She didn’t deserve it
Yet death never ceases.
She was the brightest girl in the room
Despite injuries blocking her passion.
She conjured smiles and laughter and eye rolls
With everything she did.
Then she experienced her first loss
And the candle flickered if only for a moment.
Then she was back to herself
For even death could not stop her.
Until it tried again.
And after it failed another time,
It came again.
All in less than a year.
I sat and watched in silence
Watched her being comforted after sharing the news of yet another funeral
And wondered
How she does it
How she still gets up in the morning
Puts on a smile
And keeps on living
Not just surviving.
Because I was her just a few short years ago.
But instead of staying strong like she does
I crumpled
And gave in to the weight of the loss.
Yet this girl still has that innocent look on her face
And the spark in her eyes.
So either she’s so good at faking
She’s convinced the most experienced empath,
Or we could all take a page out of her book
And take what life throws at us with her grace.
There's a reason why dog spelled backwards is god.
Because they were gods, put on earth secretly
To live and breathe, hidden among us mortals,
And to show us the reverberations of our kindness
And our cruelty.
To die after just a few short years
So we shall know the pain that comes with pure love,
And to be reborn again to teach more people—
Us primitive beings—
About the true meaning of life: to love with all your heart,
And to live, right now, just as you are.
"Just for tonight," they say with a grin
As they chug their drinks and toast to sin.
"Life's too short," they laugh and puff
Not knowing their fun's just deadly stuff.
Unbeknownst, they book their tickets to the tomb
Barely out of the womb, then off to their doom.
In a few short years, they're all but gone
With lungs darkened and hearts tarred on.
Smoking and drinking, their idea of fun
Unaware of the wheels they've spun.
They dance with danger, a risky delight
Their words, a joke, in the dead of night.
It’s hard to get from A to B
If you are in a car,
Although I guess it could depend,
Of course, on where you are.
In New York’s metro area,
The traffic’s so much worse
Than just a few short years ago;
It’s really quite perverse.
The GPS diverts us
To some roads we do not know
And even then, construction makes
The going very slow.
So trips are twice as long (or more!)
As they’re supposed to be.
The lesson to be learned from this
Is very clear to me:
Leave extra time for traveling
Whenever you may roam,
But even better, park your car
And just stay close to home.
Another day without her
She said I'd miss her so
Why did she leave me
Why did she have to go
I think about her
And her beautiful ways
I can't help but think of
Those last few hard days
I'd go to see her
We'd talk about the past
She would tell me it's okay
Reminding me life goes too fast
She told me to grasp life
And never let it slip by
Always help and love others
Never letting others see you cry
Oh God, how I miss her
With her smile I can not forget
Her warm comforting hugs
I'm so glad our paths met
She taught me so much
In those few short years
I will never forget her
As I cry more of "My Penny" tears
Sunday
10-02-22
9:34am
"Work pals who Zoom together, stay together." (taken from an article "36 captions for Zoom Meetings, not attributed to anybody in particular)
I’d never heard of Zoom before a few short years ago.
But in my teaching it became a thing I had to know.
It took about a week to learn, for I’m a little slow,
but after two years I can say I still am not a pro!
I made up terms: Zoom on; Zoom off. I only can suppose
that others working from their homes have made up terms like those.
These days I teach while in the classroom, yet up on the screen
are kids I bet are still in “jammies,” just their faces seen!
Some young adults opt to stay home. It makes things hard for me.
Games can’t be played when half the class is learning virtually!
Things can get crazy when somebody isn’t using Mute,
and you might hear some background noises not exactly cute.
We teachers know not everyone is focusing on class.
One good thing is no one has to know if you have gas!
Yes, it’s a crazy world, and even Zoom dating’s a thing,
while Zumping is the latest craze to dump a Zoom-time fling.
Feb. 2, 2022 for the Buzzwords Contest of Kim Rodrigues
Nature in it’s utmost,
has no wont of haste.
Time has little meaning,
and there is no waste.
One year or a million,
matters not at all,
everything that lives,
eventually will fall.
Ashes turn to ashes,
and dust goes back to dust.
All Flora and Fauna,
are building up the crust.
So death is there abetting,
something else to live.
Everything that breathes,
some day will die to give.
Yet in the few short years,
man on earth has faced.
Through the eyes of greed,
mismanages his waste.
He thinks he’s here forever,
even though the rivers die,
the soil is full of poison,
pollution fills the sky.
The earth will be a sewer,
and won’t support the curse,
that stole the pristine beauty,
that it was meant to nurse.
So nature in its wisdom,
will balance without haste,
and in five million years,
will manage its own waste.
In my late 20s having got wed
but in the following year a broken heart
my love passed away to heaven above
a difficult first few months at the start
But someone gave me really great advice
don't feel alone get involved for good
as had a stammer all of my life
start a stammering adult group if I could
In this forget my own troubles
so together with therapists did unite
encourage others along so to speak
so all in unison join to fight
Really felt being able to help others
who had the same struggles just like me
added to my confidence a real boost
in this self-help call, we all did agree
So although my speech didn't improve much
we contributed together with all be there
although that group no longer does exist
for a few short years our cares we did share
(This is written about what advice offered in my life has been the most beneficial.)
