.

The Seven Dwarves of Old Age

The seven dwarves of old age
__Have come to live with me,
But what could be the use of them
__Is more than I can see.

First Napper came and gave a wink
__And slept upon my bed.
Warm afternoons are quiet time
__When Napper is well fed.

The second one to slouch around
__Was Wrinkly, who’s an elf.
I found him in a mirror when
__I looked upon myself.

Then Squinty, stumbling, came in next.
__His eyes could hardly see
The sell-by dates once printed on
__The food in my pantry.

One Rocky wanted exercise,
__So rocked upon my chair.
I bought two rockers for my den,
__So we can rock in there.

One Saggy sadly saw me when
__I had to take a shower.
He said that I was drooping flesh
__And had no muscle power.

One Freaky almost scared me when
__I tried to do some work.
I soon concluded Freaky was
__An angry foul-mouthed jerk.

And last of all, one Creaky crept
__And spoke from every bone.
With groan and moan and crackle-snap,
__He walked around my home.

So, what am I to do with them,
__Since they came here to stay?
Just move a little slower, give
__Them comfort every day.

.

.

Roy E. Peterson is a writer and former U.S. military army intelligence officer who currently resides in Texas. 


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10 Responses

  1. Julian D. Woodruff

    Very good, Mr. Peterson,
    But you forgot stodgy and foggy … and then there’s Napper and Rocky and …

    Reply
  2. Tonia Kalouria

    How fun! (And sadly, how true.)
    But worse, the little buggars
    are procreating. Sigh.

    Reply
  3. Sally Cook

    You certainly got under my skin! But what about Dizzy and Dumpy? Well, I suppose we could go on forever, but I am just beginning to understand why Snow White decided to take a nap!

    Reply
  4. Jeff Kemper

    Nice! How about a glance in the rear view mirror several decades worth, for fantasy’s sake.

    Reply
  5. Paul Freeman

    Very humorous, and somehow as dark as the picture. A difficult feat to achieve.

    Now back to my own dwarf, Insomnia.

    Reply
  6. C.B. Anderson

    A man once told me, Roy, as he was struggling to climb a staircase, “Don’t get old, Kip!” Ha! I didn’t listen, so here I am. Only seven? What about Cranky and Forgetful? A nice idea in this poem, which would be funnier (in a lighthearted way, though not in the tragicomic way it is actually presented here) if it weren’t so close to the truth. I don’t have to laugh so hard to make my sides ache anymore; everything already aches, for no good reason, most of the time.

    Reply
  7. David Watt

    Roy, unfortunately, there is truth in every stanza. Your poem is a clever take on a familiar story.

    Reply

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