Woodland Elf

As elegantly Old-Wordly as he is
other-worldly we have never seen him
other than trekking through the woods in
all seasons, walking stick in either hand
as he covers the trails far faster than we
ever would or could, an elfin man in
appearance who makes few concessions
to the weather, clad in white shirt and
red windbreaker, spring, summer, fall 
and winter. Ever so slight his appearance
a will-'o-the-wisp of a person with a
precise manner and courteous in nature
he never hesitates to stop and chat and
even our two little dogs find him quite
how to put it? enchanting. The mystery
is how a person so engaged with health
and exercise and so fit as he is can
nonetheless be plagued by a series of
mechanical bodily malfunctions for he
presents as a specimen of robust health
despite an attenuated size and girth. Yet
one medical failure after another besets
our friend, from failing eyesight to heart
condition, hip replacements to aches and
pains which he endures determined never
to succumb to chronic breakdown as did
his wife now wheelchair-bound and his
committed avenue of dedicated caretaking.