ONE QUESTION

I hate the hypocrisy in our government…on both sides of the aisle.

As far as I’m concerned…they should all be put on trial..

for creating a governing body built on greed, deceit and lies…

And for failing to govern at all when they refuse to compromise.

And now we have a president…don’t you wonder how this can be true?

Who is saying and doing many things we teach our children not to do.

Republicans since you’re the ones in power now I have to ask:

When our president is acting like a brat…

What would you do if the tables were turned

and he was a Democrat?

Perhaps it’s time to put politics aside for longer can we wait…

We need to do something about this problem now…

Before it is too late!

SIMPLE ADVICE

Their advice to me was simple:

If you want to be happy…

If you want to keep yourself on track:

Fill your life with people you love…

who, you know, love you back.

You won’t have time to think about

all the things you lack:

If you fill your life with people you love…

who, you know, love you back.

And they were right…my mom an dad!

I am happy…

and I’ve kept myself on track…

by remembering the words of the first two people I loved…

who, I knew, loved me back.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF CLOUD

On my walk this morning a tiny cloud caught my eye

And I found myself stopping to watch it on its trip across the sky.

It seemed a little shaky at first…not much movement there at all…

until, encouraged by a breeze, that cloud began to crawl.

As it moved it started changing…I suppose that’s what clouds do.

And as it changed that tiny cloud…grew…and grew…and grew.

In what seemed like but a moment that cloud was fully grown

And I saw it glide across the sky…floating on its own.

Then, as quickly as it all began…sooner than expected I must say

I watched what was once a tiny cloud…quietly float away.

This is the way time works I sighed as I calmly watched it go…

For it was not the same cloud I had discovered a moment ago…

Yes this is the way time works I smiled as the sun began to glow

Knowing I was not the same man I was a moment ago.

Knowing how time can quickly change a tiny cloud on its trip across the sky…

Knowing an entire lifetime can seem to pass in the twinkling of an eye.

HELEN KELLER'S EYES

Helen Keller...was not prejudiced

Wen you think about it…how could she have been?

for no matter how she tried 

she could not see the color of ones skin.

When asked about this she would smile

then try briefly to explain,

“How could I judge you on your color,” she’d say

“when you all look the same.”

“I cannot see through my eyes

ethnicity or race.”

“I cannot not feel religion

upon a person’s face.”

“I have no time for prejudice”, she’d say

for hatred or bigotry,

I only have a moment on Earth

and there’s so much I want to see.”

I do not know what it was like to be her…

I can’t even theorize….

But how I wish we all saw the world

through Helen Keller’s eyes.

MY FRIENDS

I have this wonderful bouquet of friends…all as different as night and day…

Some of my friends pray to their God…while others…to a different God they pray.

Some of my friends don’ t believe in God at all…Can you imagine that!

Some of my friends are old, some young…some thin, some bald, some fat.

Some of my friends come from other countries…speak different languages…wear different dress.

Some of my friends make more money than me…and some, I imagine, make less.

Some of my friends love other friends who happen to be the same sex.

Some of my friends eat meat…and some of my friends still write checks!

Some of my friends are different colors…read different books…watch different movies and TV…

Some of my friends love to soar across the sky…some love to sail the sea…

And I have to admit…I love every one of my friends…

I love each one like a sister or a brother…

I only hope, for the sake of world…

my friends can learn to love one other.

WHAT IS LOVE?

Another beautiful day had ended…another fairy tale read

when my daughter asked, “Mommy…what is love?”

as I tucked her into bed.

And so I did what parents do when their not sure what to say…

I took a deep breath…and jumped right in…hoping to find my way…

I leaned in close to her and quickly scanned by brain…

Love…I said holding her hand, is not so easy to explain.

Love is everywhere…it glides on the wind…it floats on the sea

It’s in every creature great or small…it’s in you…and it’s in me…

Love begins somewhere within our soul…it is the music of our heart

It can be felt between two people…when together…or apart.

Love when you are young…is different than the love when you are grown

Love is caring about someone else’s happiness more than about your own.

Love is beautiful, compassionate, forgiving, wonderful and kind

Love can only blossom when two lives are intertwined…

Love is just as wonderful when it’s old…as it was when it was new.

I believe, when it comes to love…it’s what we’re born to do..

When I thought I’d said enough…when my rambling was through…

I smiled at my daughter and asked…by the way…what is love to you?

Her face lit up and without hesitation…with a child’s innocence she proclaimed…

“I think love is what makes me smile every time say your name.”

What is love? was the question she asked at the end of a beautiful day…

And the next time someone asks me…

I know just what I’m going to say.

