Lou Tate was a man I won't soon forget
He had a wry smile and a sarcastic wit
If you told him one joke, he'd tell you two
Then he'd tell one more ripper before he was through
No one who knew him knew quite the same man
You might say that Lou didn't follow a plan
He knew how to have fun for most any reason
Then climb into the houseboat no matter the season
At work those who knew him would say without doubt
That getting things done was what Lou was about
When it seemed that a problem just couldn't be solved
It was precisely when Lou became hyper involved
Though most solutions were unorthodox
The bulk of his thinking was outside the box
Although his ideas weren't always well known
His name's on the first patented multi-line phone
Lou was once quite the loner...not easy to catch
But he knew that in Mary Ann he'd met his match
Then he suffered a stroke and it gave him a scare
It was then that he recognized how much she cared
When they both said "I do" with or without wealth
Till death they united in sickness and health
Their unbreakable bond would make others see
What steadfast devotion to one's spouse should be.
Feb 27, 2021
Feb 27, 2021 at 1:03 AM UTC
Pursuing ardent fervor
Lured toward peaceful obscurity
Beckoning.
Outstretched.
Vulnerable
Freedom's abandon
Enticingly treacherous
Elusive assurance
Aug 27, 2019
Aug 27, 2019 at 6:21 PM UTC
You carry the burdens for those who are weak
There's beauty in the way you walk
You give a strong voice to the small and the meek
There's beauty in the way you talk
You show love and compassion for those that do seek
There's beauty in the way you see
You know that I'm hurting before I can speak
There's beauty in your love for me
I love you mom ❤
Jul 9, 2019
Jul 9, 2019 at 10:29 PM UTC
As a mother, I can only hope
My children will attest
That I gave them everything I had
And truly did my best
I strive to teach them how to love
And be kind to every people
That good behavior's not reserved
For buildings with a steeple
To look beyond themselves to see
That there's a bigger picture
That everyone fits in as part
Of God's great architecture
Sometimes I wonder who they are
When patience, they are trying
And other times, they make me laugh
So hard that I start crying
Holly is a shining star
She's happy when pretending
That she's a queen, or movie star
Her characters unending
Casie's like a precious jewel
A diamond in the rough
An impish minx until you've
Had enough and call her bluff
I'm not quite sure why I was blessed
To be their friend and mother
But, it's a joy like none I've known
An honor like no other.
Jul 9, 2019
Jul 9, 2019 at 10:17 PM UTC
unwelcome resident
methodical thief
stealing health
leaving victims
silently suffering
I
N
V
I
S
I
B
L
E
A
F
F
L
I
C
T
I
O
N
struggling to shoulder
optimism's burden
while future taps
an impatient foot
Jul 9, 2019
Jul 9, 2019 at 9:54 PM UTC
You looked so big to me
That Summer in Oregon
I was only four when we
Followed you into isolation
New Hampshire seemed a world away
All ties to home and family
Shrank and faded in the rear view
Hoping new & different...would be
I left my doll outside that day
Then lied to keep my fault a secret
Your belt, that slipping sound
I still hear to this day
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Was popular back then
Americans had a right to raise up
God fearing children with discipline
The problem is you got it wrong
God disciplines, it's true
But love's the stronger, key component
One you rarely demonstrated
If truth had been a better choice
My shame exposed, as was my skin
Would I have escaped your wrath
And be now somehow changed?
She made the choice to live with you
Sadly it was a package deal
One for which I've paid the price
A remarkable value nonetheless...
My children never heard the sound
Of leather belt and buckle strap
Spare the child and spoil the rod
Have been my choice instead
Jun 24, 2019
Jun 24, 2019 at 3:14 AM UTC
Precious Pet
Dependable Dog
Compassionate Canine
Spaniel Psychologist
Famished Friend
Hungry Hoover
Loves Leftovers
Greedy Gulper
Boisterous Barker
Wonderful Watchdog
Always Alert
Champion Chaser
Every Evening
Bedside Buddy
Doggie Dreamer
Sweetly Sleeps
Jun 20, 2019
Jun 20, 2019 at 5:30 AM UTC
I was not welcome at Hostel Neonate.
Thankfully, this was not a womb with a view. The proprietor, my young, ***** mother, had attempted a swan dive from the staircase of the two story Beantown walkup. But she failed to stick the landing and I made my debut a month later.
August 4, 1967, a cataclysmic requiem for the Haight Ashbury dream. My birth, like that of so many others, would come to signify the beginning of the end of the counter culture notion of making love, not war. Free love was no longer free for girls like my mother, and it would never be free for me. To be continued...
Jun 20, 2019
Jun 20, 2019 at 5:12 AM UTC
The wise man spends his life, alas
Till sand is low in hourglass
And never finds his true desire
The one to which all hearts aspire
No measure half is mirrored there
In eyes so blue 'neath golden hair
An older love does pale to shame
Poor spark it is to brilliant flame
It fills the heart, it braids the rope
When else is gone, springs forth sweet hope
We see the world...eternal Spring
When born afresh, the angels sing
Jun 18, 2019
Jun 18, 2019 at 1:55 PM UTC
With just a bit of coaxing, she would sit up and recite
A poem she'd known since grade school, her eyes so clear and bright
Sometimes she'd need a little nudge to get her to begin. "When mother puts her apron on", she'd say with a small grin...
...and off she'd go reciting each line flawlessly, with ease
Then when she'd end, her mind would seem to go, as if a breeze
Had ushered it away from us as quickly as it came
And then she wouldn't know the poem, nor anybody's name
But with that came a kind of blessing, at least I know of one
She may not have understood, full well, the loss of Jim, her son
But now, Miss Maudie's free from mortal flesh and bone
And those she loved, who've gone before are welcoming her home
Once more she will caress the man who held her hand in marriage
And now, again she'll hold the son she once strolled in a carriage.
They'll watch us as we travel down this wandering path of life
Rejoicing in our triumphs and supporting us through strife
And we know that they'll be there, waiting on the other side
When at last we've reached the journey's end, of this our earthly ride.
Jun 18, 2019
Jun 18, 2019 at 1:27 PM UTC