Poems for Friends and Family

A Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary

Imagine the flash of a firefly,
Or a spark from a camp fire.
These are what fifty years is like
when compared to the billions of years our universe has been here.
But in human terms, a half century is an eon.
A half century has always encompassed great changes.
Just a hundred of these half centuries make up almost all of recorded history.
And as is often the case, what is accomplished in a great deal of time starts small.
Maybe two snowflakes melt and join together
in what eventually becomes a roaring mountain stream.
Or maybe two isotopes of hydrogen fuse to form a single molecule of helium
as the first step in igniting a great star.
Or perhaps two young people join together in marriage
to create an ever growing circle of joy and love
that lasts for a half century and beyond.
This is what we celebrate today:
an eon of love and joy begun by my brother and his wife,
A momentous half century of which we have all been the benefactors.
The Buddha has said there is no birth and no death, no beginning and no end.
From that perspective their marriage has always existed and will never perish.
So let us all rejoice as we look to their future without end.

A Daughter’s Birthday

You ride your horse,
Oh lass of mine,
Along a course,
Of your own design.

With heart still young,
And spirit strong,
No song unsung,
You roll along.

Life’s a stage
On which you twirl!
You do not age
My pretty girl.

So live this birthday
All the same.
And find your way
Without aim.

For a Graduation

To live your life with love and compassion
Is the best thing you can do.
To approach tough tasks with the greatest passion
Will serve you well and get you through.

To mindfully live every minute
Will allow you to learn all you can.
To gather knowledge without limit
Will help you know all woman and man.

To contribute your part you must create
New ideas, art, and writing.
Passion flowing from generations enate
Will lead to a life most exciting.

To teach is your way to continuation
In a life beyond your physical being.
To help others learn is your donation
To the natural world of inter-being.

Nothing will be beyond your reach
When every day you
Love, Learn, Create & Teach!

The Young Artist

What was in the mind of that little girl
As she drew those flowers when she was young?
Could she imagine how her life would unfurl,
Could she guess what songs would be danced and sung?

Did she know she would have the heart of a poet,
And lead an artistic life?
And be Some One and only modestly show it,
And become a wonderful mother and wife?

That’s a lot for a four year old to know,
So I’m guessing she had less on her mind.
But as her father I knew how her life would go
And that she was special and one of a kind.

Valuable Easter Egg

When he was just a little lad
He was full of joy and always had
A helping hand to lend
To any of his many friends.

He worried some about this or that
But always knew where cool was at.
So it was no surprise one spring
When he was asked to dance and sing.

An Easter song was requested
Here Comes Peter Cottontail was suggested
But our lad began without hesitation
A song he created with his own imagination!

“Oh valuable Easter egg don’t fall on my head
I’m so young and don’t want to be dead.”
His mother had created that hand painted treasure
And he didn’t want to cause her displeasure.

Well, the treasured egg stayed up on the mantel
While our little lad jiggled and jangled.
On and on he sang while he danced
And everyone’s joy was greatly enhanced.

This is a memory that’s forty years old,
A happy story that is often told.
Its no surprise he continues to be
The greatest joy to his mother and me!

A Thirteenth Birthday

Thirteen is a wonderful number
It is so cool it makes you wonder
If it isn’t just the perfect age
To enter upon life’s great stage.
Being twelve was just OK
But not an age you’d want to stay.
Yes, it’s much better being this old
So you don’t have to do all you’re told.
If Mom says your room should be clean
Just say I don’t think so, I’m thirteen.
This is just what teenagers do
Go have some fun and get a tattoo!
Well maybe that’s going a little too far
Dad might never let you drive the car.
So here is something less wild to do
Sit down quietly and write some Haiku!

A Sixteenth Birthday

It’s so special that you’re finally sixteen
You should have something that really is keen!
So I planned to buy you a car
But, alas, that plan didn’t get very far.
When I found out how much they cost
My excitement for that idea was lost.
Then I thought a motorcycle would be nice
But the danger in that made me think twice.
Then I thought maybe a baseball,
But that seemed pretty common and small.
Your birthday gift should be be large and grand!
Not something small and bland.
Your gift should span all space and time.
And be something that will expand your mind.
As I pondered this problem I took a look
Around my library and spied a book!
Sitting there on the very top shelf
Was a book that I had read myself.
Its topic spanned great lengths of time
It told the history of human kind.
I loved this book and you will too.
Just imagine the wisdom you’ll accrue!
You will learn just who you are!
You can’t get that from driving a car!

44th Birthday

What a great number is 44
It is a number that most adore.
Forwards and backwards it reads the same,
It makes other numbers seem so lame.
It’s hard to believe that it came to be
By adding one to 43!
If you divide it in half you get 22.
Which is the day in April I first met you!
At 44 you still look great
‘Cause in duodecimal you’re 38
Well, I hope this year is full of wonder,
‘Cause you’re not ever going to get any younger!

