poems

I wrote this poem for a contest on Book crossing, and actually won a prize. A book of course. We do fun things like this.

As I look out my window
I scream with delight
The fast falling snow
Has turned my world white.

They're hiding in fear.

A soft footed cat

Could be drawing near.

The children are running
And laughing with glee
They build a fat snowman
Who looks just like me.

Spring will soon come,
Warm days will appear.
But right now I'm wishing
That Hawaii was near.

***********

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the

bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.

I am still depositing."

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

One of my fondest memories
As I recall the days of yore
was the little house, behind the house, With the crescent o'er the door.
'Twas a place to sit and ponder With your head all bowed down low;
Knowing that you wouldn't be there, If you didn't have to go.
Ours was a multi-holer, three, With a size for every one.
You left there feeling better, After your job was done.
You had to make those frequent trips In snow, rain, sleet, or fog--
To that little house where you usually found the Sears-Roebuck catalogue.
Oft times in dead of winter, The seat was spread with snow.
T'was then with much reluctance, to that little house you'd go. With a swish you'd clear that wooden seat, Bend low, with dreadful fear You'd shut your eyes and grit your teeth As you settled on your rear. I recall the day Ol' Granddad,
Who stayed with us one summer, Made a trip out to that little house
Which proved to be a bummer.   'Twas the same day that my Dad had
Finished painting the kitchen green. He'd just cleaned up the mess he'd made With rags and gasoline.  He tossed the rags down in the hole
Went on his usual way Not knowing that by doing so
He'd eventually rue the day. Now Granddad had an urgent call,
I never will forget! This trip he made to the little house
Stays in my memory yet.   He sat down on the wooden seat,
With both feet on the floor. He filled his pipe and tapped it down
And struck a match on the outhouse door.  He lit the pipe and sure enough,
it soon began to glow. He slowly raised his rear a bit And tossed the flaming match below. The Blast that followed, I am told Was heard for miles around;
And there was poor ol' Granddad Sprawled out there on the ground.

The smolldering pipe still in his mouth, His eyes were shut real tight;
The celebrated three-holler Was blown clear out of sight. We asked him what had happened, What he said I'll ne'er forget. He said he thought it must have been The pinto beans he et! Next day we had a new one
Dad put it up with ease. But this one had a door sign that read: No Smoking, Please!

That's the story's end my friend, Of memories long ago, When we went to the house behind the house, because we had to go.

A crabby old woman,
Not very wise,
Uncertain of habit,
With faraway eyes?

Who dribbles her food
And makes no reply
When you say in a loud voice,
I do wish you'd try!"

Who seems not to notice
The things that you do,
And forever is losing
A stocking or shoe?

Who, resisting or not,
Lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding,
The long day to fill?

Is that what you're thinking?
Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse,
You're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am
As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding,
As I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of ten
With a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters,
Who love one another

A young girl of sixteen
With wings on her feet
Dreaming that soon now
A lover she'll meet.

A bride soon at twenty,
My heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows
That I promised to keep

At twenty-five now,
I have young of my own,
Who need me to guide
And a secure happy home.

A woman of thirty,
My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other
With ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons
Have grown and are gone,
But my man's beside me
To see I don't mourn.

At fifty once more,
Babies play round my knee,
Again we know children,
My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me,
My husband is dead,
I look at the future,
I shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing
Young of their own,
And I think of the years
And the love that I've known.

I'm now an old woman
And nature is cruel; '
Tis jest to make old age
Look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles,
Grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone
Where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass
A young girl still dwells,
And now and again,
My battered heart swells.

I remember the joys,
I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living
Life over again.

I think of the years
All too few, gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact
That nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people,
Open and see,
Not a crabby old woman;
Look closer . . . see ME!!

When I was in my younger days
I weighed a few pounds less,
I needn't hold my tummy in
to wear a belted dress.
But now that I am older,
I've set my body free;
There's comfort of elastic
Where once my waist would be.
Inventor of those high-heeled shoes
My feet have not forgiven;
I have to wear a nine now,
But used to wear a seven.
And how about those pantyhose--
They're sized by weight, you see,
So how come when I put them on
The crotch is at my knees?
I need to wear these glasses
As the prints were getting smaller;
And it wasn't very long ago
I know that I was taller.
Though my hair has turned to gray
and my skin no longer fits,
On the inside, I'm the same old me,
Just the outside's changed a bit.

Thought I'd let my doctor check me
Cause I didn't feel quite right. . .
All those aches and pains annoyed me
And I couldn't sleep at night.

He could find no real disorder
But he wouldn't let it rest
What with Medicare and Blue Cross,
We would do a couple tests.

