Month: February 2019

Staying Alive – a re-imagining by Sydney Hanson Mandt

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walker
That I’m old. I like to talk
All about my aches and pains.
And the food I eat is all pureed.

It’s alright. It’s okay if you don’t hear the things I say.
‘Cause i don’t care if you understand,
And I’ll just say them all again.

If I had my druthers,
I’d live with my other kid.
Staying alive, staying alive.

See my hands are shakin’. I wish I could eat bacon.
I’m stayin’ alive, barely alive.

Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive. Stayin’ alive.
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ aliiiiiiiiiiive.

Oh I’m old!

Is that my paper over there?
Is that the robe I like to wear?
Slippers are my daily shoes.
The weather is my favorite news.

It’s alright. It’s okay
If you don’t hear the things I say.
‘Cause I don’t care if you understand,
And I’ll just say them all again.

If I had my druthers, I’d live with my other kid.
Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.

See my hands are shakin’. I wish I could eat bacon,
I’m staying alive, barely alive.

I go on Facebook,
Go outside to smoke.
And then I take a nap.

I don’t like bedtime.
Tolerate mealtime.
And bathroom time is crap.

This is a song I wrote in 2014 when I worked as a cook in a retirement home. I don’t remember the tune.

Reading this reminds me of how exhausted I would be after cooking for 8 or more hours a day.

It also reminds me that our shower was not working at the time.

Body Drag      (2/10/14)

Out of bed 
And to the tub.
Wipe it out
(A minor scrub)
Fill it up and
Get inside.
Wash, rinse, stand up,
Drain and dry.

It’s the body drag.
Do the body drag.

Put on clothes
And eat some food.
Make some coffee.
Drink it. Good.
Drive the car 
To work, and park.
Stay indoors
From light to dark.

It’s the body drag.
Do the body drag.

Deliver dishes,
Food and drink.
Take when dirty.
Soak in sink.
Wash, put away,
Half hour break.
Go back to it
For a paycheck’s sake.

It’s the body drag.
Do the body drag.

Pick up kids.
Take them places.
Run some errands.
Mirror faces.
Come home, make food,
Put on table.
Talk to family
As you’re able.

It’s the body drag.
Do the body drag.

Don pajamas.
Get in bed.
Read what sacred
Writers said.
Take some pills.
Set the alarm.
Sleep. Wake up.
Do it all again.

It’s the body drag.
Do the body drag.