Old Photos

Old photos are the best,
Especially when they bring back memories
Long forgotten, tucked away
In golden vaults like precious jewels.
Thirty-fives and Polaroids
Passed around to aging eyes
Filling hearts with happy tears
Of days before we learned the rules.

Grandpa’s ’57 Ford of unknown color.
Who can tell? Aunt Nellie shot in
Black and white.
She hadn’t switched to color yet.
But Grandpop’s pride was evident
As he put many happy smiles
On gleeful faces, windblown traces,
Fleeting times with no regrets.

Taking just a modicum of
Time and space to reminisce
Bygone days bereft of sorrow,
No time or tears to second guess.

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Going Home

They say you can’t go home again after
Time has stolen all your
Childhood memories from bygone days.
Replacing them instead with whiffs of
Progress and regression,
Finding old familiar haunts
Lost within a maze.

Old friends, some still treading there,
(Others long and far away)
Flashing forlorn withered faces
Painted with synthetic smiles.
Slapping thighs as they remember
Youthful tanned exuberance of
How they got from there to here.
“Won’t you sit and stay a while.”

Sorry that I cannot tarry,
Tempting as the thought may be. 
But I have other worlds to conquer,
Other realms to search and roam.
Chance that when my trek is over
And my feet need firmer ground
Time proclaims my travels finished 
And will find me going home.

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I Love you. Did I Say I love you?

Sweet, yet bittersweet the words
Whispered, almost breathless with
Devotion and assurance.
Searching for response in kind that
She knew was sure to come as does
An echo in an empty hallway tenderly return.
She didn’t even realize those
Same three words had passed her lips
But moments since
And I had reassured her that
I loved her, too.

What I said, but had not said,
That I would run through raging fire
If that was what she asked of me,
That I would stand beside her
If the plagues of Hell rained on our heads.

What she said, but had not said,
That she would walk me hand in hand
Down every pathway to the end,
To guide me with her shining star
And be my rainbow’s pot of gold.

“I love you. Did I say I love you?”
Yes, my love.
You did.

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Short-Term Memory

I walked in here for something, I swear.
Now, wait. Just give me a moment.
I was sitting in there when
A thought pierced the air
Like the stealth clamor from an informant.

It seems like a plot from
A gaslight adventure,
Some frivolous misguided scam,
That I should make haste
And my time be a waste when
I’m not even sure where I am.

It plagues me no end
That my mind is no friend
When the details elude and evade.
And I wonder how long
I can keep going wrong
Til the piper at last must be paid.

This short-term failure, it comes and it goes,
Fading in, fading out, fade away.
So, I think A to Z
Til it comes back to me
And I can get on with my day.

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I’m Not Ready to Let Go

How many memories can one heart hold?
How many years are enough?
Why must the ending be so bittersweet?
To where does the time disappear?

There are no limits on memories, I’m told,
As Father Time teases his bluff,
And endings lay treasures of gold at out feet
As life gently soothes every tear.

At least that’s the theory.
It’s what we are bid to believe
As we grieve day by day.
But deep down inside
Where the soul shrinks to hide
There’s an aching that won’t go away.

And I must admit
That the mantle won’t fit
As I sit in a stuporous throe
And stumble and pray
Someone shows me the way.
So unready to let you go.

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Honey Do

There’s no need to badger on
With such incessant urgency
About the “oh, so many” tasks
That plague to steal my precious time.

“Don’t worry, Hon. I’ll get it done,”
My good intentions always say.
But I’ve had odd priorities,
Other hills to scout and climb.

But don’t you fret,
I’ll get to it, Babe.
Though time may slide and slip away.
No need to rush.
I have the list right here.

Just let me sit and rock a bit
And then I’ll get right on it
And finish in a flash,
So, don’t you fear.

But this old chair is comfy and my nap is overdue.
So, the numbers just keep growing
On my list of “honey-do”.

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I Can’t Eat That Anymore

Hot dogs topped with sauerkraut and the
Spicy mustard I adore.
Blaze-hot jalapeno
Meant to make me sweat from every pore.
Greasy, cheesy pizza crowned with
Every topping in the store.
Take it all away ‘cause
I can’t eat that anymore.

