This Old Car

When an old car starts breaking down 

            piece by piece

            part after part

            you know that at some point you are 

            throwing good money after bad

            and that at some point you might be better off 

            trading it in.

When your right shoulder hurts

            and then your left

            and then your lower back

            — or is that your sciatica? –

            and then your ankle wobbles

            and there is that sore knee

            and that ear thing that happens sometimes when it’s raining

            and the diamond-ice-pick thing behind one eye that shows up at 3 am 

after that red wine even though it says

Organic and

Local

and

Sulfite-Free

            and you know it’s trade-in time 

But there is nowhere to trade in.