rubella Syndrome (CRS) in the enrolled women {15}.
8.2 Lactation
Risk Summary
It is not known whether measles or mumps vaccine virus is secreted in human milk. Studies have
shown that lactatingpostpartum women vaccinated with live attenuated rubella vaccine may secrete the
virus in breast milk and transmit it to breast-fed infants.{16,17} In the breast-fed infants with serological
evidence of rubella virus vaccine strain antibodies, none exhibited severe disease; however, one
exhibited mild clinical illness typical of acquired rubella.{18,19}
The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s
clinical need for M-M-R II, and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from M-M-R II or from
the underlying maternal condition. For preventive vaccines, the underlying maternal condition is
susceptibility to disease prevented by the vaccine.
8.4 Pediatric Use
M-M-R II vaccine is not approved for individuals less than 12 months of age. Safety and effectiveness
of measles vaccine in infants below the age of 6 months have not been established [see Clinical Studies
(14)]. Safety and effectiveness of mumps and rubella vaccine in infants less than 12 months of age have
not been established.
8.5 Geriatric Use
Clinical studies of M-M-R II did not include sufficient numbers of seronegative subjects aged 65 and
over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects.
11 Description
M-M-R II vaccine is a sterile lyophilized preparation of (1) Measles Virus Vaccine Live, an attenuated
line of measles virus, derived from Enders' attenuated Edmonston strain and propagated in chick embryo
cell culture; (2) Mumps Virus Vaccine Live, the Jeryl Lynn™ (B level) strain of mumps virus propagated in
chick embryo cell culture; and (3) Rubella Virus Vaccine Live, the Wistar RA 27/3 strain of live attenuated
rubella virus propagated in WI-38 human diploid lung fibroblasts. {20,21} The cells, virus pools,
recombinant human serum albumin and fetal bovine serum used in manufacturing are tested and
determined to be free of adventitious agents.
After reconstitution, each 0.5 mL dose contains not less than 3.0 log10 TCID50 (tissue culture infectious
doses) of measles virus; 4.1 log10 TCID50 of mumps virus; and 3.0 log10 TCID50 of rubella virus.
Each dose is calculated to contain sorbitol (14.5 mg), sucrose(1.9 mg), hydrolyzed gelatin (14.5 mg),
recombinant human albumin (≤0.3 mg), fetal bovine serum (<1 ppm), approximately 25 mcg of neomycin
and other buffer and media ingredients. The product contains no preservative.
6
12 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
12.1 Mechanism of Action
M-M-R II vaccination induces antibodies to measles, mumps, and rubella associated with protection
which can be measured by neutralization assays, hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) assays, or enzyme
linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. Results from efficacy studies or effectivenes s studies that
were previously conducted for the component vaccines of M-M-R II were used to define levels of serum
antibodies that correlated with protection against measles, mumps, and rubella [see Clinical Studies (14)].
12.6 Persistence of Antibody Responses After Vaccination
Neutralizing and ELISA antibodies to measles, mumps, and rubella viruses are still detectable in 95-
100%, 74-91%, and 90-100% of individuals respectively, 11 to 13 years after primary vaccination. {22-28}
13 NONCLINICAL TOXICOLOGY
13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility
M-M-R II vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or impairment of
fertility.
14 CLINICAL STUDIES
14.1 Clinical Efficacy
Efficacy of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines was established in a series of double-blind
controlled trials. {29-34} These studies also established that seroconversion in response to vaccination
against measles, mumps and rubella paralleled protection. {35-38}
14.2 Immunogenicity
Clinical studies enrolling 284 triple seronegative children, 11 months to 7 years of age, demonstrated
that M-M-R II vaccine is immunogenic. In these studies, a single injection of the vaccine induced measles
HI antibodies in 95%, mumps neutralizing antibodies in 96%, and rubella HI antibodies in 99% of
susceptible individuals.
A study of 6-month-old and 15-month-old infants born to mothers vaccinated with a measles vaccine in
