Tag: Poetry

Laughing through the Tears

He was a funny guy.

He tried to understand,

And, if not, then

At least accept

Most people.

Some rubbed him the wrong way,

But if you needed him,

He was there for you.

And he could laugh it off,

If you were a bit odd.

Back in the day,

When we were housemates,

Then roommates,

He would chuckle at me,

Because I was book smart,

But I liked to dance at parties.

He usually passed

On the dancing,

But every now and then,

He could rock out.

He could be serious

When it came to prayer,

And knowing the Lord.

I know he prayed for me.

I’ll miss him.

Up to Heaven

Gentle as a doe,

Soft spoken and tender.

Loved to laugh

At a good joke.

Sincere for sure,

When life tested him.

Brave and honest,

Generous and loving.

A great friend,

When the chips were down.

A holy brother,

With support and caring.

We’ll miss you, man.

So much.

My Friend, Covid-19

Reach out—flex.

Cringe back—gasp!

Brush up against—

Sorry! My mistake!

What the (bleep) are you doing?

Watch yourself! Be careful!

Did you wash your hands?

Every hour?

You don’t realize how much you touch.

Oh, but only if…

We could meet again,

Hang out. Have coffee together.

Can I read you a story?

No, you might cough on me!

Let’s start over.

We can’t.

What’s done is done.

Where is your mask?

You’ve got to…

Only, perhaps,

It is too late.

Perhaps.

The Essential

Waking from a dream,

I find, I am in a nightmare.

The status quo is social distancing,

I cannot shake your hand,

Much less,

Give you a hug.

The world has been

Turned upside down

By an odd appetite,

And now we all must curb

A variety of yearnings,

Like sitting down in a restaurant,

Going to the movie theater,

Visiting at a friend’s house,

Shopping at the mall.

What has become of the world?

It seems just yesterday,

That I could go anywhere,

At any time.

Now I must check myself,

And ask if it is essential.

What is essential,

After all?

Getting Older

Growing up is a fateful journey,

Full of both joy and despair,

With yearning for a sense of completeness

And sometimes a wish for escape.

I wish I could spend more time

With my family and friends, but

Somehow life seems to get in the way.

Everything from irritable bowels to

A toilet overflowing and flooding several rooms—

From a new job as an administrative assistant

To my wife taking classes at the local community college—

It’s always something.

But as time passes,

I will grab that opportunity to touch base,

Even if just with a note or a phone call.

As I get older, and especially,

As my nieces and nephews get older,

Time seems to fly by and becomes

Much more precious.

Decisions become a challenge, sometimes,

And dates and times seem to crowd in

From every angle.

Oh, if I could only go back!

What I would do differently.