once the old man stood

Once the old man stood

At the gate watching the traffic flow

For hours he would stand there

Doing nothing but stare

When his wife asked him to do

Cutting the grass at the side porch

He would stand there ignoring her

Sometimes he took a while to go

While his son would shout at him

Talking him down but he stood his ground

When he had finished what he wanted to do

He would reluctantly trim the grass

He would do a lousy job

Until his wife would take it over

There he would stand at the gate

Watching the traffic going by

Now he can't do it

Something has happened to him

He may have fallen down injured his legs

He may have suffered a chronic ailment

He hardly stands at the gate

He sits on the chair the whole day

Occasionally he will walk with his stick

A slow movement to reach his object

Sometimes his wife will nag at him

While his son will shout nonsense

The whole neighbourhood will hear

The crazy family going their own way