Faces

I’ve got my hat, I’ve got my gloves
I’ve got my leather boots
I’ve got a chord wrapped tightly ‘round
The anchor to my roots

And though the wind will sometimes howl
A high and mighty sound
If I’m straight of sight and soul
I will not run aground

The days are getting shorter
As I rumble down this road
And as each hour passes
I lighten up the load

Yet sometimes in the dark of night
I wake up with a start
And recognize the faces from the
Places in my heart

Faces from my childhood
Friends from far away
Lovers from another time
Who went their merry way

Faces who once shared a drink
And spared a little time
And listened to my tale of whoa
Of “can you spare a dime?”

Brothers from the battle lines
Of up and out the door
Who gave it up just one more time
To get a little more


Faces in my dreams at night
Who’ve long since gone away
Who’ve only left an inkling
Of what they had to say

Faces I remember
Faces I forgot
From places where I stood my ground
And some where I had not

People who have claimed their spot
By the twinkle in their eye
People from my heart of hearts
Who’ll never say goodbye

They’re all there in my treasure chest
Of faces from my past
Monuments to life’s refrain
Of “sturdy, built to last”

So

As I hunker in the woods
This frigid winter dream
I sometimes look outside the door
To see where I had been

And

The faces in the memory book
From long and far away
Come to say hello once more
And settle in to stay

When the wind comes pounding hard and fast
The cold cuts to the bone
They ask me just to say hello
And tell them “welcome home”