There is grey matter and white matter
White fat and brown fat
Red cells and white cells
Shouldn’t they all cross the finish line
Together, when we go
No, they take it in turns
Some bone cells today
You walk a little less
Retinal cells tomorrow
We see a little less
Arteries blocking slowly
Makes breathing laboured
Are we close to that line
No, not yet
A disc slips one way
Pinching a nerve as it goes
A sphincter gets looser
No one wants to know
Why can’t they go at once
So we prepare for our maker
In one healthy piece
Then painlessly say goodbye
Because the brain and the heart
Do not agree with each other
Don’t work together, never did
Mind and matter
Body and soul
Compete to see which lasts longer
The brain usually gives up first
Leaving the heart pounding away
At that door, unable
Unwilling to understand
That all else has passed the line
North Carolina, USA, April 2014
