I have survived waking up another day

I have survived waking up another day,
The old car with a hard start on a cold winter morning,
The ache and pain of lost youth,
The coughing sputter of engine refusing to turn over,
Choking, gasping, sucking air
Praying, begging, rolling over,
Fighting through the worrying dog and cat,
One wanting food, the other needing to pee,
Toilet pit stop bringing certain relief,
Dressing a chore, especially the shoes,
The overcoat barely breaks the chill wind,
But the dog's ecstacy uplifts.
And walking,
The old car gathers steam,
Takes the corner like a pro,
Follows the lead dog,
Leaning into the wind,
Making the coming home turn,
The dog having done his business discreetly,
Saving me the effort of bending and picking up,
My engine veritably roars in the home stretch,
Imagining the smell the brewing coffee.
After a shower, dressed in work clothes
I'll look like something new and fresh,
No one would believe I barely survived this morning.
How easy it would have been to roll over and gone back to sleep
Hiding in that other world, uninterrupted
Except for the occasional nightmare, these days.
The cat now eats her breakfast
And the dog is looking relieved.