Time was, not so long ago,
(It really seems like ages though)
That any grub to grab and go
Could fit my appetite.
And though I’m not persnickety
There’re many foods that get to me
And seem to wage a battle
I am not prepared to fight.

I could just grin and bear the bill,
Or have a cup of chamomile
And maybe I’d be fine as wine
To even up the score.
But I just keep on tempting fate,
Remorseful over what I ate,
Regretfully repeating,
“I can’t eat that anymore.”

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My Best Girl

I couldn’t guess the many-a-mile
We walked together hand in hand,
Both literal and metaphorical,
Til viscid palms would not let go.
And people stare and whisper low
As though it’s hard to understand
How those our age can still engage
In childish act we should outgrow.

I don’t care what others think
Or how they act or what they say.
She’s my best girl,
My lucky song,
My guiding star,
My rudder, my sail.
She’s everything precious in my world as
I travel on life’s weary way.
With her hand in mine
I always can find
A peaceful ending to any travail.

We may not see the ending together.
Life can be cruel that way.
But I’ll hold her hand til
The last fleeting moment,
Fulfilling the vow of our wedding day.

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Age is Just a Number

Father Time is masterful at
Changing plots and storylines,
And all bear witness as
The transformations are discerned.
As season shifts to season
Etched in incremental stages,
Mortality becomes
An unavoidable concern.

But age is just a number
And old is but a state of mind.
And I’ll be here (until I’m not),
So, set the feast and pour the wine.

Like Mister Frost whose lifelong task
Was oft misunderstood,
But found the road to longevity
In a lonely yellow wood.
Or Glenn, the younger, circumnavigating
Time and space
To Glenn, the elder, after
Seven decades and still in the chase.

So, let the aging process roll
Unchecked and unforgiving,
And I’ll be here (until I’m not)
To make the most of living.

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This Book

This book in my hand
Does not weigh me down
Nor spawn an encumbrance
To imagination.
It lifts me on wings to
Fly through the mirror
To magical shores
Of intense inspiration.

The yeoman in me craves
The bliss of blind whimsey,
Borne over oceans,
Shared in the sky to
Glide to adventures
Beyond sweeping eons,
Landing in who knows where,
When, how or why.

Leafing and leaping and
Launching through time
From the comfort and cozy of
My easy chair.
No matter the object
Of my fascination, this book…
This book will take me there.

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If Only

If only I could capture
This sate feeling of elation,
Learn to seal it in a bottle
For when times are not so fair,
Open it for faithful friends
In loving lavish celebration
For lusty dreams and tangled schemes
Of common themes we share.

If only time could take a pause
To relish in this treasure,
To taste the clover honey
Of a sunny afternoon,
To linger but a fleeting breath
And savor life’s pure pleasure
With ne’er a thought that
It might all be over much too soon.

Every magic moment precious,
Every fence an open gate,
Every blessing sent from Heaven
Is a cause to celebrate.

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A Sonnet to Joy

Easy to rejoice in jubilation
For fair and festive victories in life.
And revelry proclaims the celebration
In rituals complete with drum and fife.

Praise to all who join in my elation,
Who frolic with delight my happiness.
To share the mirth and hoist a stout libation
And sing a song or two to my success.

But in the subtle ecstasy of others
I oft time lack the glee they entertain.
Perhaps a touch of anxious envy bothers
To douse my eyes with feathers of disdain.

Lord, help me find the wisdom to attend
The joyful celebration of a friend.

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Texas 1971-72

Leaving home for newfound adventures,
Just the two of us on our own
Two thousand plus miles from
Family and friends,
Fledgling companions together – alone.

Who can we cling to?
New town – no friends,
All unfamiliar in fit or flair.
Olive drab convoys humping the highways on
Juxtaposed journeys going nowhere.

Who chose this Devil’s den
Void of amenities
So near the shores of
The Earth’s ragged end?
Where disquiet dwells in
The green sky of hailstones
And summertime swelter
Is nobody’s friend.

Test of our testament to one another,
A decade of displeasure packed in one year.
Thankful to flee, once our sentence is over,
Back to a place where we won’t disappear.

