Thank you, N. I am just now becoming interested in a new form, so I took your advice and turned this senryu into a tanka. It gave me th extra space to develop the tradgedy we all must fear if we live long enough.
I choose my poems as a writer of prose might when deciding on a novel (Earnest Heartways), novela (Jo Betty) or short story (original Senility).
Depending on the idea I am trying to convey, the length of the poem must contain the entire message. If it is a wry observation, perhaps a haiku or senryu is best. Something complex like the fundamental problems facing my generation (Earnest Heartways) take more.