SUNDAY THOUGHTS: POETRY PROMPT —THE SEASONED ONES

The seasoned ones are leaving 

They hadn't survived this long by being fools

They knew and lived the dreaded history

Took mandates and advice seriously

Always played by the book

Understood the rules

Navigated a world poised to lessen their plight

That they're deemed dispensable, hardly seems right

They should be enjoying this time in their lives

This season's so horribly cruel

The seasoned ones are leaving

Those who valued community

Sacrificed, and invested

So that others could soar

--and do less with more

They planned, worked, and prayed  

Foundations were laid

For an end no one could have expected

The seasoned ones are leaving

They were the vessels of our history; 

Our stories, secrets, and regrets

The mirrors of our futures and health

The evidence of stolen wealth 

Our heroes, counselors, vaults, and sages

What of this bleak time, on History's pages 

Will be said of our lost safety nets?

The seasoned ones are leaving

Quickly snatched away by a tiny foe 

That made daunting the choice to stay, or to go

Rescued from chaos; 

For them, no more grieving

For us, years of ignorance and woe

Incompetence in high places

Ineptitude in once learned spaces

More than one could ever know

The seasoned ones are leaving

The incessant losses-- evil and absurd

Where are the grand home-going days, they deserve?

Are their exits divine, and compassionate?

Have we all learned any lessons yet--

To heed wisdom?

Value expertise?

Consider the most susceptible and weak?

Or will we continue to struggle and strain 

While mourning drenches the nation like rain

And each lie rewarded, invites more pain

Are there any, among those who remain

Quite like the seasoned ones?

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