FINAL WORDS

I was in the room when Grandpa died although I couldn’t hear

his final words to Grandma…when he whispered in her ear.

I was too far away and her voice too soft and low

for me to hear what she whispered back…before she let him go.

But once the flood of sadness receded into a slow and steady stream

I asked her what they whispered that day…and immediately she beamed.

“Have I ever told you how I met your Grandpa? She asked.

She smiled, “Then let me now explain….

I was walking home from school one day and it began to rain."

Your Grandpa, grabbed my hand and said, ‘Come with me’.

And we waited out the rain under the shelter of a tree.

The first date we ever had was out to eat and a walk along the beach when

in the middle of our walk it began to rain…again.

There was something about the rain for us…something magical and pure

We couldn’t resist it’s beauty, it’s enchantment…it’s allure. 

He asked me to marry him out in a downpour…

at first I thought he was insane..

‘I was waiting for the right moment,’ he said,

‘I was waiting for the rain'.

And then my grandma smiled and I could feel the love her smile contained…

The last words your grandpa whispered…he said…’I will miss the rain’.

And as he took his final breath and I knew his life was through…

I squeezed his hand and whispered back…I will miss it too.”

Now every time we visit Grandma…my family thinks I’m insane

when I look up at the sky and say…

“I hope we get some rain”.

GESUNDHEIT

I learned acceptance early in life as my household was a little odd

My father was German Jewish…my mother Irish Catholic…

which meant they prayed to different gods.

I was exposed to both religions and the more and more I grew

when I was asked…I never knew…if I was a Catholic…or a Jew?

Whenever someone sneezed next to me…I didn’t know what to do!

Should I say Gesundheit…or Shalom…or go with God bless you?

But being raised with this disparity was one of the beauties of my growth

for having two religions meant that I accepted both.

And when I went out into the world it made it easier to be

more accepting of all the other people who did not think like me.

I made friends with people whose Gods had different names, 

different clothing, different hues…

whose Gods did not resemble at all the two Gods that I knew.

But having grown up with two Gods I found it easy to get along

for whose to say my Gods are right and all their Gods are wrong.

And though it’s made acceptance easier 

as I’m able to see how each God pleases…

It has left me now more confused than ever…

when anybody sneezes.  

THE VOICES OF OUR HEROES

Heroes have always been among us…

quietly doing what they’ve always done before

Yes, heroes have always been among us

but in a crisis…we acknowledge them more.

Heroes are those people who put their lives on the line

they give

and they give

and they give

Yes, heroes are those people who put their lives on the line

so the rest of us may live.

Heroes have but one agenda

every hero—girl, boy, woman and man

Yes, heroes have but one agenda…

to save as many lives as they can.

The heroes have been trying to tell us

what they need from us…day to day

Yes, heroes have been trying to tell us

perhaps it’s time to listen to what the heroes have to say.

We need to listen to the voices of our heroes

as they raise them up resolute…and strong

Yes, we need to listen to the voices of our heroes

for our heroes will never steer us wrong.

HOPE

When the world is fraught with fear and danger…and I find it hard to cope…

I allow that same world to remind me…there is always hope.

I see hope as each new sunrise brightens up the morn

I see hope on parents’ faces when a baby has been born. 

I see hope in every gardener’s eyes…as they sow their field of seeds

I see hope in every flower blooming…every tree and every weed.

I hear hope every time someone pops a cork in a bottle of champagne

and every time I overhear birds singing in the rain.

I see hope in every rainbow, in every birthday candle's light

I see hope in every flower that is blooming in the night. 

I find hope riding on the wind or drifting on the breeze

I see it in a baby’s smile or in the dancing of the bees.

I see it crawling in the caterpillar who hopes to be a butterfly

I see it in our faces every time we say goodbye.

I see hope in baby animals…in boats heading out to sea

I see hope in art and music and, yes, in poetry.

I see hope at every wedding…every nervous groom and blushing bride

and with every act of love and kindness…my hope is fortified. 

So when I look out on a world where fear and danger seem to surround me

I will never surrender 

So when I look out on a world where danger and fear seems, sometimes, to surround me

I will never surrender to them…not with so much hope around me

TOUCH THE FORGOTTEN SENSE

We have five basic senses…which we use daily without thinking about them much

There’s seeing and hearing and tasting and don’t forget…smelling and touch.

Our senses are interconnected…into our life they’re totally infused…

but occasionally we’re asked..hypothetically

If we had to lose one…which one would we choose?

Of course we’d want to keep our sight!

Certainly sight in our top three

There is so much beauty surrounding us…so much beauty we want to see.

Of course we’d want to keep our hearing!

There are a host of sounds in the world that enthrall…

We’d have to keep our sense of hearing so we can listen to them all.

Of course we’d want to keep our sense of taste!

to quench our appetite and satisfy our thirst.

And what good would our sense of taste be

If we couldn’t smell what we’re eating or drinking first?

Which leaves the sense of touch…as down our list of senses we scroll

by the sheer process of elimination…touch is low man on that totem pole.

But this quarantine…this virus has shown us…as it’s filled us with anxiety and fear

That to touch is just as important …as to see, smell, taste and to hear.

Keeping or social distance has made us realize…this fifth sense…matters much!

That even with our other four senses working…we find we still miss that human touch.

We understand how holding hands, walking arm in arm, 

a kiss, a hug…a simple pat on one’s back or one’s knee

is just as important in our lives as the ability to hear, smell, taste, and to see.

So the next time I’m asked…hypothetically 

If I had to lose one sense…which one would I choose…

I’ll say: I’ve been blessed to have all five in my life

and there isn’t one that I’d choose to lose.

THE BIRDS, THE FLOWERS AND THE TREES

Sometimes I wonder if I project my own feelings too much

onto the wind, the clouds, and the bees…

If I have a special relationship with the birds, the flowers and the trees?

When a bird is sining her morning song and I hear that melody

could it be that she’s just singing…or is she singing just to me?

When I walk by a flower in full bloom…though she’s meant for the whole world to see

in that moment I walk by her…does she stand a little taller…just for me?

As I work my way from branch to branch…climbing to the top of a tree

does she make it this easy for everyone to climb…

or does she make a little easier just for me.

Sometimes I wonder when it comes to birds, the flowers and the trees

If as humans we are more alike than we are apart…

I wonder if every flower has a brain

every bird a soul

and if every tree has a heart.

We are brought up to believe this is foolishness

It’s an impossibility…we have been taught…

but projection or not when I am with them 

it’s hard to believe…they do not.

GOOD MORNING, GOOD NITHG AND THANK YOU

He followed the same routine…the same ritual every night

A goodnight kiss 

an ‘I love you’ 

then a thank you before turning off the light.

In the morning…the same routine he followed in the night

a good morning kiss, 

an I love you 

then a thank you after turning on the light.

One day she asked him, “The way you say good night and good morning is something I adore

I understand the kiss 

and the I love you…

but what are you thanking me for?”

His cheeks began to redden and a smile crossed his face

then he took her hand in his with a kind of elegance and grace.

In the evening I am thankful for another day to look back on with you

and in the morning I am thankful for another day to look forward to.

Now it was her turn to smile as she became aware

from that moment on in their marriage it’s a routine they would share.