The Cajun Cure

I've been feeling a bit disconnected;
This has caused me to feel dejected.
We finally hit upon something, I was sure,
Would, once again, make my soul seem pure.

Yesterday, we returned to my roots,
On the bayou with my Aunt Toots
Also in his eighties, Uncle Roman,
Laughing at surprises for which they can't plan.

The greatest gift they always give,
Is joy in having purpose for which we live.
Next time we take a trip to down below
My aunt's going to teach me Grandma's gumbo.

Grandma and her husband owned a general store,
But, for much of their lives, they were very poor.
They threw away nothing, every scrap was used;
The flavors of the meat scraps, Grandma's gumbos infused.

There was chicken, bologna, salami, and ham,
And always a roux, browned with loving hands.
The rest of her secrets, she never did say,
But the finishing touch was a spice called filé.

I will learn to make it, with Aunt Mabel's advice,
Then we'll sit down to a supper of gumbo with rice.
My cousins will come to share a few laughs,
The finishing touch on a Cajun repast.

Hiding from Homicide

A lot of days, all I do is hide
So I'm not tempted to commit homicide
Against the many who get great joy
Bringing forth tears from small girls and boys,
Thinking they are preparing them
To hold their own as women and men.

Even on the sportsman's field
Their are rules, to which we yield.
Players are matched by size and age;
This, for the cowards, should set the stage.
It is easy to win when there are no rules
And the youngest and weakest play the fools.

Justice dictates that there be fair play,
Or the biggest bullies always win the day.
Many of us are simply overwhelmed by life;
Communities should share each others' strife.
We can act as referees and partners for each other
If we look upon all as sisters and brothers.

Babies as Bombs or Blessings

Watching out my window, I learn a lot about folks as they watch their kids at the pool and walk their dogs. It seems that the men are mostly on stand-by for emergencies, while the women want to bond with someone else, even if it's not with their children. Women also come to the pool with all kinds of equipment for hygiene, safety, and play.

When a woman walks her dog, she has on her exercise attire, something to drink in her hand or fanny pack, a poop bag, and her cell phone. The men wear whatever they are going to wear the rest of the day; if they're drinking anything, it's coffee or a beer; and they decided to walk the dog to get away from conversation. They know that the condo complex supplies poop bags every fifty feet along the water. If they happen to receive a surprise package from their dog, and they happen to be near a poop pick-up station, then they bend and retrieve the specimen. If not near a poop bag, they generally walk on and figure it's biodegradable, so what's the problem?

Wise women want to be prepared; most men think they are prepared. I think it's because many men love the rush it gives them to figure things out on the fly. That's what heroes are made of. Wise women are afraid of domino-effect consequences, so they over-prepare for every event. Men stay lost in their own thoughts until time to spring into heroic action, leading to a ticker tape parade in their honor. I think we could get more dads to change diapers if we presented dirty diapers as bombs needing to be defused before they detonate, catching them in terrible collateral damage.

Dads also seem to believe in the principle of survival of the fittest; whereas mothers tend to their children as if each is a precious and unique jewel. Dads walk and expect their charges to step in line behind them; mothers spend must energy gathering their chicks under their wings and checking to make sure that nothing is swooping down from the sky or sneaking up from the savannah to grab their baby birds in its sharp-taloned claws.

Dad's figure that you gotta let 'em learn the hard way; if they're scared of the water, throw 'em into the deep end. They'll either drown or swim. Because there are now laws against letting your child drown to teach him or her a lesson, once the emergency is dire enough, dad will save you. Then you have to sit out until you can stop crying like a big baby. What doesn't kill you, will make you strong.

Maybe we should have dads walk around with bowling ball-sized hand grenades strapped to their bellies until the babies they make are born. At the baby's birth, we pull the pin. Everything the dads do, they'll have to hold on tightly to the pin in their bowling ball or risk being blown sky-high. Do they want their progeny to be bombs or blessings?

Soaking In the Spirit and Sunshine

Yesterday, I went out and soaked up some sun;
Floating in an empty pool certainly was fun.
I took a book, Gandhi's autobiography,
And read of his search for religious veracity.

When I felt that I had filled my mind,
I'd close my eyes and float to unwind.
What better place to search for eternity
Than under the sky sheltering all we can see?

Summer Slipping Away

Now that the children are returning to school,
Will I see nothing but an empty pool?
And what will I watch instead of young sailors?
The harbors too small for racing Boston Whalers.

Maybe the multi-generation family,
Whose babies look too young for academies,
Will still take their afternoon swim;
I get a lot of pleasure from watching them.

In the cooler early morning hours,
Long before the daily summer showers,
There are people jogging in the sea breeze
And many walking with dogs they pretend to lead.

There's always something to watch,
Looking out my window near the docks
Simply observing the ripples on the water
Often restores serenity to my thoughts' order.

Vicarious Vacation

The children we have so loved
Have grown up to be good,
Better even than I let myself
Hope that they could or would.

If I never have a new adventure,
I'm ready to enjoy the afterglow.
Come sit by me and tell me
What you did and what you know.

Don't forget to include
All the fun we used to share,
Back in your younger days;
There's so much fun back there.

There is so much of my young life
I have no one with whom to remember,
But I would like to savor your joys
Until we've burned out every ember.

Nothing gives me greater joy
Than seeing your happiness today.
This is what I hoped for
And, for what, I still do pray.

When you come back from vacation,
Let's plan a show and tell.
This way I can feel that
I was on your vacation, as well.

Take It Easy, Greasy

Take it easy, Greasy, we have a long way to slide.
I like to travel with those who enjoy the ride.
Anticipation of ecstasy and the afterglow
Make the joy of anything have a greater glow.
When we're in such a hurry getting to the finish,
There is so much detail in life that we miss.
The planning of a shared event is half the fun.
There's no point in playing catch-up once a project is begun.