RD Armstrong		“Sad Sack”   The years are Catching up with me Even my casual Friends are noticing   The eyes give it away Mostly Even when I look in the Mirror Those sad eyes With the furrowed Though slightly Brow There's no denying That the weight Of so many sad years Is now present And so obvious To anyone Who wants to see Me as I really am   I have no Apologies I am sad Eternally so There is so much Sadness in this Life – so much Pain and sorrow It would be stupid To lie and say It means nothing Or is no big deal   And even if I Could lie My face won't Let me		“When a poet tastes death” For Hugh Fox   It's inevitable All things must die A natural law Death comes for us To us and we Know not when It isn't glamorous Death That's for us to decide It calms our fear to Explain to ourselves That death is not The end or that Death is glorious or Something we will Eventually overcome   But that's not what death is Death is the end Lights out Good night and good luck Now I see you Now I don't Simple   But before death Intervenes One has occasion to Think about what it means This cessation of 'me'   The young and not so young Think they can't be stopped Shaking their fists in Defiance thinking this Might halt death's daily progress   Perhaps this is why the young Do the world's dirty work – They have so much passion for life   Later on When you settle down You become preoccupied With family and home And all that comes from that And death is a shadow Barely glimpsed out of one eye You could almost forget About death except that it's all Around us – day in and out   But once you've had a few close calls And you know that death Is sniffing around your door Like a mongrel dog Loose in the vacant lot That is your life You notice that death has invaded Your senses   You cannot go out without Smelling death in the air Food begins to taste funny As if death was an acrid spice Sprinkled in with the garlic powder Your fingers and toes seem numb And there is an annoying Buzzing in your ears   Something lurks just out of view You begin to see "the end" in Everything Everyone   Once you taste death There is no reprieve No pardon At best all you can do is Sit back and take in the ride