I don't have to watch you die

i don't have to watch you die
was the phrase
on my mind
as i walked to the corner shop
to buy beer and cigarettes
as the dull ache in my liver
briefly convinced me that i
would die young
and leave a middle aged corpse

i don't have to watch you die
my family
pets
famous people
the guy in the corner shop
the bar man in the lion

the ache has left me now
and i guess i'll be around for some
time yet
unless i meet my maker
in the shape of a routemaster london red
bus