A big, white, sturdy
Farmhouse.
With a long, marbled sidewalk leading
Up to the front porch,
Muggy or chilly depending on the season.
Encircled by the white fence,
Made for protection and attractiveness,
But also for sitting and climbing into your favorite tree.
With windows for looking out over the fields of crops.
Child-rearing, a total of twelve,
Grew up in its watchful eye that missed nothing.
Dozens more children were raised,
During hot summer days, holidays,
And when their parents needed a break.
Fostering hide-and-seek in the closets,
Behind the curtains,
And under the beds,
Everyone had their favorite spot.
Marbles always played on the carpet in the living room,
And checkers in the toy porch
Where the light would shine in the windows, warming your face.
Hosting family gatherings, birthday parties,
Church meetings and any other opportunities for
Fellowship between friends,
No one was ever turned away from the
Love that radiated through its walls like a heartbeat.
They got older and so did it,
No more parties, no more big gatherings,
Just a place for a quiet visit from family and friends.
Upstairs rooms empty and lonely,
Stairs barely creaked by owners' footsteps,
Walls aching for activity once more.
Until a young new family
Replaced its aging owners.
The young family brought exciting changes.
Stairs found themselves being bounced up and down once again,
Rooms upstairs were being lived in,
Walls were covered with posters and pictures,
Everything was coming back to life.
Marbles, checkers, and hide-and-seek
Were replaced with
Sleepovers, video games,
And nerf guns bouncing off its silent, strong walls.
Music filled each room, a modern medley or progression
From past to present, old to young, quiet to chaotic.
Raising these children up right
Just as it had done many times before,
It did not miss one smile, tear, or peal of laughter.
The house doing its job for one final time
For the 4th generation.
Knowing it was the end
The house smiled, its job was done.
Gathering up the memories,
It was time to say goodbye
To candy in the cupboard, marbles on the floor,
Hide-and-seek throughout it and checkers on the porch.
Its family struggles at the hard task that is goodbye,
If only the walls could speak and tell of their long life
And their love for each and every one of the children
Raised throughout the many years
Moving through progression,
Material things will come and go but
Memories of the beloved farmhouse
Will stay in their hearts forever.
As a dying soul leaves its body an empty shell,
A house without a family cease to be a home,
The tired walls represented an empty shell,
For the family was its soul.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Boy of Fall
For Schyler-
Set behind the quarterback in your two point stance
Your eyes peer through the facemask at the distant goal
Fingers nervously drumming on your thigh pads, you fidget
Until the moment right before the snap where everything goes perfectly still
Your muscles tense
From the stands, it looks like you almost stop breathing, your concentration is so great
The ball is snapped and everything happens at once
The quarterback spins and hands it off to you, as you are set loose like a cannon
Looking for a hole, you juke left and right, until there it is-
And you're gone.
Breaking tackles,
Stiff-arming the opponent,
Legs churning under you,
As you move gracefully down the sideline
Into the endzone.
This is not your first time in the endzone, and not your last
As you toss the ball to the referee to focus on the next play
You head to the sideline,
To talk things over with the coach, or should you say Dad.
On this sideline you stand
With your hands on your hips
Shoulders heaving with exertion of the sixty yard run.
Broad, padded shoulders that are forced to take on so much more than the opposing team
The harsh jeers from the crowd roll of your back like the sweat and blood
You dedicate to the game
Having your teammates' backs, regardless of whether or not they have yours
Because it's who you are, green number 34.
Lofty dreams set high from the time a football touched your hands
You put in your time
Logging hundreds of hours in the weight room since age 13
Thousands of yards of sprints in the 110 degree heat of the preseason
Night after night spend in front of the T.V. watching game film
Looking for anything and everything you can improve on
To make your game better
Dedication stronger than your own strong will
Records set and broken
You rush your way to the top of the record books
Of your school, the district, the state
Looking toward a bright future in football
My boy of fall.
Set behind the quarterback in your two point stance
Your eyes peer through the facemask at the distant goal
Fingers nervously drumming on your thigh pads, you fidget
Until the moment right before the snap where everything goes perfectly still
Your muscles tense
From the stands, it looks like you almost stop breathing, your concentration is so great
The ball is snapped and everything happens at once
The quarterback spins and hands it off to you, as you are set loose like a cannon
Looking for a hole, you juke left and right, until there it is-
And you're gone.
Breaking tackles,
Stiff-arming the opponent,
Legs churning under you,
As you move gracefully down the sideline
Into the endzone.
This is not your first time in the endzone, and not your last
As you toss the ball to the referee to focus on the next play
You head to the sideline,
To talk things over with the coach, or should you say Dad.
