Perhaps all our stars were in the right places
and guiding our lives as some say they do;
perhaps God was planning, perhaps Fate was smiling,
or perhaps it was Chance that brought me to you.

I knew you taught math, started books at the end,
that you loved to travel, to garden, and sing.
When you came through the door, and I learned something new—
that all of my life I’d been looking for you.
Your eyes searched the room, and I quietly prayed,
my heart would have broken if you’d turned away.

But my heart wasn’t broken, you saw me and stayed,
and we shared our stories the way people do.
At first we were cautious, at our age you’re cautious,
our hearts had been broken and mended before,
and there’s just so much breaking a heart can endure.

But God has kept blessing and Fate has kept smiling,
the stars still align, and the years have been kind.
Our genes haven’t failed us, no one has assailed us,
and putting it bluntly, we’ve been very lucky
with so many things that we cannot control.

Here in our shared world, our love has kept growing,
and we’ll go on loving till death do us part.
And whatever comes after, we’ll be there together,
and never forget that our love is forever.

In the light of Easter morning
The stone remained unmoved.
Unsure of what to do at first, we waited
Then we tried to push it clear—
It wouldn’t move.

We watched throughout the afternoon,
Most left by by three, a few remained—
We didn’t hope, but didn’t leave.
By six the sun was setting,
When the darkness reached the stone
The day was done and we were weeping—
And the stone remained unmoved.



3/25/2024

The house is getting on in years, I know it needs a few repairs,
And I won’t deny there’s dust in every room.

But still I cannot calm my fear they'll use The Bomb to sweep the
   stairs,
When really all that’s needed is a dustpan and a broom.

I didn’t want to leave you, but I didn’t have a choice.
I’m sorry that I hurt you. I know it seemed I didn’t care,
But when I died I mourned for you, the way you mourned for me.
And now I’m here, not far or near, but just around the corner on the path that goes one way.

I dream sometimes that I’ve gone back
To have another year with you, or maybe just another day,
With time to say I love you and time to say goodbye.
But that’s a dream, I can’t go back,
And all that I can promise is my love will keep me waiting here
Until you turn that corner and I see you once again.

"Birth, and copulation, and death.
That’s all the facts when you come to brass tacks:  
Birth, and copulation, and death.”*

But though he repeated them twice,
Those aren’t all the facts when you
 come to brass tacks,
Eliot left out a line:

Somewhere between copulation and death,
When you’re well along, but not near
  your last breath,
You find that the facts when you come to brass tacks are
Ice, ibuprofen and time,
My friend,
Ice, ibuprofen and time.

               


*T.S. Eliot, from Sweeney Agonistes.

You might think that by now I’d have
The fruits of my maturity—
Good judgement and some dignity
The wisdom of my years—
And doing really stupid things
Would now have no appeal to me
My lessons learned,
My hard earned wisdom paid for with my tears.

But you’d be wrong.

The cats suspect that there’s a mouse
I think at first, a catnip toy…
The black cat sees the toy and grins…
And bats a mouse that rolls, then runs… then rolls again… and then
   they run
Behind a chair… The cat appears… and there’s the mouse,
He has it hanging from his mouth,
He puts it down… he has it pinned…
And then I see it run again.

I’m kind of sorry for the mouse, but after, all this is our house,
And cats see mice as natural prey. They really should just stay away
And learn to cope with life outside. But since it pressed its luck
   within,
I’m rooting for our cat to win.

Another chase, another pin… completely still…is this the end?
Well, no… he lets it go again.
The mouse heads for the cellar door, there’s safety on the basement floor
A blocking move! As good as dead? Another joke…the mouse has
   fled.
The cats give chase, but that’s the end. The mouse is hiding out again.

I notice that no blood’s been shed. Perhaps because the cat’s well fed,
The claws that tear cat toys to shreds have not appeared to slash his
   prey.
I guess that’s for another day, the drama here was just some play,
But now the traps are on the way.