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Life Lessons

Who was that angry young hot-headed hooligan
Ranting and raving in rivulets of rage?
Awash with the angst of
Contrite consternation,
Keen to react and so quick to engage.
Hustling highways and bristling byways
To get it done my way and rush to the end.
Smashing resistance with strident insistence
Til left and bereft in pursuit of a friend.

Always in danger of onerous anger
Amidst all the clangorous chatter and noise,
Struggling with all my might
Just to avoid a fight,
Grappling to score without losing all poise.

But tough times and trials and tragic tears
Can soften a once stoic steel veneer
Til tall walls of frowns come tumbling down
To fancy as winglets for fantasy’s fears.
And though these life lessons so smartly serve
As treasures (much more that I deserve),
I would not, will not, cannot swerve
And allow old angers to reappear.

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On Being the Age of Us

Boomers, beware! The seasons are changing,
Paths rearranging and fading fast.
The soft silent Spring that rained on your Summer is
Fumbling, tumbling into the past.

Try as you may to stop time in her paces,
She flashes many faces,
Escapes without traces.
And though you may witness
Her bounty of graces
You know she must win in the end.

She doles us her favors on limited basis
To run out our races
In various places.
With all of the gusto good harvest embraces
She dons the mock mask of a friend.

But those of our age
Are not fooled by her witness.
We’ve seen where her
Nightmarish limits reside.
We live in our moment
Secure in our hour
With faith in the prize
On the other side.

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Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring?

ALL:
Magical rainbows have always been there.
We don't know when they'll appear.
Ours is a future of promises made.
We don't look back and there's no need to fear all the
Rain clouds and thunder, the dark and the gloom.
They're not a part of the scene.
We'll hold our heads far above stormy clouds
To see what tomorrow may bring                                                                                                               
DJ:                 
Starting a new life is scary for me,
But scarier it was by far
Thinking that you weren't a part of my life,
But now I know that you are.

KATE:           
Seeing your face and just holding your hand,
It makes my heart truly sing.

KATE & DJ   
Now we are ready to face a new day
And see what tomorrow may bring.

ALL                
Starlight and moonbeams appear everywhere
Casting a magical spell.
Voices in harmony fly through the air
Filled with a song that we all know so well
Til that moment of silence when no one may speak.
Suddenly everyone sings.
Wondering, wandering, waiting to know...
To see what tomorrow brings.

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Secrets

            TESS: 
Secrets... We all have our secrets;
Things that we keep down inside,
Things that we hide in our soul.
Secrets... There are all kind of secrets.
Some so dark they could cause you such strife,
Change your life if they were told. 
I've had a secret burning deep down inside of me
I've felt shame unimagined by most
Caused by a ghost from my past.
But now I've told my secret;
It can no longer haunt me.
Unafraid I can walk through the crowd
Holding my head up at last.                                                                                                                      

The secrets of my youth
But how time has flown
And my heart has grown;
It's ready to know the truth. 
Secrets... Why do we need secrets?
Just to save an embarrassing word,
Not to be heard on the street.
It's better... Just to give up your secrets.
Lift the burdens you carry around,
Lay them all down at your feet.

Someday... Someday, maybe tomorrow
You'll see blue skies and sunlight appear,
Chasing your fears all away.
'Til then... Don't let secrets bind you;
Put them all behind you.
Just forget all the sorrows and fears
Of so many years. Wipe away traces
Of all of those tears and you'll say
This can be a new day.

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Send Me Back to Nashville

BABS:           

Let me tell the story, people,

Of a young girl and her dream.

Determined she would lead the life

Of a country music queen.

Sold her soul to Music City

For a promise and a lie.

But the only thing they ever gave her

Was a kick in her backside.

 

Send me back to Nashville, honey.

Gonna take me one last ride.

Climb up on that bucking bronco,

Gonna wear out my backside.

Squeeze out every ounce of effort

'Til the sweat falls from each pore.

Send me back to Nashville, honey,

'Til I just can't take no more.

 

People said my voice was special;

Said that I should be on top.

Gave me bus fare and a quarter

Just to call in case I'd flop.

I went down just to look around

And from all that I could see,

There's about a million girls in Nashville

And they all sound just like me.

