LAUNDRY DANCE

Sorting through all of my laundry today

I suddenly realized

There were memories gathering around me

Dancing brilliantly on the clothes

A shirt that needed starch for Grandpa Joe

He wore one almost every day

And, Dad’s short sleeve dress shirt was there too

He loved them in the hot weather

Ah! Mema’s apron is on the pile there

I smell her biscuits cookin’ too

Aunt Mary’s skirt with stitched decorations

As she sits at the piano

My favorite dress of Mama’s comes to call

Chanel Number Five wafts around me

And, I think of that dress and how she looked

On the arm of my Dad that night

There’s that tight pair of jeans from high school days

Boy, did I think I looked good then

A cap and gown times three join in the dance

The “Gentle” cycle for each one

The dance ends on this laundry day

Others will join in the next time

Some needing a little extra scrubbing

While most will waltz in their own style

Oops! Look at that! “DEAR” Aunt Martha’s sweater

Memories of her switch linger on

I think I’ll wash it in the HOT cycle

And, hang it on the line to dry!

THE BITE OF A BASEBALL GAME

When the knock came at the door that afternoon

My mom was not all that surprised

“Your dog bit my son” said our next-door neighbor

“Oh my” was my Mom’s quick reply

“Yeah, he jumped your fence to get his baseball”

“The dog wasn’t happy he did”

“So, she nipped him on the leg as he climbed back”

“It bled some and he’s scared to death”

Mom and the neighbor have had this talk before

Jimmy sure liked to climb our fence

He never learned that valuable lesson, though

Our dog was happy to oblige

There was no talk about who paid the doctor

There was no lawsuit ever filed

Back then, this was a kid who loved his baseball

Getting bit was part of the game

SMARTER

Maybe I was suppose to be smarter

It certainly possible to me

I can see where I could have been better

With more education, you see?

In the old days, it was called “book learnin’”

Which meant reading a lot and such

I thought I had gone through a lot of books

But, now it don’t seem like so much

I guess my verbs get in the way of some nouns

I find some math such a puzzle

I have a confession about spelling

I am completely bum-fuzzled!

Oh yeah, my grammar gets a little lapse

When I try the prepositions

You have probably already figured out

Teaching was not my ambition

While I know I’m not quite as smart as some

I think I’m stuck with what I’ve got

No sense trying to act any smarter

‘Cause a politician I am not!

THE PRESSURE OF A RHYME

Here I sit in the middle of these words

That say they’d like to rhyme

Yet never offer any suggestions

Of how it is to be

Should I make something up to appease them?

Why should I do the work?

If they were good words as they seem to say

They’d fall in line just so

Line after line goes on without a rhyme

This isn’t poetry!

Ah, yes it is! Poems don’t have to rhyme

There is “free verse”, you know?

Not satisfied they sit and stare at me

Words with a grand mission

Spin the clock or stir the pot – just do it!

Anxious little words too

There are more words now gathering around

I feel the pressure grow

What to write to make all of them happy?

Oh, my! I just don’t know

POP'S TAMPA NUGGETS

It was not in the best of shape as he

Retrieved it from the desk drawer

Yet when he opened the box to show me

All that he had saved – he grinned

Bands were in the Tampa Nugget box he

Held firm with both his hands

Cigar bands from dozens of cigars he

Smoked over the days and years

He handed me a new catalog of great

Items that he could receive

All he had to do was mail in some of

Those bands to Tampa Nugget

As I child, I thought how lucky it was

To be Pop and get free gifts

I even offered to start smoking them

So that I could win something

Pop patted me on the head and told me

To get on outside and play

But, I lingered long enough to get a

Good look at that catalog

I think about that old box of cigar

Bands every once in awhile

Wondering what Pop bought over the years as

It got too full to close

The real truth is - Pop was a lot like

That ol’ box of cigar bands

Wishes and dreams were right there at his finger

Tips to do with as he pleased

Just maybe that box was filled with more than

I realized way back then

Shared grins and whispers with his granddaughter

Could have kept it more than full

WHAT STYLE IS THIS?

What style is this that I write in prose

Someone smarter surely knows

Does it show my talent the best way

Should I try another way?

Oh right there! I used the “way” word twice

Oh good grief what rhymes with twice?

I doubt I’ll ever know all the rules

I’ll be the poetry “fool”

There will be no “acting” on my part

I only write from my heart

Well, I use my brain and some fingers

Oh no! What rhymes with fingers?

What style is this that I write in prose

Wait there’s an itch on my nose!

I guess it’s best that I end this now

Would someone please tell me how?

THE ECONOMY IS BAD.. OR, IS IT?

The economy is in a tailspin

Or, maybe it’s not so bad

This recession is really quite normal

Or, the worst we’ve ever had

I should buy stock while the price is so low

Or, sit on my mattress filled green

Plan right now to spend less in this new year

Or, order online like a queen!

I should take out a loan to buy a new house

But, no one will give me a loan

I shouldn’t fret ‘cause the gas price is down

But, it would be wise to stay home

Maybe I read too much in all of this

Or, perhaps I don’t read enough

Maybe I should trust all the pundits

Or, are they’re just calling my bluff?

Spend cash! It’s great for the economy!

Are there any lessons offered?

Go out for dinner to a fancy place

Stay home and micro some Stouffers

There are lots of boarded up factories

Coffee shops wherever you go

Where drones stand in line for over an hour

Paying big bucks for all that “joe”

Some say wait until we get a new Prez

Some say it doesn’t quite matter

Actually, I’m not sure what I should think

I’m leaning towards the latter