2004-2005
THE CLASS OF 64
We are a generation of survivors.
We are the class of '64.
We are the first of the baby boomers
To reach out and explore.
Our now maturing faces
Are animated in recognition
Of long ago friends and acquaintances
After a forty year intermission.
Unobtrusively reading glasses appear
To scrutinize a name tag or two;
And to exclaim in voiced surprise,
"My God! Is that really you?"
Cameras flash with frequency.
We want this moment imprinted forever.
It has been years and years too long
Since we have come together.
The food, the drink, the music;
Some of those oldies are heartbreaking.
We dance with total abandon
Knowing tomorrow our bodies will be aching.
The camaraderie is genuine.
We've mellowed with passing time.
The journey wasn't always easy;
But somehow we made the climb.
Pictures stuck on a bulletin board
Bring remembrances and a smile.
Oh, the places we used to haunt,
Place that have been gone for quite awhile.
With sorrow we view photos of classmates
Who we wistfully recall
As having departed much too soon;
But whose memory lives in us all.
Exhilaration couple with sadness
As an enchanted evening comes to its' end.
We hug and promise to keep in touch.
Till next time, dear old friend.
YEARNINGS
I long to hear your laughter.
I long to see your smile;
To take away the pain
That has made life such a trial.
I long to have the strength
To lift the burden from your shoulders.
I long to show kindness
And make life a little less colder.
I long for the rapport
That once sprung from our lips;
The sharing of refreshments,
The giggles between sips.
When you moved on in the world,
Determination made you blind,
For you never noticed the soul
And the heart you left behind.
But I saw that they were missing;
Shadows and sighs together run..
How I long for those days
When you thought life had just begun.
LEAVING TOWN
I'm leaving Dodge.
Yep, I'm gettin' out of town.
Gonna bust out of this cage
Cause I'm about to melt down.
I'm feeling somewhat impatient.
Some may even call me antsy;
Really don't need a lot,
And don't 'spect nothing fancy.
It's just that I got tired;
Tired of going nowhere;
Hearing of others' adventures
And finding it all unfair.
There must be more to life
Than the life I am living.
I'm burned out and pooped out,
Now I'm ready, and I'm driven.
So I'm hopping in the Ford
With no destination in mind;
But keep the light a-burning
Cause I'll be home by nine.
INNER THOUGHTS OF A 58 YEAR OLD
I greet each morning with a groan,
Shivering and shaking in the cold.
All the while questioning where time went
And wondering how I got this old.
I have officially passed middle age.
Looking back it is just a blur;
So if you are seeking some fond memory,
I'm afraid I must defer.
I feel I've paid my dues.
Paid and paid till I'm so poor
That even thought the cupboard is bare,
There is always someone demanding more.
Well enough is enough, I say!
Can't everything stop for awhile!
I'm not as quick as I once was.
Life is such a merciless trial.
I yearn to turn back the clock
And chance life once again in my prime.
Take opportunities I once shunned,
Alas! To turn back the hands of time.
All right already with the grieving for youth!
I'm ready to shed all those "aging" blues.
I'm putting on my best support hose
To go dancing in my orthopedic shoes.
CAN WE EVER RECONNECT?
It has been years;
Yet here we are again
Tip toeing around each other
Telling ourselves we're still friends.
Seems we have hardly progressed;
Issues seem to remain.
The suspicion and the distrust,
It is always the same.
Knowing a person through and through
Doesn't always bring us calm.
Sometimes it is an omen
Like the ticking of a bomb.
So where do we go from here?
Do we see how it all plays,
Or do we confront the inevitable
And go our separate ways.
I need life to be on an even keel.
I need life to be simple and plain.
I need a life to stand by my side,
To comfort me in my pain.
To never allow ourselves into each others' world
Is an opportunity never unfolded,
Depriving us of a special kinship
For the bond that never was molded.
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Here we stand on the edge of eternity.
Standing invincible and unsinkable.
Thoughts woven now
Once unthinkable.
It's a new year, a new age.
Forever is within our grasp.
Looking forward to tomorrow
While conquering the past.
New hopes floating to the surface.
Old dreams still remaining.
Some things stay the same,
While others are continuously changing.
We're going to square our shoulders,
Give adversity an icy stare,
Thumb our nose at trouble,
We will show them we don't scare.
No good deed goes unpunished;
An adage that rings albeit too true.
You've got to look out for number one;
And number one is you.
LETTING GO
I am as a wounded animal
Cowering in my lair;
Afraid to emerge
Lest you still be there.
The heavy footed pacing
Grows louder with each step;
My heart pounds even faster
As though I'm facing another threat.
I am haunted and hunted.
Splayed out thoughts crammed with doubt
Like fingers in a glove,
Each digit wiggling to try to stretch it out.
This cannot be my life!
I refuse to obey and submit.
I am increasingly defiant.
I will no longer quietly sit.
Patiently I wait
Till it's time to make my move.
Ranting is not an alternative,
It is only me who must approve.
I will breathe air that is fresh,
Absorb all the beauty I can find.
The albatross has been silenced
And returned my peace of mind.