A 49th Birthday

When you were 3 you painted a skater,
Which surely foretold what you’d become later.
At five years old you painted “The World”,
And every year after your talents unfurled.
In your teens you did everything well,
On skateboarding tricks you rarely  fell.
In graphic arts you were the greatest by far,
And graduated as a superstar!
You were fantastic and everyone knew it,
And soon were discovered by Martha Stewart.
Since it was clear you could design and write!
You were next hired by Mary Engelbreit!
In your thirties life wasn’t calm,
But you still had time to become a great mom!
And when you started your own studio
You soon were raking in the dough.
Now at 49 you’re like no other,
Except perhaps your wonderful mother.
And through it all you’ve been an example of living
A life of love, creativity and giving.
I’m sure you know that you always will be
The greatest joy to your mother and me.

A 53rd Birthday

Whoopti do, boppidi dee
It's hard to believe you're 53!
At 53 your knowledge is vast,
But it's also the start of forgetting the past!
There's only so much you can fit in your brain,
Before memories dribble and leak down the drain.
You never know what you might lose,
You might forget how to tie your shoes.
But not to worry, you can take it from us,
Losing your memory is no big fuss.
You'll get along fine, won't go insane
Just 'cause you can't remember a name.
So to you from us, we're excited to say,
Here's wishing dear what's-your-name a happy birthday.

A Birthday Poem for Perry

I sometimes feel so contrary
That a poem most extraordinary
Has become customary
For the birthday of my friend Perry.

Fortunately rhyming with Perry
Is easy with my dictionary.
I just use words like cherry or berry
Or hairy or dairy or carry
And writing becomes quite merry.

Unfortunately I often tarry
And sit dull minded in my library
Hoping to find a line, legendary,
And end up throwing a wobbly hail Mary!

For this poem I tried to work in “gooseberry,
Dignitary, dysentery, dromedary,
Estuary, cautionary, luminary and hereditary.”
But could produce nothing literary.
I couldn’t even keep the lines quaternary!

If Perry was older I could use “centenary”
And words like obituary and cemetery,
But at 55 I only came up with speed limitary
Which is not even in the English vocabulary.

So the best I could do is:

Hackberry,
Airy,
Primary,
Planetary,
Yellow berry

Bloody Mary,
Itinerary,
Rosemary
Topiary,
Home Secretary,
Dietary,
Apothecary
Yarberry

Perry!

Ron’s Birthday Poem

My best friend is a man who could be Abraham’s best friend.
Mr. Lincoln said many things that apply to my friend.

My Best Friend Ron is a person who will give me a book I have not read.

I succeed  each day because Ron is a friend who believes in me
     and I don't have the heart to let him down.

When he does good, he feels good.
When he does bad, he feels bad.
That is his religion.

He knows that investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Each day he is wiser than he was the day before.

Ron does the very best he knows how,
     the very best he can,
     and he means to keep on doing so until the end.

He has the courage to stand by a principle
    when everybody else rejects it.

Ron is a slow walker,
     but he never walks back.

He knows life can be hard but also very beautiful.

Ron can never be poor with a wife like Beverly.

Like any good engineer, given six hours to chop down a tree,
    he will spend the first four planing the job and sharpening his axe.

Ron is rather inclined to silence.
And unlike me he knows its better to remain silent and be thought a fool
    than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Ron does not have an agenda;
    he just tries to do his very best each and every day.

My friend knows it's not the years in his life that count.
      It's the life in his years.”

Ron is the finest man I know.

Happy 80th birthday, my friend.

Bagel Ballet

‘Twas a cold cloudy morning.
The winter solstice was near.
I yearned for a place that was warming,
Filled with bustle and cheer.

So it was no surprise that I soon arrived
At my favorite bagel shop.
For it is there I almost always derive
The pleasure of a start that is tops.

The bagel meisters have become my friends
And are happy to see me arrive.
My experience here always transcends
Mere food to keep me alive.

And today what I saw as I waited my time
Lifted up my morale,
It was a bagel ballet on the food prep line
Performed by Kendra and Val

Like poetry, bagel treats they assembled.
With speed their arms intertwined.
The scene before me closely resembled
A Tchaikovsky ballet in my mind.

Light on their feet and lithe were they
As they danced back and forth so fine.
Glissade, releve, pas de bourree
Ballet moves quite divine!

Sharp knives flashed as bagels were slashed
And covered with delicious smears
First right then left they dashed
To a rising chorus of cheers!

And then with a twirl of a perfect pirouette
My lox on bagel was given to me.
This was a moment I’ll never forget,
This bagel ballet memory!