My Heart is Filled with Love at Last Sight

I said, “I fell in love with you at first sight,”

You said, “Oh, it was a crazy night,”

I said, “The moon was beautiful and bright,

 But I couldn’t see anything but you,”

You said, “I don’t think that was true,

You came in with someone dressed in blue,”

I said, “I’ll have to admit once more you’re right,

Let’s just forget about love at first sight,”

It was not as important as I thought it would be,

It was a step in the right direction, don’t you agree?

We were newlyweds ready to begin,

Confident we could change the world, again and again,

But it was the second step, or maybe it was three or four,

When we connected deeply, right at heart’s door,

Steps five or six, we really began to communicate,

Every day I grew more in love, it was such a happy state,

Knowing your love for me was also deep,

Made it so easy to have a restful sleep,

Love at first sight seemed unreal and so long ago,

As life expanded our love continued to grow,

We were stepping into our future, two of a kind,

I was so crazy about you as if I’d lost my mind,

Years went by so quickly with you at my side,

And I still thought of you as my beautiful bride,

When you were stricken with that terrible disease,

I had to tell you “I love you” to put your mind at ease,

I still loved you when your hair began to fall,

It didn’t change the way I felt, no, not at all,

The moon outside is breathtaking and luminous tonight,

But you’re lying here cold in the middle of the night,

Your frail body is still beautiful to my sight,

I’ll lie beside you until morning’s early light,

Remembering tears and laughter we shared,

The ways we showed each other we cared,

How we worked through our problems every day,

Learned to forgive and to often pray,

We didn’t let disagreements go on long,

As we trusted each other we were twice as strong,

I didn’t really understand love at first sight,

We took our turns at being wrong and right,

Now you’ve left this earth on your final flight,

And my heart is filled with love at last sight.

Updrafts and Downdrafts

I leave chasing storms,

To those with fast cars,

Because once hit by a hailstone,

There’s a tendency to see stars,

 One day in a thunderstorm,

A hailstone towards me rolled,

“Say hey, Mr. Hailstone,

Aren’t you being a little bit bold?”

“Updrafts and downdrafts,

Have made me what I am,

I’ve grown from a mere drop,

To a layered battering ram,

I put on several coats,

As I traveled up and down,

And I usually pick up speed,

Before crashing to the ground,”

“I know what you mean,

You’re a true driving force,

Do all that you‘ve got to do,

I’ll try to avoid you of course,”

Life is often like that,

It changes the path you take,

Updrafts and downdrafts,

Influence the choices you make,

You might put on several layers,

As you travel far and near,

And few will really know the core,

Of all that you hold dear,

“Hailstone, you’re not so different,

You’re much like people I know,

They get pushed up and down,

And can’t keep up with the flow,

You won’t last long lying there,

It’s just so humid and hot,

Thanks for visiting and dropping by,

And commenting with your best shot,”

Friends and storms are welcome here,

Whenever the warm winds blow,

But friends are also welcome here,

When forecasts call for snow.

Trapped Inside

I don’t know how to say what I feel,

I’ve been alone way too long,

But when you are near,

The world seems more clear,

 I forget all the things that went wrong,

You’ll never know I’ve changed my view,

Unless I share my heart,

You’ll see my pride fall,

As I tear down the wall,

And change things that drove us apart,

I’m afraid that you’ll say it’s too late,

That love has shriveled and died,

If my worst fears are true,

And I’ve really lost you,

Then my love will be trapped inside,

If I stammer and stall, break down and cry,

Look at the words waiting in my eyes,

What you really mean to me,

Will be easy for you to see,

There will not be a place for lies,

What have I done to make you cry?

You say they’re tears of happiness,

Your arms are opened wide,

I’ve finally swallowed my pride,

You’ve waited so long for this,

The world is not always about me,

Please be patient as I grow,

I’ll learn to listen and confide,

I don’t want my love trapped inside,

I want a river of love to flow,

I’m glad I had a second chance,

To tell you how much I care,

My heart knows it is true,

Just how much I missed you,

And I’ll love you forever, I swear.

The Legend of "Old Paint"

Smoke billowing from the tailpipe,

A muffler with thunderous roar,

The world knew I was arriving,

Three or four blocks before,

The paint and chrome were rusty,

The license plate clung to a wire,

The neighbors all made bets,

On when the car would catch on fire,

“Old Paint”, I affectionately called her,

And oft gave her a tender slap,

My friends all politely inquired,

“When are you getting rid of that claptrap?”

They were embarrassed by “Old Paint’,

As she sat next to their shiny steeds,

“Don’t laugh, I’ll race any of you,

“Old Paint” was built for speed,”

It took some time for them to calm,

They laughed and rolled on the ground,

But when I revved her they stepped back,

She was the hottest car in town,

You think I’d race their souped up cars,

That didn’t even have names?

But probably what held me back,

Was when “Old Paint” burst into flames,

I guess I was wrong concerning “Old Paint”,

Bragging how fast she could be,

But the legend grows about that night,

And how she burned with me,

I escaped in a cloud of smoke,

So don’t worry or think I fried,

When “Old Paint”” lit up the sky,

I was the only one who cried,

A sad ending for such a noble steed,

The night I hotfooted it out of town,

“Old Paint” claimed her piece of glory,

Her flames brought City Hall to the ground.

It Takes Three-Thirds

“My child failed because of you,”

 I heard an irate parent say,

Her mind was set, the blame was met,

She had an excuse to end the day,

I could have argued till my face was blue,

But words had no chance to sway,

“Would you mind if I showed you,

A way through mathematics,

How your child could always get through?”

“Is this a trick you’re pulling on me,

Or is this math way really true?”

“Oh, it’s true indeed, and something more,

It’ll show the importance of your child and you,”

“Okay, I’m listening, so make it fast,”

“You’re the parent and you’re in charge,

Your influence over your child is vast,

So you’re assigned one-third of the task,

Your discipline and love is designed to last,”

“Now the teacher assumes the role,

Of creating a world away from home,

The teacher will do his best to reach the goal,

Count another one-third that will be done,

Add those together and your battle’s won,”

“Two-thirds is a passing grade,

Yet there’s a part missing and this is the test,

Your child must face the world at his best,

He may never make it if he just skims by,

He’ll have trouble leaving the ground,

And he’ll never really learn to fly,”

“His one-third is even more important,

For the first two-thirds are building blocks,

He’ll need to stand on those to reach the sky,

But he’ll never be a bright star,

If he chooses not to try,”

“Your part really began long ago,

When you planted the seeds,

For him to bloom and grow,”

“Education brings answers to hopes and schemes,

If he’s willing to work to achieve his dreams,

He has to choose whether to sink or swim,

And it’s time for us to be firm and for him to dig in,”

“The common goal is well within sight,

And opportunity is knocking on the door,

Remember how important it is to do things right,

 It takes parents, teachers, and student,

All three-thirds,

To let this success story take flight,”

She squinted her eyes and stared at me,

Her face released the frown,

She said to her son, “He’s right, you know,

So Johnny don’t let us down,”

He excelled at sports, his grades improved,

He worked as hard as he could,

And sure enough he found success,

Doing what he should,

His mom told others about the math,

And how it shaped his goal,

One-third, one-third, and one-third,

Made a student completely whole.