Snowbird Survival Skills

Well, we're heading home again
To our place in the forest.
Many friends have told us how much
Our presence has been missed.

We did not intend to leave
Without ever looking back.
Where friendship is concerned,
Continued connection is the fact.

We give apart of ourselves
To people with whom we work and play;
There will always be something
That beacons us to stay.

We are going back to work
To get our home ready to be
A cozy place for others
Who want, the mountains, to see.

We will become landlords
For the first time in our lives
We hear this is how many snowbirds,
The expense of two homes, survive.

Can we continue to have a home here,
And another real home there,
And people in both places
For whom we deeply care?

Like Laughter from the Seas.

Unfurled flags flying freely,
Boughs bending in the breeze,
Sunlight skipping on wild waters,
Like laughter from the seas.

We welcome cool crisp days,
While we await the summer's heat.
If only we could store these energies
That the summer will soon deplete.

Ah, the gifts of nature
Bring such joy before they're gone.
We should grab the gusto while we can,
For soon we will surely mourn.

But mourning is an opening
To the pleasures from our past;
It is a way to relive events
That were never meant to last.

Me and Thee

We're in our sixties;
It's time to break free
Of the fantasies of others
About what we should be.

It is true that some
Are part of our team;
Only those are allowed
To cause a scene.

When we step too
Far out of the line
That our whole network
Has worked to define.

We can advance to old age
In peace, and gracefully,
Surrounded by those that enjoy
The real me and thee.

My Mother's Day

I've had a wonderful day
Though nobody came to play;
Many called to say
Happy Mother's Day.

I have never been one
To save all the fun
For a day that was begun
And by a corporation run.

Most major holidays
Play out on the stage
Of those of a certain age
Who all read the same page.

Those who are so busy
Their lives making them dizzy
And are so often in a tizzy
Don't need other places to be.

So whenever they get a moment
To share life not otherwise spent,
They can tell me where they went
And what their holiday meant.

Family Foundations

Families are accountable one to the other,
Mother to father, sister to brother.
Families are like dominoes, standing in a row;
If one falls over, down the rest will go.

We must all do our parts to keep our families strong
To find a niche for each member to belong.
We must take the time to strengthen the links
And respect what even the weakest thinks.

We must support each other as we learn
The ways to address our deepest concerns.
This is the only way I have found
To keep our families on solid ground.

It is a tragedy that some cannot
Get past their ancestral rot.
These must seek a new tribe
In which they can successfully abide.

What I Want You to Do

Listen, just listen;
That's healing to me.
Look me in the eye;
Tell me what you see.
Let me read myself
Through the mirror of you.
That's all I need,
All I want you to do.

Friends and Festivities

The sun rises over the marina at the dawn of a perfect day,
Filled with the promise of fun with friends coming to play.
Fresh flowers in the guest room, food in the refrigerator
Hoping to make the rating of our bed and breakfast greater.
A miracle of low humidity and cool temperatures has arrived;
Now I'm very sure a full day out of doors can be survived.
Nothing is more enjoyable than being the chosen tour guide
To fun and adventures that my loved ones haven't tried.

Today it will be Jazz Fest with two visiting female friends;
Supper with a surprise guest is how our evening will end.
Tomorrow, I'll get to squire the surprise guest around;
Richard will be boat building, while we will do the town.
Streetcars, restaurants, and museums, or another Jazz Fest day?
I guess I'll let him choose how he wants to spend his stay.
So much to see, to do, and to eat, and the time is so short
There's much that we won't get to, but we'll sure do our part.