I can trace the path of your diminishment
in handicapped appliances, surplussed

now in the garage for one of these days
with a call to the VA donation pick-up van

Collapsible, packable cane, a leg up
for toddling through Norwegian ports.

Aluminum travel walker with rear “skis”
still in its box, replacement for the one

I left in a village lot after our last diner dinner.
Four-wheeled walker with seat/stuff pouch

Wheelchair with canvas pad o be cleaned
of your oatmeal leavings when spoons

became more than you could handle.
Floor-to-ceiling grip bar, bed rail, shower grabs,

and the new accessible ramp our handyman
built for you, but your decline was steep, fast.

What you never used will assist me
in bringing home the bacon, milk,

eggs, and o.j. for breakfasts at the coffee table
watching Netflix for companionship.

All those contraptions superfluous
when I took the doctor’s pen and signed