Nursing Home

Come on in, 
I'll hold the door for you.  
Right this way. 
They do a good job here.
Everyone is so nice. 

And so I did.  I entered the nursing home,
Noticing at once the absence of smell,
Grateful at once that there was no smell, and
The floors were highly polished, and
The walls were clean, and
There were little designed nameplates by each room, and
The names on the nameplates were typed, but
Transient.  

The two cousins were there, 
Their dignity intact, and
The face of one of them full of recognition, but
The face of the other vacant.

So it was at the nursing home today. 

--January 13, 2013