To the hospital he sent me
Though I didn't feel that bad,
He arranged for them to give me
Every test that could be had.

I was fluoroscoped and cystoscoped,
My aging frame displayed
Stripped, on an ice cold table,
While my gizzards were x-rayed.

I was checked for worms and parasites,
For fungus and the crud,
While they pierced me with long needles
Taking samples of my blood.

Doctors came to check me over,
Probed and pushed and poked around,
And to make sure I was living
They then wired me for sound.

They have finally concluded
Their results have filled a page,
What I have will someday kill me;
My affliction...is OLD AGE!

An Irish Blessing
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

To realize the value of ten years, Ask a newly divorced couple. To realize the value of four years, Ask two, now single, high school sweethearts. To realize the value of one year, Ask a student who has failed a final exam. To realize the value of nine months, Ask a mother who gave birth to a still-born. To realize the value of one month, Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of one week, Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize the value of one hour, Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet To realize the value of one minute, Ask a person who has just missed the . train, bus, or plane To realize the value of one second, Ask a person who has survived an accident To realize the value of a millisecond. Ask a person who has just won a silver medal in the olympic's
Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.
Author Unknown

Remember, old folks are worth a fortune With silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their stomachs. I have become a little older, since I saw you last and a few changes have come into my life, frankly I have become a frivolous old gal. I am seeing five gentleman everyday as soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get out of bed, Then I go to see John............before you know it Charlie Horse comes along and when he is here, he takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day............He doesn't like to stay in one place too long, so he takes me from joint to joint............After such a busy day, I'm really tired and glad to go to bed with Ben Gay.........What a life! ------ p.s..........The preacher came to call the other day, he said I should be thinking about the hereafter............I told him, "Oh I do all the time, no matter where I am, in the parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen or down in the basement, I ask myself

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting',
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittin's,
Bundles of magazines tied up with string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
Then I remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food nor food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin'.
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Some Thoughts On Growing Older.
Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone. It's easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing.
Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
If you feel you are over the hill, why not just enjoy the view.
Many people find they really are as young as they feel, but seldom as important.
By the time I amass enough experience to watch my step, I wont be going much of anywhere.
Age is important only if you are cheese or wine.
Mark Twain said quote When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old.
Live a good honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ....WOW, What a ride.

****************
Reporters interviewing a 104 year old woman:
"And what do you think is the best thing about being 104 ?" the reporter asked.
She simply replied" No peer pressure"

The nice thing about being senile is that you can hide your own Easter eggs.

God, grant me the senility.. To forget the people I never liked anyway.... The good fortune to run into the ones I do... And the eyesight to tell the difference.

While life may not be the party we hoped for, while we are here... We might as well dance.

I cannot take credit for writing these poems and if I knew who did I would happily mention their names.

This was written as a protest song, out of the very real experience of women in the not too distant past. It originated during the Civil war years in the United States. The first known version was copied from a diary of Mrs. Sara A Price of Ottawa, Illinois

The Housewife's Lament
One day I was walking, I heard a complaining, and saw an old woman, the picture of gloom
She gazed at the mud on her doorstep ('twas raining) and this was her song as she wielded her broom..
Oh life is a toil and love is a trouble, beauty will fade and riches will flee.
Pleasures they dwindle and prices they double, and nothing is as I would have it to be.
There's too much of worriment goes to a bonnet.
There's too much of ironing goes into a shirt.
There's nothing that pays for the time you waste on it.
There's nothing that lasts us but trouble and dirt.
In March it is mud, it is slush in December.
The midsummer breezes are loaded with dust. In fall the leaves litter,
In muddy September the wallpaper rots and the candlesticks rust..
There are worms on the cherries and slugs on the roses.
And ants in the sugar, and mice in the pies.
The rubbish of spiders no mortal supposes, and ravaging roaches and damaging flies.
It's sweeping at six and it's dusting at seven, it's victuals at eight and it's dishes at nine.
It's potting and panning from ten to eleven, we scarce break our fast till we plan how to dine..
With grease and with grime, from corner to corner,
Forever at war and forever alert, no rest for a day, lest the enemy enter.
I spend my whole life in a struggle with dirt..
Last night in my dreams I was stationed forever,
On a far little rock in the midst of the sea.
My one chance of life was a ceaseless endeavor,
To sweep off the waves as they swept over me.
Alas, 'twas no dream, ahead I behold it, I see I am helpless my fate to avert.
She lay down her broom, her apron she folded..
She lay down and died and was buried in dirt.

