Shrouded

Shrouded
by Ben Macnair

To keep Parrots silent,
we cover their cages with blankets,
so that they think it is always dark.

We aim to do the same with our elderly,
only telling them what they need to know,
not saying that the panic you sometimes feel,
is what we think every time we see you,
not knowing what to say for the best,
knowing that if they were young,
this rudeness, this self-absorption would be a phase
they would grow out of, one day.

So, like those Parrots, with their catch-phrases,
learnt in their own way,
we keep you in the dark,
grieving the you that we are losing
with every passing day.