Aches and Pains

All you younger folk, take heed;
Here’s advice that you will need:
Every effort to keep fit –
Diet, gym class, all of it,
Will not help you as you age
From entering that “senior” stage.

Age alone is what explains
The bulk of many aches and pains.
Joints and muscles, all agree,
Arrive with Nature’s warranty,
Which, we never comprehended,
Cannot really be extended.

When we’re young we make mistakes,
Thinking all those pains and aches
Of older people we’ll avoid
Because precautions we’ve employed.
We view our elders with contempt;
From their distress we’ll be exempt.

This, then, is a wake-up shout.
There really isn’t any doubt
That even if you treat them right,
Your mind and body won’t be quite
The same as age controls the reins
And aches and pains are what remains.