 

So, send me back to Nashville, honey,

Pack my hopes up in my dreams.

Guitar hanging from my shoulder

And my washed out faded jeans.

Paint my face on a picture postcard,

Tell the folks I'm doin' fine.

Oh, send me back to Nashville, honey,

Just to wilt there on the vine.

I gave it my very best;

More than two years of my life.

Bottom line was I'd be better off

Being some poor trucker's wife.

But at least I know that I had my shot;

Can't take that away from me,

And if I could've got just one good break

Just imagine where I'd be.

Oh, send me back to Nashville, honey,

Music City USA.

Play me out for the fool I was

In my trusting younger days.

Promise me both the moon and stars

'Til I give my soul away.

Oh, send me back to Nashville,

Music City USA.

Yes, send me back to Nashville,

Music city U - S - A..

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The Traveler

            TINKER:       

Life was a bore until I hit the road;
Just me and my Harley, breaking the code
Of that everyday humdrum. I couldn't survive
In a world where a living is made 9 to 5.
That highway before me became my best friend.
I couldn't stop riding til I found the end.
The traveler's contentment is in the next town.
He has to keep moving to somewhere.
He can't settle down.

Counting the miles from Seattle to Maine,
Shreveport to Lansing through sleet, snow and rain,
From Florida Keys down to old Mexico,
From the cold of the Yukon to Ontario.
Each city is different. Each city's the same.
You fill them with people and just change the name.
New York to Denver and old Chicago,
To the city of angels,
It follows wherever you go.

My greatest joy was the wide-open highway;
Cornfields and wheat fields, the wide-open plains;
Mountains and rivers, no obstacles for me;
Crossing the boundaries 
Free from all shackles and chains.

What do you do when the traveling is over?
Where do you go when you've been everywhere?
The child in you still an eternal explorer,
Longing to know what the hell is out there.
Don't look around to see who is behind you.
You never were one to run with the pack.
Don't bother packing and don't bother planning.
All that you need are the clothes on you back.

Always the traveler, always the dreamer,
Destiny calls and you gladly obey.
Your future lies in a different direction
Somewhere out there
In a land that is far far away.
Traveling on down that long endless highway,
Longing to see all that there is to see.
Life is a road bent in many directions.
The life of a traveler
Has always been happy for me.

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Putting My Life On Hold

MANDY:

Putting my life on endless hold
Has been the way for me.
Following someone else's dream,
I hitched a ride for free.
Somebody else's fairy tale,
My story never told.
When do I stop this masquerade
Of putting my life on hold?

 I was a child filled with spirit and wonder,
Ready to plunder the world for it's gold.
Then Artie came along,
Asked me to marry him,
Share all his plans as the future unfolds.
Just like a fool I put my dreams aside,
Then watched the time as it rolled.
Year after year I kept waiting my turn
And putting my life on hold.
I suppose things haven't really been too bad,
When the whole story at last has been told.
Children to comfort me,
How bad can it all be?
Grandchildren at my knee when I grow old.

Now wait a minute.

That kind of thinking has led me to where I am.
There's something more that I need for my own.
It's time for me to try,
See if these wings will fly.
This is my solo; I'll go it alone.

It's all so clear to me
Now.  It appears to be
Destiny calling me out of the cold.
Stand back and watch me now,
I'm in the game...
I won't be waiting around...
Or putting my life on hold.

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Follow Your Dreams

KATE:

You had to follow your dream;
Looking for rainbows around every bend.
Finding the wonder in each starlight beam
You had to follow your dream.
There was a wanderlust deep in you soul
Carrying you far away.
I had to hope that the fates would be kind
And safely return you someday.
But you had to follow your heart
You weren't meant to be part of a team,
And though it has kept us apart,
You had to follow your dream.

DJ:                 
It wasn't fair just to leave you behind
When you deserved so much more.
We couldn't tell when we said our good-byes

KATE & DJ: 
Just what the future was holding in store.

KATE:            
But you had to follow your dream,

DJ:                              
You made me follow my dream,

 KATE:            
Reach for the stars and leave reason behind.

DJ:                              
Reach for the stars and leave heaven behind                                                                                            

KATE:  
It's not as strange as it seems.

