Cool grass blades
And blue glass fades
To golden reflections
Of sunset on my window

Sprinklers shush shushing
And mourning doves cooing
The light fades away
And lightning bugs play

Summer nights
I could use you now
As I sit here in February
Cold and tired.

These shoes are worn
This soul is torn

My empty glass
Was once half full

But as Mondays wear me down
Fridays don’t come fast enough

I tune one string
Five more go flat

I whittle my stuff down
To things that matter

A simpler life, a happier life
I love what I have around me

Even if it’s worn shoes, an empty glass
And a guitar that’s out of tune.

I’ve got better things to do
Than not drink orange soda
My winter is long enough
Without that summer in a bottle

It’s the taste of my youth
That magic orange soda
Fanta, Crush, or Sunkist
They all take me there

Carbonated sweet sun
This icy orange soda
Every sip is a portal in time
Take me back, take me back

After shoveling the snow
After chipping the ice
After grooming the edges
Of driveway and walk

The back throbs
The sweat drips
The breath burns from cold
And stopping feels good

The boots come off
The shower is hot
The beverage is cold
And the blankets comfort my soul.