Audrey’s still here

Slow times and fast times
I’ve seen them all and my dear
Im still here
Solitaire pastimes
Dramas to rival King Lear
and I’m here
I’ve worked in high schools
Like the best
Spit in your eye schools
and the rest
Schools where they’re likely to bite off your ear
and I’m here.
So I’ve written novels to make me famous
That was a joke and a half
Unless your a wizard or LA Shamus
Literature is a laugh
I’ve been through Central
I’ve been through CNAA
And I’m here
Nearly went mental
Grew some grey hairs on the way
But I’m here
John Allen taught me
Such a lot
George K support me?
Maybe not
Bob was the only one who could force out a tear
But I’m here.
So I’ve written BEds in in Speech and Drama
Each one more weird than the last
When you’ve written Beds in Speech and Trauma
Everything else is a blast
I’ve been through cancer
Chest pains and shortage of breath
And I’m here
Know there’s no answer
Just the final one – death
And I’m here
Chemo and Radiotherapy
Done all they think they could do for me
All they could do is nothing they fear
But I keep on grimly living
and I’m here
I’ve past my die-by date by more than a year
Lord knows I’ve really been there and I’m here

(To be sung to the music of "I'm Still Here" from Stephen
Sondheim's "Follies")