She had a ‘Zest for Life’

The secret of longevity is to eat

an incredible amount of meat

and surround yourself with colourful 

characters in defiance of the fates.

Ideally, to make the 100 grade

you should get married twice, work hard 

and smoke enthusiastically through the night.

To pass the century mark you must run

a large herd of cattle or be an active lecturer,

care for your general health, keep up 

with the times, enjoy people like fresh fruit,

and take brief romance seriously.

She had lived an exemplary life. 

She did not fake it till she made it. 

She is only slightly deaf, wheezes occasionally 

and takes one pill a day to prevent fluid retention. 

She makes preserves and chutneys with clots

never worried about a sudden protracted arrest

avoided starchy articles and stiffs, said the prayers 

worked as little as possible by artificial light.

She says Johnny was always a potential cadaver,

her irresponsible pleasure-loving son. 

The same way an orange peels its bright skin 

to see what it has in common with sunlight.

Never ask where the bodies are buried.

According to her mother, the key is social fitness 

be courteous to your creditors, limit all inquiries

keep even-tempered, even when the bloodhounds come.

^{Footnote: this poem was created using the Spines or Cut Ups constraint as the starting point.}