During the phase
the paterfamilias
was on his last hurrah:
none of his progeny
enlisted as caretakers.
His eyes rolled in rheum.
It signaled a failing mind,
a forgotten man.

None of them noted
the grime in his nails:
his desire to be doted on.
Ad patres they profited
from his stardom.
Prolix meter
on public platforms
magnified him.