DJ:                              
Though I abandoned my schemes.

KATE:            
You had to follow your dream.

DJ:                              
I had to follow my dream.
And as strange as it seems...
You were always a part of my dream.

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Wheeler Dealer

ACE: 

      Well, it sounds like just the thing this deal needs.  Yessiree... A         wheeler-dealer.
When you've got to put the deal away,
Make your point and get it sealed away,
You don't want just anyone to play
'Let's make a deal'.
When you start into the wrangling,
Fussing, fuming and finagling,
You want someone great at haggling
For your appeal.

ACE, FROGGIE and DUCKY:

You want a wheeler-dealer,

Real appealer,

A wheeler dealer

To get your point across.

FROGGIE:  

Making millions is a piece of cake

If you can avoid the big mistake.

When the other guy begins to quake,

Don't be a fool.

Confidence is there at your command.

Never give away the upper hand.

Just keep talking. Stick to your demands.

Just play it cool.

ACE, FROGGIE and DUCKY:

Just be a wheeler dealer...

Real scene stealer...

A wheeler dealer

To make the deal go through.

DUCKY:        

There's no doubt I reek of confidence;

Never find me sitting on the fence.
Monty Hall, no doubt would take offense
To my ability.
Give me details, let me make a pitch.
Tell me what and how and which.
Watch the deal come off without a hitch.
Leave it to me, ‘cause I'm a...

ACE, FROGGIE and DUCKY:
Wheeler dealer...
Problem healer...
A wheeler dealer
To put it on the line.
You need a wheeler-dealer,
Real scene stealer,
A wheeler dealer,
And things will work out fine.

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I Can Sell Anything

Oh, I... I can sell anything;
All you imagining.
It's all for sale. Who knows? ... 
Maybe that diamond ring.
Who knows what price it may bring?
'Cause I never fail. It don't matter if it's cold or hot...
I can sell it if it can be bought.
Add a little sweetener into the pot
Til the buyer just can't say no.
'Cause I... I can sell anything.
Registers jing-a-ling
When I start my spiel.
Give up... Might as well write the check.
Resistance hits the deck
When I pitch the deal.
Makes no difference what you have to sell,
I could sell the pope a ticket to hell;
Take a pile of garbage and make it smell
Like the sweetest rose in bloom.
'Cause I... I can sell anything;
Like a bird on the wing,
Always on the move.
Move out... Let me set up the sting.
I'll make the pigeons sing.
Got a lot to prove.
Don't tell me that it's not for sale.
I'm the hammer that drives the nail.
Have no doubt 'cause I never fail
To get it signed on the line..

It don't matter if you're weak or strong,
Your resistance can't last too long.
You'll think I'm right even if I'm wrong
And you're gonna like it just fine.
Because I... I can sell anything...
Yes, I can sell anything...
Mmmm... Anything.

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Money Slips Right Through My Fingers

Money... It slips right through my fingers.
That green stuff never lingers
To be my bosom friend.
I find it. Success is all around me.
Opportunity hounds me,
But I lose out in the end.

Winner! I want to be a winner;
Not just some beginner...
A struggling, bumbling hack.
Play me. I'll be a real scene-stealer;
A sure-fired wheeler-dealer.
I know I've got the knack.

But money, it slides right through my digits,
While I just fuss and fidget
And wave a sad goodbye.
Someday I'll find a way to keep it
When fortune smiles and sees fit
To look me in the eye.

Maybe if I could lie and cheat
I wouldn't go crashing in defeat,
Or waiting around til someone beats my time.
Could I be happy just to win?
Would it be right to cheat a friend?
Wind up in hell, wallowing in the slime.

But money... Slips right through my fingers;
Still that feeling lingers.
Go for it one more time.
Sweet deals are just around the bend now,
And money's your best friend now,
And things will work our fine.

Money don't care who holds it tight.
Pinch it and squeeze with all your might.
Sorrow and sadness, leave it all behind.
Wake up tomorrow in the pink.
Lose it and wind up in the drink.
Don't worry boys. I'll still be doing just fine.

Money!  Oh!  Sweet money....
Money is no friend of mine.

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