I just can’t.
I don’t have it in me anymore.
I am unable
to go on
at the pace
I wish to.
It is time
to slow down.

I must be more careful.
I must be more thoughtful.
I can no longer eat while I walk
without choking
and staining my shirt.
I have to do things
with more damned restraint.

I don’t want to.
This is not the person
I ever intended to be
but this might be exactly the activity
my body requires of me.
I am not capable
the way I once was
of powering through.
I have to take it easy.
I have to take it down a notch.
I have to take it one day at a time.
I have to take a nap.