childhood, demonstrated that, following infant and toddler vaccination with Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
(previously US-licensed, manufactured by Merck), 74% of the 6-month-old infants developed detectable
neutralizing antibody titers while 100% of the 15-month-old infants vaccinated with Measles Virus
Vaccine, Live or M-M-R II vaccine developed neutralizing antibodies {39}. When the 6-month-old infants
of immunized mothers were revaccinated at 15 months with M-M-R II vaccine, they developed antibody
titers similar to those of toddlers who were vaccinated previously at 15-months of age.
15 REFERENCES
1. General Recommendations on Immunization, Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, MMWR
43(RR-1): 1-38, January 28, 1994.
2. Measles, Mumps, and Rubella — Vaccine Use and Strategies for Elimination of Measles, Rubella, a n d Co n g e nita l Ru b e lla
Syndrome and Control of Mumps: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice s (ACIP), M M WR
47(RR-8): May 22, 1998.
3. Kelso, J.M.; Jones, R.T.; Yunginger, J.W.: Anaphylaxis to measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine mediated by IgE to gel atin , J.
Allergy Clin. Immunol. 91: 867-872, 1993.
4. Bitnum, A.; et al: Measles Inclusion Body Encephalitis Caused by the Vaccine Strain of Measles Virus. Cl i n . In fect. Di s. 2 9 :
855-861, 1999.
5. Angel, J.B.; et al: Vaccine Associated Measles Pneumonitis in an Adult with AIDS. Annals of Internal Medicine, 129: 1 0 4 -1 06 ,
1998.
6. Cecinati V, et al. Vaccine administration and the development of immune thrombocyto pe ni c p urp u ra i n ch i ld re n. Hu m an
Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 9:5, 2013.
7. Mantadakis E, Farmaki E, Buchanan GR. Thrombocytopenic Purpura after Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination: A Systematic
Review of the Literature and Guidance for Management. J Ped 156(4): 2010.
8. Andrews N, Stowe J, Miller E, Svanstrom H, Johansen K, Bonhoeffer J, et al. A collaborative approach to investigating th e ri sk
of thrombocytopenic purpura after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in England and Denmark. Vaccine. 2012;30:3042‐6.
9. Rubella Prevention: Recommendation of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), MM WR 3 9 (RR-1 5 ): 1 -1 8 ,
November 23, 1990.
7
10. Peter, G.; et al (eds): Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, Twenty-fourth Edition, American Academy of Pediatri cs,
344-357, 1997.
11. Measles Prevention: Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), MMWR 38(S-9): 5-22,
December 29, 1989.
12. Eberhart-Phillips, J.E.; et al: Measles in pregnancy: a descriptive study of 58 cases. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 82(5): 797-801,
November 1993.
13. Jespersen, C.S.; et al: Measles as a cause of fetal defects: A retrospective study of ten measles epidemics in Greenland. Acta
Paediatr Scand. 66: 367-372, May 1977.
14. Yamauchi T, Wilson C, Geme JW Jr. Transmission of live, attenuated mumps virus to the hu m a n p l ace n ta . N En g l J M e d .
1974;290(13):710‐712.
15. Rubella Vaccination during Pregnancy —United States, 1971-1988. JAMA. 1989;261(23):3374–3383.
16. Losonsky, G.A.; Fishaut, J.M.; Strussenber, J.; Ogra, P.L.: Effect of immunization against rubella on lactation products. II.
Maternal-neonatal interactions, J. Infect. Dis. 145: 661-666,1982.
17. Losonsky, G.A.; Fishaut, J.M.; Strussenber, J.; Ogra, P.L.: Effect of immunization against rubella on lactation products. I.
Development and characterization of specific immunologic reactivity in breast milk, J. Infect. Dis. 145: 654-660, 1982.
18. Landes, R.D.; Bass, J.W.; Millunchick, E.W.; Oetgen, W.J.: Neonatal rubella following postpartum maternal i mm un izatio n , J.
Pediatr. 97: 465-467, 1980.
19. Lerman, S.J.: Neonatal rubella following postpartum maternal immunization, J. Pediatr. 98: 668, 1981. (Letter)
20. Plotkin, S.A.; Cornfeld, D.; Ingalls, T.H.: Studiesof immunization with living rubella virus: Trialsin children with a strain culture d
from an aborted fetus, Am. J. Dis. Child. 110: 381-389, 1965.
21. Plotkin, S.A.; Farquhar, J.; Katz, M.; Ingalls, T.H.: A new attenuated rubella virus grown in human fi bro b la sts: Evi d e n ce fo r
reduced nasopharyngeal excretion, Am. J. Epidemiol. 86: 468-477, 1967.
22. Weibel, R.E.; Carlson, A.J.; Villarejos, V.M.; Buynak, E.B.; McLean, A.A.; Hilleman, M.R.: Clinical and Labo ra tory Stu d ie s o f
