A reaction to death’s too frequent surprise visits

We thought we’d have another time
to share a joke or share some wine.
But death showed up without invite
and left us grieving so.

We thought we’d have another day
to deal the cards and start to play
a game of Bridge or maybe Rook.
But death would nix it all.

We thought we’d have just one more chance
to stroll the parks and eye the plants
that signal spring is almost here.
But death had other plans.

We thought we’d have more time to talk
about our sports teams or our stocks.
But death would steal our hopes and dreams
and leave us asking why. 

And so before it is too late,
let’s seize the day and celebrate
the gift of life with those we love
while we still have the time.

It’s a way of life

A Valentine is not a day.
It’s the little things by which I say
how much I love that certain one
who claims my grateful heart.

A Valentine lasts through the year.
It promises that I’ll be here
to shield you from the winter chill
as we are growing old.

A Valentine is not a card.
It’s loving you when things are hard.
It’s showing you through what I do
that we will never part.

A Valentine’s a way of life.
When we are stressed by unsolved strife,
I’ll look for ways to rid our home
of that which steals our joy.

A Valentine’s is simply me
who’s humbled by the chance to be
your escort as we journey through
the days that yet await.

*This poem is dedicated to my wife Wendy

Reflecting on Tom Brady’s missing jersey and my mom’s stolen memories

When your Super Bowl jersey is stolen,
you’ve been robbed of the shirt off your back.
And I’m guessing Tom Brady is angry.
No, I’m certain he is. It’s a fact!

But a crime that is even more heinous
is a heist that impacts those we love.
It’s when loved ones are robbed of their mem’ries
or the names they were just thinking of.

A life savings gone. It’s so tragic.
That glassy-eyed stare says it all.
What was earned over decades is taken.
But by who? They just cannot recall.

When the vault in their brain is depleted
and then ransacked of all they held dear,
they are speechless (deprived of their senses).
And the thief leaves them silenced by fear.

Yes, this crime is far worse than is Brady’s.
What is stolen cannot be replaced.
So we should be kind to the victims
whose despair can be seen on theirface.

• http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/tom-brady-missing-jersey-worth

The Bible trumps our President’s initiative

America First? Chapter? Verse?
Where is that in God’s Book?
To seek our own finds us alone
and baiting our own hook.

America First creates a thirst
for ego-driven dreams.
It fuels the soul with selfishness goals
and self-inflating schemes.

America First? My bubble’s burst.
God blest us so we’d bless
the least and lost at any cost.
We must to be our best.