FAVORITE COLORS

When I was in school and a teacher asked my favorite color

“Blue!” I would quickly say.

But my answer would be quite different if I was asked today.

You see, today I’m more eclectic and my original favorite I must amend…

for now my favorite color is not a color…but a blend.

Sunrise is one of my favorite colors...it always makes me sigh,

how it changes every morning…as it bursts across the sky.

Sunset is another favorite of mine...it flashes a kaleidoscope of light

before it fades away to black…and ushers in the night.

Rainbow is another color I love…because after the heaviest and darkest rains

the sky will clear…and rainbow…is the color that remains.

And so I wonder…

If all the colors of humankind would blend together like nature…

Wouldn’t our acceptance of one another increase?

And wouldn’t that be the most beautiful color…

Perhaps…we’d call it Peace.

A LITTLE STORY

Here’s a poem this morning that’s unique in every way.
Yes, a puzzle within a poem is what’s in store today…

I know what you are thinking…I haven’t got the time…

But for those that do…the solution to this puzzle…

lies somewhere in the rhyme:

A LITTLE STORY

Let me tell you a little story

Of a world that went astray…when

Vanity, and bigotry and

Evil blocked its way.

It’s the story of a planet that was once

So beautiful and new…

That is, until its people’s

Hate 

Eventually turned that planet blue.

All the people on that planet…all the places they constructed

Now are gone…because when hate took over…the planet 

Self-destructed.

What could they have done to stop their sad demise?

Easy!  The solution you are searching for…is left…

Right before your eyes.

NAMES

We begin life in a loving family, where we’re given our own name

and though we are all different, we are treated...all the same.

Then we begin to play with other children and we see we’re not the same

and as children do before their taught…we call each other names.

Names like fatty, ugly, four eyes...are some of the insults that we blurt.

Names that make us feel superior...

names that injure…

names that hurt.

This is an accepted fact of life; it’s sad but it is true,

and, if we’re lucky, we are quickly taught, this is not what children do!

With this lesson in hand we grow up to see the splendor in all names

and though we still see differences…we treat everyone the same.

But some adults have forgotten this lesson; 

they don’t treat each other the same

They only see the differences…

they still call each other names.

This again is a fact of life, and again it’s sad but true.

Perhaps some adults need be reminded:

Your children are watching...

and told that’s not what grown-ups do!

DANCE ON THE EDGES OF TIME

Time passes so quickly… like a river rushing by

A moments arises…then it slips away…in the twinkling of an eye.

When I want forget about time completely…into her river I’ll wade…

and I will dance upon her edges…for that’s where my memories are made.

These are the moments when time seems to slow down…to ease up…to relax…to crawl…

Yes, these are the moments when time itself…doesn’t seem to exist at all.

When I want to forget about time for a moment…I’ll dance on her edges and make her suspend…

I’ll read a good book, I’ll play with my family…I’ll have dinner with a friend.

I find at the end of these moments…because in these moments my heart has been touched…

time passed as quickly she always does…I just didn’t seem to notice as much.

So I will continue to dance on the edges of time…and be astounded by what I see…

Yes, I will continue dance on the edges of time…until time comes looking for me.

DOGGY YEARS

We’ve been together for a long time...

of course, I count life in doggy years.

You’ve fed me, 

bathed me,

combed me,

you even rubbed behind my ears.

You took me to places I’d never known...

to heights I never thought I’d reach.

We hiked up in the mountains.

We walked along the beach.

Sometimes you dressed me funny,

but you know what!

I didn’t mind,

because you were always loving

always gentle

always kind.

And now it’s time to say goodbye

it’s sad

but please...do not despair.

When next you hike the mountains…

or walk the beach…

Look around!

I will be waiting there.

HOW BIG IS YOUR FAMILY?

How big is your family?   A simple question I was asked just the other day…

But the questioner seemed confused when I couldn’t answer right away.

How big is my family…I thought to myself…well I guess that all depends…

On your definition of family…and how far it should extend…

I know how many children and grandchildren I have…but it seems a bit unfair

That when it comes to estimating my family…I should stop my counting there.

What about my parents and all my relatives alive and dead…now there’s a daunting list

But I’m pretty sure without them…my family wouldn’t exist.

And what about all the friends I’ve made who give my life balance and symmetry

Certainly I have to count them…as part of my family.

And what about any human being on Earth who I’ve shared joy or misery

(even though I’ve never met them)…through the marvel of technology.

I have shared in their joy and laughter…I have seen their peaks and valleys

I think I would be remiss…if I didn’t add them to the tally.