Combined Live Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccines Using the RA 27/3 Rubella Virus, Proc. So c. Exp . Bi ol. M e d. 1 6 5 :
323-326, 1980.
23. Watson, J.C.; Pearson, J.S.; Erdman, D.D.; et al: An Evaluation of Measles RevaccinationAmong School-Entry Age Ch i ld re n,
31st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Abstract #268, 143, 1991.
24. Unpublished data from the files of Merck Research Laboratories.
25. Davidkin, I.; Jokinen, S.; Broman, M. et al.: Persistence of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Antibodies in a n M M R -Va ccina ted
Cohort: A 20-Year Follow-up, JID 197:950–6, April 2008.
26. LeBaron, W.; Beeler J.; Sullivan, B.; et al.: Persistence of Measles Antibodies After 2 Doses of Measles Vaccine in a
Postelimination Environment, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 161:294-301, March 2007.
27. LeBaron, C.; Forghani, B.; Beck, C. et al.: Persistence of Mumps Antibodies after 2 Doses of Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine,
JID 199:552– 60 , February 2009.
28. LeBaron, W.; Forghani, B.; Matter, L. et al.: Persistence of Rubella Antibodies after 2 Doses of Measles-Mumps-Rubella
Vaccine, JID 200:888–99, September 2009.
29. Hilleman, M.R.; Buynak, E.B.; Weibel, R.E.; et al: Development and Evaluation of the Moraten MeaslesVirusVa cci n e , JAM A
206(3): 587-590, 1968.
30. Weibel, R.E.; Stokes, J.; Buynak, E.B.; et al: Live, Attenuated Mumps Virus Vaccine 3. Clinical and Serologic Aspects in a Fiel d
Evaluation,N. Engl. J. Med. 276: 245-251, 1967.
31. Hilleman, M.R.; Weibel, R.E.; Buynak, E.B.; et al:Live, Attenuated Mumps VirusVaccine 4. ProtectiveEfficacy as Measure d i n
a Field Evaluation, N. Engl. J. Med. 276: 252-258, 1967.
32. Cutts, F.T.; Henderson, R.H.; Clements, C.J.; et al: Principles of measles control, Bull WHO 69(1): 1-7, 1991.
33. Weibel, R.E.; Buynak, E.B.; Stokes, J.; et al: Evaluation Of Live Attenuated Mumps Virus Vaccine, Strain Jeryl Lynn, First
International Conference on VaccinesAgainst Viral and Rickettsial Diseases of Man, World Health Organization, No. 147, M a y
1967.
34. Leibhaber, H.; Ingalls, T.H.; LeBouvier, G.L.; et al: Vaccination With RA 27/3 Rubella Vaccine, Am. J. Dis. Child. 123: 133-1 3 6,
February 1972.
35. Rosen, L.: Hemagglutination and Hemagglutination-Inhibition with Measles Virus, Virology 13: 139-141, January 1961.
36. Brown, G.C.; et al: Fluorescent-Antibody Marker for Vaccine-Induced Rubella Antibodies, Infection and Immunity 2(4): 360-363,
1970.
8
37. Buynak, E.B.; et al: Live Attenuated Mumps Virus Vaccine 1. Vaccine Development, Proceedings of the Society for
Experimental Biology and Medicine, 123: 768-775, 1966.
38. Hilleman M.R., Studies of Live Attenuated Measles Virus Vaccine in Man: II. Appraisal of Efficacy. Amer. J. o f Pu b l ic He a lth ,
52(2):44-56, 1962.
39. Johnson, C.E.; et al: Measles Vaccine Immunogenicity in 6- Versus 15-Month-Old Infants Born to Mothers in the Measles
Vaccine Era, Pediatrics, 93(6): 939-943, 1994.
16 HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING
No. 4681 ⎯ M-M-R II vaccine is supplied as follows:
(1) a box of 10 single-dose vials of lyophilized vaccine (package A), NDC 0006-4681-00
(2) a box of 10 vials of diluent (package B)
Exposure to light may inactivate the vaccine viruses.
Before reconstitution, refrigerate the lyophilized vaccine at 36°F to 46°F, (2°C to 8°C).
Store accompanying diluent in the refrigerator with the lyophilized vaccine or separately at room
temperature (68° to 77°F, 20° to 25°C). Do not freeze the diluent.
Administer M-M-R II vaccine as soon as possible after reconstitution. If not administered immediately,
reconstituted vaccine may be stored between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C), protected from light, for up to 8
hours. Discard reconstituted vaccine if it is not used within 8 hours.
For information regarding the product or questions regarding storage conditions, call 1-800-
MERCK-90 (1-800-637-2590).
17 PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION
Advise the patient to read the FDA-approved patient labeling (Patient Package Insert).
Discuss the following with the patient:
• Provide the required vaccine information to the patient, parent, or guardian.
• Inform the patient, parent, or guardian of the benefits and risks associated with vaccination.
• Question the patient, parent, or guardian about reactions to a previous dose of M-M-R II vaccine
