Another Lament

I feel I am
The best of friends
But the worst of husbands.

Maybe I shouldn't have
Married again or married
In the first place?

Marriage may have ruined me,
I don't know.
What DO I truly know?

A woman can break a man
Or worse, ruin him
For the next woman.

Likewise, a woman will make a man
Only for her labors to
Benefit the next woman.

But I am married, again.
I am a husband twice now
And a father three times over.

Living, loving, praying;
Trying to balance it all out
One day at a time.

Last Lesson

The final lesson we teach,
The last lesson we learn
Is our own death and dying.

In our dying
We teach our children
One final time.

In our death
We learn the last lesson
We must all learn.

"300%"

It's spring 1993,
Victoria is just an itty bitty
And you're carrying Judith.

We're celebrating our marriage
Just blessed by the church.
Our house is filled with people.

Family and friends and then some.
A lot of love packed into our small
Home, we're overflowing out into the yard.

In our kitchen uncle Jim Ward has us both
In a great big bear hug with
His retired navy senior chief arms,
Holding us close and tight.

He looks at each of us and says,
"Marriage is 300%!
100% from you, 100%
From you and 100% from God, 300%"!

I remember uncle Jim's words.
They have lasted,
Even if the marriage didn't.

I remember the love.
It has lasted,
Even if his niece didn't.

The Way It Is

It's not San Diego, 1987.
It's here and now.
I'm not with you in Tennesee,
I'm with Amy in Texas.

Even then, when we were
In the same place at the same time;
We were truly someplace else
With someone else.

Perhaps ourselves, perhaps not;
We make our choices and
We live our lives.
Such is life and living.

Our paths crossing
Then going our separate ways.
Over the years, the surprise phone call,
Card, or letter (text/email).

At the odd visit
We'll consume copius amounts
Of white wine,
Talk about old times.

Then we'll complain about ourselves,
Share what's going on in our lives.
Waking up and after
Coffee and cigarettes, continuing on our ways.

Following our individual paths
Until the next time, if God wills it.
Meanwhile, the wine is chilling
And the coffee brewing.

Topsy-Turvy Impressions

My impression of the
Nursing home my
Grandfather died in -
A prison without bars.

My impression of this
Prison I work in -
A nursing home
With bars!

Nursing is nursing
In either place;
Compassionate, caring,
Governed by the board.

Short staffed, short supplied,
Over worked, underpaid,
People issues, patient issues;
At least there's consistency.

How topsy-turvy a world
We can live in.