suddenly recalls the story of Tithonus
whose lover Eos asked Zeus
to grant him eternal life.
But a crucial request she omitted
was for him not to age like Dorian Gray
and so grew older each cursed passing day.
The old man in a wheelchair
remembers youth as if it were yesterday
yet forgets what was said five minutes ago
such is his harrowing condition
and now he feels like Tithonus
as he wipes away a lonely stray tear
and carries on existence....year after year.