TODAY'S GRANDMA
The old rocking chair will be empty today, for Grandma is no longer in it.
She's off in her car to her office or shop, and buzzes around every minute
No one tries to shove Grandma back on the shelf, she is versatile, forceful, dynamic.
That isn't a pie in the oven, you know.. her baking today is ceramic.
You won't see her trundling off early to bed, from a place in a warm chimney nook.
Her typewriter clackety-clacks through the night, for Grandma is writing a book.
She isn't content with crumbs of old thought, or with meager or second hand knowledge..
So don't bring your mending for Grandma to do, for Grandma has gone back to college.

My Mum loved her flower garden. This verse wasn't written by her, but does express how she felt about flowers. She told us that she wanted flowers while she was here to enjoy them.

I would rather have a rose from a garden of a friend,
Than to have the choicest flowers when my stay on earth must end.
I would rather have one single word of kindness said to me
Than flattery around my grave when life has ceased to be.
So bring me one flower, be it pink or white or red.
For I'd rather have one bloom today than a truck load when I'm dead.

Give Me Time
Today, dear Lord, I'm 80 and there's much I haven't done
I hope dear Lord you'll let me live until I'm 81
But then if I haven't finished all I want to do,
Would you let me stay awhile -until I'm 82
So many places I want to go, so very much to see.
Do you think that you could manage to make it 83?
The world is changing very fast, there is so much in store
I'd like it very much to live until I'm 84
and if by then I'm still alive,
I'd like to stay 'til 85.
More plans will be up in the air, so I'd really like to stick
And see what happens to the world when I'm 86
I know dear Lord it's much to ask (and it must be nice in heaven)
But I really would like to stay until I'm 87
I know by then I won't be fast and sometimes will be late
But it would be so pleasant to be around at 88
I will have seen so many things, and had a wonderful time,
So I'm sure that I'll be willing to leave at 89...
maybe. .I'm 90 Lord, my mind is sound, I like it here, I can still walk 'round
My time is limited I know and someday I'll have to go! I'm not greedy or guided by fears,
I want to see what happens in the next few years,
I'm sure you've heard this plea before,
But my bags will be packed at 104!!

This little verse touches a nerve..
If you love something, set it free
If it comes back it was ,and always will be yours.
If it never returns it was never yours to begin with
If it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, Uses your telephone, takes your money,
and never appears That you actually set it free in the first place,
You either married it or gave it birth.

What A Grandmother Is .A Grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own so she likes other people's little girls. A Grandfather is a man grandmother. He goes for walks with the boys and they talk about fishing and tractors and like that. Grandmothers don't have to do anything except be there. They are old so they shouldn't play hard and run. It's enough if they drive us to the supermarket where the pretend horse is, and have lots of dimes ready. Or if they take us for a walk they should slow down past pretty things like caterpillars and leaves. They should never say hurry up. Usually they are fat but not too fat to tie kids shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear and they take their teeth and gums off. It's better if they don't type write or play cards except with us. They don't have to be smart, only answer questions like why dogs hate cats or how come God isn't married. They don't talk baby talk like visitors do because it is hard to understand. When they read to us they don't skip or mind if it is the same story again. Everybody should try to have one, especially if you don't have T. V. because grandmas are the only grown ups who have got time..

They took me to a nursing home, 'though
I can't tell you why
They said I'd just be visiting. I'd come home bye and bye.
They said that I'd be happy here. . They said that, then they left.
They said; You'll make a lot of friends;. Instead I feel bereft.
They said that, then they left.
They said; Dear Mother, you're too old. You cannot stay alone.
Last week you left the burner on, and tried to cook the phone;
That's true! I did, I must admit. And why, I do not know.
I guess it's just like Billy said, my mind is getting slow.
But now I'm here at this new place. It's called a nursing home;
So many people buzz around, but still I feel alone.
At my own place there was just me, yet I felt there was a crowd.
The things around me were my friends. Of my home I was proud.,

The folks here at the nursing home;, are many a-varied kind. Some walk with canes, some sit and stare, while some are deaf and blind.
There's not too much that ails me, so I don't feel I fit.
The days are long and weary, not much to do but knit.

They left me at the nursing home and now I know just why. They said I'd just be visiting, but I know I'm here to die. By Helen Dowd

I AM A BEAUTIFUL OLD PERSON - IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE
ME, JUST READ THIS. Eleanor Roosevelt
Many people will walk in and out of you life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
To handle yourself, use your head;
To handle others, use your heart.
Anger is only one letter short of danger.
If someone betrays you once, it is his fault
If he betrays you twice, it is your fault.

Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.
He who loses money, loses much;
He who loses a friend, loses much more;
He who loses faith, loses all
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature.
But beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others.
You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.
Friends, you and me....
You brought another friend....
And then there were 3....
We started our group....
Our circle of friends....
And like that circle....
There is no beginning or end....
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.. That is why we call it the present.