or other measles-, mumps-, or rubella-containing vaccines.
• Question females of reproductive potential regarding the possibility of pregnancy. Inform female
patients to avoid pregnancy for 1 month following vaccination [see Contraindications (4.5) and
Use in Specific Populations (8.1)].
• Inform the patient, parent, or guardian that vaccination with M-M-R II may not offer 100%
protection from measles, mumps, and rubella infection.
• Instruct patients, parents, or guardians to report any adverse reactions to their health-care
provider. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has established a Vaccine
Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to accept all reports of suspected adverse events
after the administration of any vaccine, including but not limited to the reporting of events required
by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. For information or a copy of the vaccine
reporting form, call the VAERS toll-free number at 1-800-822-7967, or report online at
https://www.vaers.hhs.gov.
For patent information: www.merck.com/product/patent/home.html
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All rights reserved.
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Like a speed limit,
Age 55 is a reminder,
A geriatric mnemonic,
Telling you to take it slowly.
Safe to say,
Most of us Baby-Boom geezers
Walk around half the time
Wondering how one gets laid,
“Hooks up”
As our grandchildren say--
Gets laid behind & inside this
Asylum sanctuary?
Manning the ramparts,
Those Wackenhut stiffs
Are there for a reason.
Overt, direct ****** overtures
Strictly verboten (ver•bo•ten).
Yet, the silver-haired sireens
Crave company,
As in “keeping company,”
An ancient idiom for
“Let’s Hide the Pepperoni!”
But you’ve got to take it slow at
Del Webb Over-55 America,
A multi-state lunatic asylum,
Where a preponderance of
Single silver-tress foxes,
Having “lost their husband,”
Somewhere, at some point,
Some recent but forgotten,
Alzheimer’s moment along the trail,
They comb the daily obits,
Hunting prey, newly widowed men,
Fresh casserole recipients &
Crypto-pepperoni buddies.
Victoria Jean Feb 2013
This one is for the doctor who called me “delicate”
I think I missed that word in the thick textbooks about disease I’ve seen
This is for the lab technician who lost not one but two vials of my blood
Because I really wanted to help that new nurse figure out veins again.
This is for the stupid slogans on the walls
A fichus with the word peace under it, I'm cured.
This is for the geriatric room with the low table they always put me in
An arthritis patient means elderly woman, right?
This is for the negative tests and endless questionnaires about my health
Checking how often, how severe, and how much I care.
This is for the four empty orange prescription bottles sitting neatly on my desk
Red pills, and yellow pills, and white ones, oh my!
This is for the loud groan of pain in the morning I make before I even wake
Because why shouldn’t my roommate wake up when I do?
This is for the symphony of my cracking joints and creaking bones
Because violently trembling when you walk up stairs is so very ****.
This is for the manic googling at 4 AM,
Does this symptom mean anything? Is it just a quirk or side affect?
This is for WebMd, bless their hearts,
Who think that sniffles mean polyps and headaches mean cancer.
This is for the flights upon flights of stairs I climb each day,
Cats are considered ****, is panting like a dog?
This is for the cramping and shaking hands everyday
Because as a writer and artist I never even use them right?
This is for my mother
Who’s waited patiently with me through every doctor’s visit
This is for my best friend Lauren
Who missed three classes to take me to a clinic
This is for my nephew
Who is too big for me to pick up without grimacing now
This is for the wine I drank
And the bedroom basement I climb out of
And the backpack I heave around
And the school lunches I leave in toilets
It’s for the nights I have to stay in and the ones where I make myself leave
Because the only thing tough enough to stop me
Is me.
And I’ll tip my hat to myself for putting up such a good challenge.
It’ll just make it even more satisfying when I knock it the **** down.
Edward Coles Apr 2018
Don’t let the *******
Get their foot through the door
Say yes once, at the wrong time
And you’ve said yes ten thousand times
Soon they’ll be taking the hours
From your life

