I Have Joined The Army Of The Old Poem by Shalom Freedman

I have joined the Army of the old
A motley Army with canes and walkers and wheelchairs
With bent backs and painful knees
An Army of those who slow down the line
Who seem to make the public spaces far less lively and less beautiful
An Army of complainers and demanders of special privileges and services
Not the most cruel Army and certainly not the most powerful one
But also not the most happy one either
A holding on and getting through it Army
Which often suffers from feeling totally useless-

I have joined the Army of the old
And though I wish to deny it
And put myself on one side of the world
And the whole Army on the other
The way people turn their heads at seeing me
Or try to help me when I don't need help
Or give me their seat on the bus
The way people look at me and act toward me
Show me that all my denial
And all my efforts at walking vigorously
And holding myself uprightly
And doing things quickly and efficiently
Are not really considered by others
Who know I may not be a General
Or even an officer in the Army
But that I am a very real part of thatArmy
An old old old soldier
Who they know they must be polite to
While preferring I fade away
And get out of their space
As quickly as possible.