On this sideline you stand
With your hands on your hips
Shoulders heaving with exertion of the sixty yard run.
Broad, padded shoulders that are forced to take on so much more than the opposing team
The harsh jeers from the crowd roll of your back like the sweat and blood
You dedicate to the game
Having your teammates' backs, regardless of whether or not they have yours
Because it's who you are, green number 34.
Lofty dreams set high from the time a football touched your hands
You put in your time
Logging hundreds of hours in the weight room since age 13
Thousands of yards of sprints in the 110 degree heat of the preseason
Night after night spend in front of the T.V. watching game film
Looking for anything and everything you can improve on
To make your game better
Dedication stronger than your own strong will
Records set and broken
You rush your way to the top of the record books
Of your school, the district, the state
Looking toward a bright future in football
My boy of fall.
Halloween Baby
For Gabriel-
They told me he was a Halloween baby,
Born of trick-or-treaters, jack-o-lanterns
And a full moon rising in the sky.
His smile, lights up his blue-green eyes as
He bounces around in his Tigger costume.
Making conversation with every stranger in the store,
"Hi! What's your name? Do you like your job?"
Catching each one off guard until they just have to smile.
Always having something to say or a song to sing,
until a 'singing ban' has to be made for the dinner table.
Slowly embarrassment and shyness
Takes the place of his questions spoken with reckless abandon.
Growing taller and stronger, his voice getting lower, he starts to flourish
Found more often alone with a book than entertaining,
The subtle change sends silent vibrations through us all.
Writing his own book, he grows prestigious, testing his ground carefully.
The other half of his life lived in the shadow of his older brother.
My 44 boy padded up, standing tall and proud on the sideline
Waiting for his chance to show his newfound strength,
That will come soon enough, maybe too soon.
Growing up much too fast, it's getting harder and harder to see
That little boy with shining eyes and toothless grin
In the kind, brave young man he is becoming.
Everyone can see him tonight-
One of the Hawks, standing ready on the sideline
Suited up proudly bearing number 44.
Everyone except me
Standing where the strong young man was
Is a little boy in a Tigger costume,
smiling up at me through his shining blue-green eyes and slight freckles,
My 44 boy, my little brother, my Halloween baby.
They told me he was a Halloween baby,
Born of trick-or-treaters, jack-o-lanterns
And a full moon rising in the sky.
His smile, lights up his blue-green eyes as
He bounces around in his Tigger costume.
Making conversation with every stranger in the store,
"Hi! What's your name? Do you like your job?"
Catching each one off guard until they just have to smile.
Always having something to say or a song to sing,
until a 'singing ban' has to be made for the dinner table.
Slowly embarrassment and shyness
Takes the place of his questions spoken with reckless abandon.
Growing taller and stronger, his voice getting lower, he starts to flourish
Found more often alone with a book than entertaining,
The subtle change sends silent vibrations through us all.
Writing his own book, he grows prestigious, testing his ground carefully.
The other half of his life lived in the shadow of his older brother.
My 44 boy padded up, standing tall and proud on the sideline
Waiting for his chance to show his newfound strength,
That will come soon enough, maybe too soon.
Growing up much too fast, it's getting harder and harder to see
That little boy with shining eyes and toothless grin
In the kind, brave young man he is becoming.
Everyone can see him tonight-
One of the Hawks, standing ready on the sideline
Suited up proudly bearing number 44.
Everyone except me
Standing where the strong young man was
Is a little boy in a Tigger costume,
smiling up at me through his shining blue-green eyes and slight freckles,
My 44 boy, my little brother, my Halloween baby.
