*SNIFFLE*
Bob Lowe from Hampshire read this poem on Radio 5 Live this morning. It's an ode to his wife, Kath, who died three years ago after they shared more than six decades of married life together.
As the station reported: "The charity Independent Age and the International Longevity Centre have said the number of older men living on their own is expected to increase by 65% in the next 16 years."
The 93-year-old Lowe is the first community champion for The Silver Line, a helpline for older people. He says on the helpline's site that when Kath died, it was 65 years since they wed, "but more to the point, 72 years since we first kissed…and she waited throughout the war for me and I for her".
"Ode to Kath":
I am alone, now I know it’s true
There was a time when we were two
Those were the days when we would chat
Doing little jobs of this and that
We’d go to the shops and select our meals
But now I’m one I know how it feels
To try and cook or have meals on wheels
The rooms are empty there’s not a sound
Sometimes I’m lost and wander round
To look for jobs that I can do
To bring back the days when we were two
When darkness falls and curtains drawn
That’s when I feel most forlorn
But I must be honest and tell the truth
I’m not quite alone and here’s the proof
Because beside me in her chair
She quietly waits our time to share
Kath said to me some time ago
Darling when the time comes for us to go
Let’s mix our ashes and be together
So we can snuggle up for ever and ever.
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This 93-Year-Old Man's Poem For His Late Wife Will Turn You Into An Emotional Wreck