Still Sexy at Sixty

We celebrated Darling Deborah with all her favorite foods;
She's had a really rough year, so we wanted to lift her mood.
We made the most chocolatey chocolate dessert we could find
And pulled a devilishly delicious shrimp pasta recipe from my mind.

JJ, Billy, Eugene, and Cassie with her school girlfriend
Created a birthday pageant that was really the living end.
They crowned Deborah Birthday Queen and draped her with a cape,
Presenting gifts and flowers and, of course, that chocolate cake.

All sang happy birthday before we settled down to feast.
The musicians were in fine fettle, so Deborah's joy increased.
When we saw her last she was smiling like a little pixie;
She's the first of my friends who is still sexy at sixty.

From Hell to Here

Sometimes to save souls, one has to go to hell to get them,
Accepting on faith that their friends will provide a saving limb.
Many times, many people have seemed to lose sight of The Path,
Taking a detour to wait for those who may otherwise finish last.

When we were children, we were taught that the only way to salvation
Was to swear eternal allegiance to the Christian God and to our fair nation.
Back then we had bomb alerts and hid under our desks,
Because the Russians were coming with bombs and arrests.

We were told that they would torture us to denounce our beliefs;
The fact that Jesus forgave Peter's denial gave me great relief.
I figured I could lie to those heathen communists;
The Holy Spirit knew my heart, so I may still make God's list.

Many have stood at the gates of hell to keep my soul from dying,
While I insisted that I wouldn't leave while I heard my family crying.
Now I feel my fight is over; it is time for me to rest and pray.
The little me feels safe and clean again, so my soul can come out and play.