hail to the thief

i don't dare to look old people in the eye when i see them. i feel like i've stolen their youth.

there's this old man and old woman who sit on the bench below my block. they sit there everyday. i've been seeing them since i moved here in 1998 and i've watched as they grew older and older. back when they were fit and healthy till now when they can barely get around with their walking sticks.

i've watched as they waited to die, waiting on the bench.

i don't dare to look at them in the eye because i have stolen their youth. they seem to have so much that they want to do but are unable to because of their age. and there is so much that i can do but i'm wasting it all away.

youth is so precious to them and i'm treating it like a commodity.

it's like flushing food down the toilet bowl in front of starving africans. i feel ashamed. that's why i look away.