MIgliori Amici
I am a picture with a broken frame
You can see yourself mirrored in it
Eyes that have seen it all, the good and the bad
My head finding comfort on your shoulder
Remember the whispers of
"It'll be ok"
in my ear over and over until I believe it to be true
The smell of frozen pizza and the way our favorite ice cream melts on my tongue
Fear sounds like dragon flies flitting to and fro about the front yard
How I hated going for my weekly visits with Lisa in Des Moines
When no one understood but you
But I guess they weren't that bad, especially when you rode along with me
Our parents said we were "two peas in a pod"
But you hated it when I called us besties
Because it would makes us like all the others
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer
Was definitely not the case with us
Our long talks of truth were keeping the monster at bay
Hot as ice. It burned its way through,
But you gave me hope that I could fly away from the big mess I was in
Saying, "Cass, we are in this together," it made her believe she was not alone
And I never will be no matter what happens even as
Sweet sadness falls over us like a blanket
We will fight to win the losing fight until saying:
Attraversiamo
I trust in the promise whispered through the wind
Imagining each dragon fly flitting farther and farther away
You can see yourself mirrored in it
Eyes that have seen it all, the good and the bad
My head finding comfort on your shoulder
Remember the whispers of
"It'll be ok"
in my ear over and over until I believe it to be true
The smell of frozen pizza and the way our favorite ice cream melts on my tongue
Fear sounds like dragon flies flitting to and fro about the front yard
How I hated going for my weekly visits with Lisa in Des Moines
When no one understood but you
But I guess they weren't that bad, especially when you rode along with me
Our parents said we were "two peas in a pod"
But you hated it when I called us besties
Because it would makes us like all the others
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer
Was definitely not the case with us
Our long talks of truth were keeping the monster at bay
Hot as ice. It burned its way through,
But you gave me hope that I could fly away from the big mess I was in
Saying, "Cass, we are in this together," it made her believe she was not alone
And I never will be no matter what happens even as
Sweet sadness falls over us like a blanket
We will fight to win the losing fight until saying:
Attraversiamo
I trust in the promise whispered through the wind
Imagining each dragon fly flitting farther and farther away
Pure as Falling Rain-revised
Sparkling eyes
Full smiles that are true
Makes your heart flutter-
At one time that was you
Unscathed by the world
Full of trust, free of pain
Seeing the best in anyone
Pure as falling rain
Endless imaginations
Hearts full of innocent love
If only you could bottle
Their virtue from the Lord above
Sensitive to their surroundings
The first to feel something's wrong
They might not know what or why
But they feel it all along
To live their lives
Where the worst is kept away
To feel safe and secure
And not sugarcoat what you say
One's life is a fragile thing
Like the purity of a child
But put them together, like magic
They make you smile
Full smiles that are true
Makes your heart flutter-
At one time that was you
Unscathed by the world
Full of trust, free of pain
Seeing the best in anyone
Pure as falling rain
Endless imaginations
Hearts full of innocent love
If only you could bottle
Their virtue from the Lord above
Sensitive to their surroundings
The first to feel something's wrong
They might not know what or why
But they feel it all along
To live their lives
Where the worst is kept away
To feel safe and secure
And not sugarcoat what you say
One's life is a fragile thing
Like the purity of a child
But put them together, like magic
They make you smile
Sacrifice
You said that fairy tales do not come true
and it would not be smart to pursue
any thoughts in my head of me and you.
But time went on and it became harder
to ignore the feelings that were getting stronger,
sucking me in I could feel the danger
of falling for you. But your voice inside my head
brings around all my doubts about you instead
and I can't help from feeling a bit mislead
by you. When you act one way to make me think
one thing but act the opposite makes my heart sink.
So here it is, what we have is on the brink
of your decision. Will you give your heart to me
and take the chance to make this work, knowingly
making the choice of a future we can't see.
Or will you be brave and strong and stay on track
to give your life not to me but in combat
'cause soldiers go to war and never come back.
and it would not be smart to pursue
any thoughts in my head of me and you.
But time went on and it became harder
to ignore the feelings that were getting stronger,
sucking me in I could feel the danger
of falling for you. But your voice inside my head
brings around all my doubts about you instead
and I can't help from feeling a bit mislead
by you. When you act one way to make me think
one thing but act the opposite makes my heart sink.
So here it is, what we have is on the brink
of your decision. Will you give your heart to me
and take the chance to make this work, knowingly
making the choice of a future we can't see.
Or will you be brave and strong and stay on track
to give your life not to me but in combat
'cause soldiers go to war and never come back.
Silent Journey
In my dream
I am a red maple leaf
Abandoned softly by the tree,
Whose front lawn home
Is littered with thousands
A leaf still damp with rain
From the storm since passed,
Blowing silently over the sleeping paw
Of the old sheepdog soaking up the sun
At rest on autumn's soft quilt
I slide endlessly over the sidewalk
Down Vannesst Street's center line
Amidst the tires and exhaust of cars
Lost in their own pursuits,
Driving over mirror images
Suddenly stolen by the fresh fall breeze
I glide through the air
To settle on a white patio chair
Where I watch a somber man
Working to dispose of any traces
of myself.
I am a red maple leaf
Abandoned softly by the tree,
Whose front lawn home
Is littered with thousands
A leaf still damp with rain
From the storm since passed,
Blowing silently over the sleeping paw
Of the old sheepdog soaking up the sun
At rest on autumn's soft quilt
I slide endlessly over the sidewalk
Down Vannesst Street's center line
Amidst the tires and exhaust of cars
Lost in their own pursuits,
Driving over mirror images
Suddenly stolen by the fresh fall breeze
I glide through the air
To settle on a white patio chair
Where I watch a somber man
Working to dispose of any traces
of myself.
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