It will happen slowly
Creeping up on you
Like glacial tides
Like choosing a Pope
Like *** cancer
Until one day you are consumed
And struggling only pulls the mud
Further up your throat

They get you with all the necessities
Food, water, beer, clothes, and cigarettes
It takes POWER to say no
Not a lot of people have power
At least, they say no to the wrong things
They’ll say no to a mid-week ******
And yes to the slow death of 8-5

You see the injustice in their eyes
You see they are looking for an escape
You know, though, that they wont
The ******* move in

They claim they already own the place
That they never moved in at all
They’ll start rearranging
The furniture of your life
Orientating everything in their image

Don’t let them in
Don’t even open the door
They’ll take everything-
But it’s yours to keep

To keep so long as you
Love their cruelty
And allow them the last thread
Of consciousness
That leaves your body before sleep

It’s yours so long as you
Turn up on time
And stay late
Punch the clock
And throttle all human smell

It’s all yours
If you give yourself to them
They will use up your patience
And then start on your confidence

Until they have you
Decorating your iron bars
With raised, clenched fists
Declaring loyalty to those
Who would drop you without hesitation

Soon, they’ll **** that spark
That Blue Moon spark
The one you feel when the sky
Mimics colours of happy memories
The one you feel when
You wake with movement in your bones
The one you feel when
A balloon swells in your chest
Or when ecstasy fills your spine
How the wind at the back of a motorbike
Blows the cobwebs from your mind

They’ll take it all away

They’ll take it all
Compensate you with a paltry sum
For all of your hours
For all torn relationships
You have no time for

They’ll turn the vice
A little tighter each day
Until you turn crazy-
If you’re lucky

If not
You’ll be there
Spent on purified sugar
And a lack of motion
To your days
You’ll be there
A hollowed shell
Of violent potential
Lost

Lost in timesheets and long weekends
You’ll take pictures
Of days spent in the sun
So that in your luxury
Your geriatric, loose-skinned luxury
You can look back
On your small life and say
“Hey, I did everything expected of me”

And that will work
For no one

Don’t let the *******
Get their foot through the door
You have no POWER to resist
You won’t be you anymore
C
brokenperfection Aug 2014
Rx
oh, the things you hear at the doctors'
the elderly man with melanoma on his face
trudging out behind his wife
mumbling "****" under his breath
the sweet weathered receptionist
says "nice to see you again!"
to her seventieth geriatric patient
there comes a day
when her patients quit calling
quit showing up
and she has fewer and fewer people
to recognize
ugh
Francie Lynch Feb 2017
We're deep to our waists
In February;
Trees look like a geriatric pool-fitness class,
And the grass,
Sparse as the bobbing skulls.

