I’ve been
woken
by a smile,
a touch,
a laugh;
an interlude
that lifts my mood.
And after a while
I’m aware
of the sea,
the sun
warm on me,
the waves
breaking hard
round my tiny isle
in the midst
of life.
My boat may rock
in the ocean sway
and the salt
can sting my skin;
but an island-
my secret rest-
waits in my dreams
just close enough
to see
when I close my eyes.
A little journey
I someday make
when bid back
by a smile
I desire.

to irritate an instrument
to intrude into an interlude
to extract the extrapolation
from a well developed tune

to manipulate the melody
to solo with your soul
and finally to finish
with your really groovy goal

Lots of ways to sing it sad
Lots of ways to gig real good
Lots of ways to write it wrong
or dance to it, like you do

The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer,
    The headstones thicken along the way;
And life grows sadder but love grows stronger,
    For those who walk with us day by day.
The tear comes quicker, the laugh comes slower,
    The courage is lesser to do and dare;
And the tide of joy in the heart runs lower
    And seldom covers the reefs of care.
But all true things in the world seem truer,
    And the better things of the earth seem best,
And friends are dearer as friends are fewer,
    And love is all as our sun dips west.
Then let us clasp hands as we walk together,
    And let us speak softly, in love's sweet tone;
For no man knows on the morrow whether
    We two pass on--or but one alone!

                                               By Ella Wheeler Wilcox