I think I have an answer but I’m afraid it’s an exorbitant amount…

How big is my family I said with a smile…How high can you count?

How big is your family? A simple question I was asked just the other day…

But by the time I was ready with my answer…the man who asked had walked away..

HE WAS THERE

It was his last chance to see his dad…to look him in the eye…

to thank him for all he’d done for him…last chance to say goodbye.

On his way he had time to wonder…as his dad’s life was about to dim

what his life will be like without him and how much he’s meant to him.

He was a quiet, gentle man, always loving, fair and kind…

So many memories they shared…now streaming through his mind…

Playing hide and seek in the backyard, reading in his rocking chair…

as far back as he can remember when he looked up…his dad was there.

Having a catch, doing homework, playing games like Monopoly and Clue,

flying kites, going to ball parks, eating ice cream at the zoo…

Watching him when he was a winner…and when he failed, too

Smiling his encouragement no matter what he’d do.

How does he thank him for all he gave him…all his love and help and care….

and thank him for the simple gift of always being there? 

When it came time to say goodbye…he held his hand tenderly…

“I’ll be right here, Dad.” He said with a smile,…“Like you were there for me.”

...YOU GONNA PLAY?

It was during Taylor’s 18th birthday party…when I heard somebody say… 

“The next game will be dodge ball…Hey, PopPop…you gonna play?”

“Sure!” I said knowing it’s been years since I ever played that sport…

knowing I don’t dodge like I used to…

knowing I‘d be the oldest player on the court.

But I threw, and dodged, got hit, and dodged…

You might say I was ‘in the zone’…

And, yes, there were so many players better and me…

but for an old guy…I held thy own…

I’m not sure how many games we played …but with each game…more energy I’d exert…

When we finally finished for the night…there wasn’t a part of me that didn’t hurt.

And though it seemed like just a dodge ball game…to anyone on the floor

To this 64 year old grandpa…it was really so much more.

Because, as I watch my grandchildren grow up…as I see time moving by so fast

I want to cherish every minute we have together…I want to make each moment last.

It’s simple really…whenever we have the chance to be together…whenever our calendars align 

I want to be a part of their lives…and I want them part of mine…

Besides…I’ll join in all their games, when asked, and do what my grandchildren do…

Because, somehow, staying a part of their lives helps keeps me younger too!

And so…no matter how old I get…

My eyes will twinkle when I hear somebody say…

“The next game will be dodge ball…

Hey, PopPop…you gonna play?”

NEVER AGAIN

If we are ever to realize an ideal world…one where acceptance and love re-awake…

then we must heed the lessons of history…and learn from our past mistakes.

If charity and joy are ever to endure…it is up to us to remember when…

when evil flourished…when hatred thrived…and to scream out…

Never Again!

Never again will we hate…as we have hated before.

Never again to prejudice and bigotry…Never again to war!

Neve again to Holocausts and genocides…Never again will we begin…

to judge people by who they worship, or love, or look like…

or the color of their skin.

Never again will we lose sight of our goal…

never again will our path be unclear…

Never again to poverty and ignorance!  

Never again to hunger and fear!

Never again will we take our environment for granted…

Never again when the day is done…

will we allow babies or anyone for that matter

to die at the end of a gun.

Yes, if we are ever to live in an ideal world…

we must remember our past missteps…and then

we must do everything in our power…

to ensure they never happen again!

We have the ability to do this!

We have the wherewithal!… 

we have the know-how…

for not only must we say Never Again!

Never Again must begin…now!

REMEMBERING PARADISE

“Old man, what are you doing?” I asked 

somewhat impetuously.

“You sit and stare out that window all day.

Tell me, what can a blind man see?”

“My eyes haven’t always been blind.” he said

“They were once as sharp as they are green...

And though it’s true they no longer function.

My mind remembers what they’ve seen.”  

“Here at the window I feel the sun and the cold...

I hear the wind and the rain...

I let them stir my memories...

and it’s as if I can see again.”

“I remember seeing birds of every color, 

seeing stars shoot across that sky...

seeing ladybugs land on my finger, 

watching the flight of a butterfly.”

“I’ve watched the sun rise and paint the morning

I’ve seen it bid adieu

I’ve watched the leaves of an old oak tree

drip with morning dew.”

“I’ve watched a summer shower.

I’ve seen the wind blow through the trees

I’ve watched the garden flowers 

be frequented by the bees.”

“What can a blind man see? you ask

Son, let me give you some advice...

One doesn’t need his eyes,” he smiled

“To look back on paradise.”

“That’s why I stare out this window all day

Even though my eyes have failed me?

Because within my mind...

inside my heart…

there’s so much I can see.”