      I heard a lone Canada goose overhead,
     The V has left the others for dead;
     And a gray pall covers all
     With winter's threadbare spread.

The alarm is set,
The time is right,
The season's snug,
But not sleeping yet.

     Soon, the beast will close its eyes,
     And Spring will march in,
     Fresh and vigorous,
     Like a new recruit,
     Green and anxious.

She'll fire-up roots, flowers and leafs.
In the pool they'll sway in the breeze,
Branches touching in Spring's reprieve.
Senor Negativo Aug 2012
You are still living,
Arteries intact
Opening wide
Like the fat fist of a geriatric Jesus.
Forget these new graves
Fresh flesh, the worms anticipate.
Convince me for
The piece of cake.
The seconds
The hot victory, sweat drenched
And satisfied in my mind.
The curves of your body.
Your glimmering mouth.
We will keep on living,
Because we can't stand dying.
Anais Mostly May 2013
Hotel room a/c fans faded red curtains
Lamp shade mutes the generic glow
Side stepped your way into something so certain
A dance no one  means to learn
Yet,  everybody knows

Yeah, you used to want something and you lost it in your lover's eyes
Fatal to acquiesce
No you can't acquire the original wonder you gifted him the year he said good- bye

You were too young to fathom
Now the monopoly houses in the suburbs look like geriatric wards

Easy blueprints to dispise
Cheap siding to realize

You dream of nothing
Your thoughts aren't your own

I promise that I won't wait
There is nothing I would change
The parts of me that I don't know
City to city
Continents and languages
One  woman alone
I promise you nothing

P.s. you can have my bones
Kara Rose Trojan Apr 2011
My message seems too abrasive to send
Like handwritten ransom notes
With a geriatric hand,
Gnarled and pimpled with
                Weariness
                And experience.
Our war stories
Are cards thrown down at a poker table
So initially casual
Then troubling after the fact.

People spout perspectives;
Our inputs are faucets overflowing
With the chemicals that change the mix.
Each of us contribute to the compound of strife.
What I need – what I want
Is my own element,
                Thoughts pure of your life,
For you do not fully comprehend my experience.
My wuss-**** whines that resonate
As sure as a saxophone’s wail.

My jazz demeanor, burlesque figure
Only mask the pedigree of emotions

Beneath my wiggling hips, fluttering eyelashes.
Remember: this is a woman.
From smudges to sunlight to wind to aligned stars –
                The cracked liar’s smile never eludes me
                Just as the bite still scars my neck.

Marked, experienced, wrung out, aloof –
                Live for sin, looping exponentially.


The seagulls scavenging in
The grocery store parking lot,
We know them and hate them for it.
****, drink, yell, tip your way, son.
I’ll tap my cigarette, clamber into bed
[my motives are my motivation]
Deepstep, baby, deepstep:
                Come willing because I won’t.

I am the renegade impulsively flipping cards,
Smirking across the poker table
And yelling, “Checkmate”
For no good reason.
Scattered to the winds,
My nonsense is the very ground you have to tiptoe upon,
My sense is the word on the tip of your tongue that absconded.

I am not your maker for he’s my friend.
I am not your mother for she’s my servant.
I am not your lover for you’re my witness.

This [whatever it is] is a syllable caught skipping on the record,
                                                         ­                                  And we’ll never know the rest of the word
Francesca Sep 2013
Do not mistake my kindness for flirting.
It is not an invitation to ***** me.
I came here for the art.
Not to socialize with geriatric perverts.

— The End —