Write things down
Every day it seems I get a bit more forgetful, so I have to write 'em down
Come unwound:
Every day it seems I get a little more tired of losing memor-ies of best years
Too much ground:
Every now and then I lose my car in the parking lot, and crawl around the place on my knees
'Round and 'round:
Search the whole darn mall, and yay! - I finally find it! But -- gosh, *darn*! Now, where the heck are my keys? [P]

Mind: unsound, brain fries
Every day it seems I get less smart
Can't expound; blight: tries
Every little thing slips off the chart

Set pen down,
Twenty seconds later, it's invisible; pen-lessly I'm screaming something; riled
Bread too browned:
Every now and then, forget the toast in the toaster, and I'm setting off the fire alarms
Walk around
Every now and then I get up, walk to the next room; when I get there, have to ask myself, "Why"?
Where I'm bound?
Every now and then, confuse the kitchen and bathroom, and somebody, some day: what a surprise!

Once renowned: quite wise
People sought, back then, what I'd impart
Thoughts profound: ad-vise
Since age five or ten, knew math by heart

Can't recall last week; last night;
Or this morning's planned endeavor
Who, me? Remember "now"? Tonight --
-- It'll all be gone forever

Long ago, peeps would take me as "bright"
'Cause so clever, each song -- Together, mate words; make it merry, limning each line
But now, there's just a shadow of a former good mind (practic'lly blind)
I'd throw such lines at you: "Sheep-tang urges man to spark"
Like "Lanolin from lamb that lushly lubes lecher's larks" [1]

Ideally, feeding this site?
Forever, no insight in sight
Can't evermore incite insight

Just for once, I wish I could blame it on drink
But I haven't had one in years
Yet, no more, can I think
And can't make the scapegoat, the beers

Elevator, once, always went to the top
But now, it stops a floor short, or so
Losing oil, too:
My dipstick's a couple quarts low

[instrumental -- but can't remember what tune]

Once was crowned: mind, prize
Now, brain drowned; horse flies

Once, astound
Hit senility? My gaze is getting blank, but that is something clearly I see
IQ down
Every now and then I know I'll always be regarded: "former prodigy"; brain turning to yam
Losing ground:
More and more each day, I know there's no hope for my former verse; no magic wordplay wondrous to you
To dog pound?
Every day I know it's never getting any better; soon, nothing I'll be able to do

Grayish mound: byte-size
Much, I used to ken, but lost the art
Wounds compound; fright lies:
Watching mem'ry cells as they depart

Put the pork chops 'neath the sink
And the dish soap in the freezer
So smelly: something starts to stink
Can't find either (What a geezer!)

And I'm lonely; no ladies: delight
Seems they're never along -- So whether I can make it? Watch me sadly decline
At loving, I'm a shadow of my former prime time (once, was sublime)
I don't know how to woo and I make the wrong remark
I catch her by the powder room, but off she embarks

Mind reeling; speedily blight
Alzheimer's? I don't think that's right
"Old-timer's"? Prob'ly true, though trite

Just for once, I wish I could blame it on booze
"Alcohol is rotting my brain"
Hide behind that ruse?
I must just be going insane

Once, the brightest bulb in a big chandelier
Now, it seems they keep burning out
No gray matter here
It leaked through my ears, there's no doubt

It totally slips off the chart
It totally rips me apart

Turning out trite lines
Burning out: plight (whines)
Churn and pound....

(oh, no)
(drool, drool)
(uh, wha'? Say, wha'?)
(d'oh, wuh? whoa, d'oh?)

[reprises ad lib, because he forgot that the OS had ended]

Once upon a time, I had memorized pi
Decimals: to seventy-five [2]
Now, no longer do
I'm not even sure I'm alive [3]

Picnic basket, once, was with sandwiches, filled
But now: A couple sandwiches short
Forgot the Fritos™, too
This mission, perhaps, should abort

Once upon a time, mind was "one cut above"
Now, so badly "cut" that it bleeds:
Data, facts, and stuff;
Remembering not what it needs

Young and in my prime, I could always make love
But now, I can't recall where to start
What order ought I do?
I've no clue to nips or G-spot

Once upon a time, there were blips on my screen
Now, the radar's down and gone dark
Used to hold a few;
I'm lucky if one hits the mark

Once upon a time, there were lights burning bright
Now, they're on, but nobody's home
Nothing I can do
Except to post poor, plaintive poem




[P] Pacing: At first read (or sing), line might not seem to scan to TOS, but put up against it, or sung with agility, it does, syllable for syllable and stress for stress. Tried to help by guiding with punctuation.

[1] Oh, do those two links both point to the same place? Silly me -- can't remember *anything* any more... (sigh)

[2] True. Fun party trick: Write the numbers down, hand it to someone, and recite them back. It's a chick-magnet!
(Okay, the chick-magnet part wasn't true.)

[3] Renè Descartes (the "s" i ilent), mathematician/philosopher, wrote, "Cogito ergo sum" -- "I think, therefore I am". By that standard, TT is not.

On the other hand, Tommy Turtle (who is rarely silent), parodeficient/sheepboffopher, wrote, "Burrito ergo sum" -- "I fart, therefore I am". By that standard, TT can out-swim Michael Phelps and out-think Stephen Hawking. (Well, he could probably out-swim Stephen Hawking, anyway)