Fast Friends

The three amigas have met again, and how the fur did fly!
We're all fiery, passionate women who let no sleeping dogs lie.
We discuss how our values apply to our family and personal lives,
We don't mind pointing out our own and others' lies.

I don't know how the waiter didn't get scorched by our sizzle,
With such passionate opinions from three women of such strong will.
Perhaps we should have tipped him more than his twenty percent;
He may now be requiring therapy to get his psyche unbent.

We are now conspiring to have a working partnership;
When we work together, it's always quite a trip.
We have such different levels and kinds of energy,
But, it does seem that we balance each other perfectly.

At times I've disagreed strongly with a boss;
This has led often to a boss who stays cross.
I hope that coming at this as life-long friends,
Any of our anger with each other would soon end.

If we had a working relationship, it would facilitate
More frequent communication, and at a greater rate.
We've accomplished so much together, working for free;
What joy it would be to get paid for being who we're meant to be.

Looking Less Lady-Like

My physical therapist is teaching me to
Do many things I thought I knew how to do:
Sit, stand, and walk in a less "lady-like" way.
"Lady-like?" Me? I don't know what to say.
It seems that I need a more athletic stance,
Not a pose like I'm preparing to dance.
I was taught to hold up my shoulders and head
But my swayed back gives me the pain that I dread.

The athletic stance may look more aggressive;
This is a trait in me that was never recessive.
So I've tried to appear more delicate
Because I seem to scare some folks a bit.
Those I don't scare seem to want to fight,
So I've tried to stay out of their sight.
Rather than fight 'em, I'll feed 'em again,
As soon as I can manage to stand without pain.

On the Periphery of Passion

What a wonderful thing passion can be; it truly makes life worth living.
My son's passion is his football team to whom lots of love is given.
This same passion he extends to his parents, children, friends, and wife;
He lives his life drawing others into his aura of unbridled delight.
His children, too, are passionate about their family and their friends;
I love to be around them and am saddened when it ends.

This week-end not only had a televised Saints game;
My son's Halloween birthday was celebrated again and again.
He made chicken and sausage gumbo with a side of rice
We: carrot cake and bread pudding with bourbon sauce for each slice.
If I lived near my children, I fear my heart would explode;
All their love of life sometimes seems a heavy load.

The neighborhood thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday Saints game;
Richard and I don't watch football, but enjoyed them all the same,
Playing Rummikub with our granddaughter by the swimming pool.
And visiting with our teen grandson, who with us doesn't play it cool.
Our grandson stopped by several times with hugs and sweet words
Kind words of love from teens are some of the sweetest words heard.

After a week-end of celebration, they must return to work and school;
We will return to our routines with bodies that are over-full.
I will take the memories and tuck them into my heart,
Being ever so grateful that, in their passions, we play a part.
Next week-end we will have more offered opportunity
To take part in these celebrations of life that we love to see.

More Memories Than Mortals Can Conceive

The sailors in windbreakers heading out to the sea
Bring back memories of our boating, my captain and me.
The cool fall breezes are a sirens' song to sailors,
Whether with vessels in the harbor or boats on trailers.

We had cushions in the v-berth that served as our bed,
And in the starboard bunks where guests laid their heads.
There were nights that we anchored in a quite river inlet
And other nights at harbors that we had only just met.

The cruises that we took with friends and family --
Feasting, swimming, fishing -- We felt worry free.
We had sleep-overs at the dock; we didn't need to leave;
There were more memories made than mortals can conceive.

Fall light is extra luminous as it dances on the waves;
The cloudless sky promises many memories to be saved.
My wish for every sailor embarking from this harbor:
Many blissful moments to share with their sons and daughters.

People From Our Past

People from our past keep popping up; they heard that we returned "home."
I always thought we'd keep in contact, no matter where we roamed.
But, it seems that face-to-face time is what most people feel comfortable with,
No matter how much the written word is that for which I wish.
We are being called upon to come out and catch up with our friends --
It's so much safer to communicate when I can edit before hitting "send."

I guess most people are more comfortable with the fleeting nature of life,
Where I don't trust that the good memories will be there in times of strife.
I want to take out stories of love and personal triumph that were written to me
Whenever I become overwhelmed by the unpleasant things I hear and see.
I can curl up under the covers or hide in my own house,
Savoring the kind words of friends and being quiet as a mouse.

This way misunderstandings may be fewer and farther between;
I was taught to stay out of trouble by being neither heard nor seen.
I was never good at obeying these social nicety directives;
There's something in my lady-like gene that obviously is defective.
I must remember that these folks are citizens of New Orleans
Where loud and proud women are simply part of the local scene.

Rewards of Retirement

A big reward of retirement is that we are now free
To explore whatever it is that we "always wanted to be."
This can be quite daunting because, as Richard said to me,
Their is nothing quite as scary as to be completely free.
When we have jobs and children, someone else dictates what we do;
But most of us nurse fantasies that number more than a few.
One of my nieces attending college said recently
She thinks growing up is harder in the land of the free.
She said in many countries each is simply placed in a job, and
In many families it is the case, that parents are job snobs.
I know that unsolicited opinions are worth what is paid for them,
But you know that I still had to put my own two cents in.
I'd like her to consider teaching physical therapy;
It seems a natural grown up progression for a gymnast, to me.
I parlayed my love of giving parties into a catering career;
Now I spend my time writing about the memories I hold most dear.
My body can't stand the strain of long hours on my feet,
But being a writer is another goal I've always wanted to meet.
How sad it would be if on the day of our births
Our dreams wings were clipped, and we were denied the search
For what is our best use in each stage of our lives.
Dreams seem to be the only way the human spirit thrives.

Physical Therapy Is a Miracle to Me

Everything I've ever been and everything I am,
I owe to the time of teachers, and a helping set of hands.
The laying on of hands in good physical therapy
Is the stuff of miraculous healing to me.
We seek swift answers from pills and surgery --
Not learning how to keep own bodies pain free.
The teachers I follow are the ones with mastery
Of their subject before they impart knowledge to me.
I could have sought out a personal trainer instead of PT,
But the knowledge of physiology is as important as can be.
Strength building exercises on muscles knotted over nerves
Will never be productive in putting pain in reverse.
When will we honor the individual time and attention
That trains us in our own power's attainment and retention?
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