Bent but not Broken

From across the room
I saw him rising slowly,
Knees bent.
I hurried to help.
He looked up,
Smiled and said,
Son,
I can still carry my own.

Battered and bruised,
Scorching sun of summer,
Harsh cold of brutal winters
Have taken their toll.
Withered skin and gnarled bones,
Lumbering walk.
But that twinkle in the eyes
Sends out a message
Loud and clear,
Bent but not broken.
Like a phoenix
Rising from its ashes,
Sun peeping out
From behind the rain clouds,
The old man throws a challenge.
Nature will do its work,
And I will do mine.