For you, the first to teach me poetry,
I wrote a little poem at age nine.
I don't remember writing any more
till I had you for English in ninth grade.
One day when we were talking at your desk,
I saw a single laminated sheet.
I took a closer look and realized
the childish cursive on the page was mine.
You'd saved "My Winter Poem" all those years
and brought it as my gift. I almost cried.
I smile now as I vividly recall
this scene from over fifty years ago.
As teacher and librarian, you earned
the praise of all. We recognized your love
of students, language, books, and our small school.
We knew how much you wanted us to learn.
If I had never told you how I felt,
beyond that day when I was just a teen,
I'd be without excuse, but I did claim
the opportunities to give you praise.
In our last conversation at a school
reunion just a few short years ago,
I told you how I often think of you
when choosing just-right words for poetry.
I recently shared memories of you
with others who held you in high regard.
We wiped our tears and said our last good-byes
to one who taught much more than books and rules.
We all have ambition a real driving force
but is ambition really worth it all
after all, life has only a few short years
once need a stick before being down to crawl
The psalmist tells of the King of Israel
with justice and righteousness, he did reign
this godly reign was of lasting blessing
it was like the land being showered with rain
Israel's King reigns over the nations
so many ignorant of God's gospel
why will they bow before this king?
he shall deliver the needy from their shell
The hearts of the nations will he win
for the quality of his mercy will effect
to draw them into his blessed fold
indeed God's purpose to lovingly select
God brings joy around all the nations
for it, He will be known around the globe
His praise increase for overflowing blessing
long for God, kingdom ambitions in your probe
(PSALM 72 & 67)
EIGHTY YEARS OF BLESSINGS
Each day that God has given you since you were just a youth
In your own way you’ve glorified the Savior with His truth.
God’s given you a family and many wondrous years;
He’s seen you through some trying days with all those many tears.
Today you look back once again to how God has blessed you,
You realize how much He means and all that He can do.
Eighty years—it’s not a lot; it’s a short lapse of time,
It’s just a vapor in the wind, and yet in it we find
God wants to use those few short years to magnify His name;
He’s used you in that special way His praises to proclaim.
Today I look at all you’ve meant in my life here below—
You’ve been a blessing here to me, a precious friend to know.
--Dedicated to Carolyn Grandy on her 80th birthday
Acrostic of EIGHTY.
I dream about a better day,
And wish my fears would pass,
And I could live in perfect peace,
And then look back and laugh.
Instead, I live with doubt and pain,
And worry every day,
That I will never know the joy,
Of those who laugh and play.
I'll never know what it is like,
To have a quiet life,
To have some friends who care for me,
Or have a loving wife.
For just a few short years ago,
I started taking drugs,
To make up for the many times,
My folks refused my hugs.
I never felt their love at home,
They didn't even try,
To show a little tenderness,
So now I'm getting high.
I find it's getting hard to think,
My mind is in a fog,
I cannot walk, I'm falling down,
And lie here like a log.
I cannot speak without a slur,
I cannot move about,
I've lost the faith I had in God,
And left with all these doubts.
Whatever happened to the boy,
Who had so many dreams?
Now all I have is hopelessness,
And nightmares, so extreme.
I lay here in this gutter, as
I watch my flame go dim,
And hum the tune, "Amazing Grace",
And wonder where it's been.
You are four talented musicians coming from up north.
Several very good sounding albums were brought forth.
In a few short years, you have ascended to fame.
However, where did you ever come up with such a name?
The hit songs continue to be played on the radio.
All four of you have become a group many people know.
How did my woman get comp tickets for your concert to see?
It seems like something beyond belief and reality.
This group will perform Saturday night in Atlantic City.
I find it hard to believe. Why don’t you pinch me?
Lawyers
The legal eagles I have known
fly low, incompetence they have shown
standing before the court
as they come up, all too short
has been my experience with the man
who never seems to do the best he can.
And so, laden down with laws
my lawyers seem to have no claws
or wings with which to fly
right into that legal eye.
Reflections
The child in me looks out to see.
Where is the man in you ?, where can he be ?
As the man I am, looks to find, where is the child
in you?, that entity that once ran wild.
Looking, yet never, hardly ever do we see
that which we should have come to be.
B. J. “A” 2
November 6th 2001
A day of pouring out
The above was the insanity of the chaos in my mind.
it came on the heels of depression and a troubling time.
Then came the spirit of catharsis, shows up in my rhyme.
Into the dark ages, my soul had crept,
for a few short years, my spirit wept,
the Grim Reaper, my heart had met,
my rhymes, my words had set,
a coarse to release, from the gloom
that weighed heavy, in the confines of my room.
The dark years have slipped past, have gone on by,
leaving no reason for me, to lie down, and cry.
B. J. “A” 2
November 6th 2001
No name appears on my stone
there are no flowers strewn
grasses grows knee high
full of thorny brambles
How did this come to pass
that so soon I am forgotten
no longer in memories am I
no one tends to my grave
Yet but a few short years
have passed since my death
my name once on many lips
now only sighed by the wind
as it passes my resting place
Now, forsaken, forgotten
out of sight and out of mind
nothing now remains of me
just my crumbling bones
moulder away deep in the earth
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