Yesterday When I Was Fifteen

We walked the long way home from school

Hoping to delay our time apart.

Best friends and classmates, we tarried in the sun

Of September afternoons so dear to our hearts.

Yesterday, when I was fifteen.

Our arms were laden with huge stacks of books.

Homework instructions are hidden from sight.

Jackets and sweaters draped over our arms

Were welcome this morning, but cumbersome tonight.

Yesterday, when I was fifteen.

All the beautiful streets of our small hometown

Baking and bustling in the hot autumn sun.

Full of big dreamers on their way to mom and dad,

Recklessly talking and having teenage fun.

Yesterday, when I was fifteen.

Falls City High School

It was the sixties, and our heyday was near.

We were innocent so briefly, some so close to war.

They had no intentions of dying so quickly,

We had no idea this day had happened before.

Yesterday, when I was fifteen.

We all went our ways to discover our destinies.

We now have grown older and long for rest.

I still think of school days and warm days of autumn.

I still think our time in life is simply the best.

And yesterday, when I was fifteen.

This poem is dedicated to the five men from Falls City who died in Vietnam.

FALLS CITY, NEBRASKA:
SP5 GARY WAYNE DUNN	SN PAUL AUGUST HOLTZ	LCPL MELVIN ERNEST KUHLMAN
PVT CARL ROBERT MARRS	PFC ROBERT DENNIS MURPHY

My Heart My Home

When spring holds nothing back with its refreshing April rains,

The richness of the coal black earth brings forth a beautiful sight.

I watch the grasses wave across the prairie in the summer breeze.

I gaze across the rolling hills, perfection in the absence of intrusion,

Like an emerald green sea of billowing waves it rolls and rolls forever.

This is the breathtaking scene as you wander the country roads

Of a lovely mid-western farmland, lush and rich with the scent of new birth.

I long for an afternoon of slowly driving through the prairie lands

Of my home, the land that raised me and offered beauties to my soul.

The land that I ever long for. My heart. My home. My Nebraska.

Liars In Ugly Clothes

Never trust your emotions.

They're liars in ugly clothes.

They fill your head with nonsense

And thoughts you would never suppose.

They're evil little tricksters

Wrapped up in deception and fear.

Their purpose is to try to convince you

To believe what's not really there.

When you're feeling sad or lonely,

Emotions tell you no one cares.

Just look around at those who love you,

And trust in yourself if you dare.

Your emotions are a state or reaction

Of unreasoned opinion or belief.

They make you susceptible to impressions

That cause inner turmoil and grief.

Emotions cause violent reactions

Of anger and malice and hate.

It's never wise to trust emotions

Or allow them to dictate your fate.

For emotions will fill you with nonsense,

And defeat and self-doubt always grows.

Never trust your emotions.

For they're liars in ugly clothes.

The Most Beautiful Flower

The most beautiful creation on earth is a flower. 

Some stately and tall, some dainty and small.

They capture my fancy for hour upon hour.

But the iris is most beautiful of all.

The iris blooms early in the cool of the Spring.

Its companions are peonies and poppies and such.

Their soft fragrance lifts the heart, melodies to sing.

Soft as fine silk and like satin to touch.

                                             Their breath but a whisper, they fade all too soon.

Their countenance flutters and waves in the breeze.

They pose tall and elegant in yellows and blues.

God gave them a presence to calm and to please.

I cherish the roses, the daisies and phlox,

The pansies and marigolds aligned on my cart.

I adore the strong succulents that thrive in the rocks.

And the lilies come closest to stealing my heart.

But, how I love the iris over all of the rest!

It reigns in my garden, overshadowing the whole.

Yes, it's only the iris that stands to the test

Of pleasing my senses and soothing my soul.

Whatever Happened to Yesterday?

Wasn't it just yesterday that my child took his first steps?

His grandmother stood just inches away from him

When I slowly removed his fingers from my hand.

And his world changed forever, and the moment was so grand!

Wasn't it just yesterday when the nurse entered my room,

And blasting from the blanket was this shocking red hair!

I recognized my father in the countenance of my child,

And smiled with acceptance of his temper, fierce and wild.

Wasn't it just yesterday they leaned over me and proclaimed

The birth of a beautiful daughter. I sobbed with joyful tears.

She was the one who kept me grounded and led me to the Lord.

She gave me peace of mind that I sought, but could never afford.

Whatever happened to yesterday? Where has the time all gone?

Wasn't it here a moment ago? Now it's nowhere to be found.

Now yesterday lingers in memories and lives within my tears.

I've found that it can be yesterday in the reminiscence of the years.

What If?

What if I left the house today and got hit by a car?
What if I play it safe and stay home? Who'll pay my rent?
What if I love that man and he doesn't love me?
What if I love anyway and enjoy the time spent?
What if I let go of my child's hand and he falls on his face?
What if I grasp him so tightly he never grows?
What if I climb that mountain and die in an avalanche?
What if I do something awesome and no one knows?
What if I write that book and no one reads it?
What if I don't tell the memories my grandchildren want to hear?
What if I clean my house today and no one visits?
What if I leave it a mess because I think no one cares?
What if I speak to that woman and she turns away from me?
What if I keep to myself and I have no friends?
What if I laugh and no one laughs with me?
What if I don't join the group? What message will it send?
What if I study hard and still fail the test?
What if I don't study and just get a passing grade?
What if I act like it doesn't matter?
What if I just forget all the promises I made?
What if I choose to be friendly and happy?
What if I choose to love every disagreeable human?
What if I laugh and gather all my loved ones around me?
What if I revel in and choose to enjoy the  friendship of every man?
What if I treat people as if each one matters to me?
What if I remember to obey and delight in God's Word?
What if I choose to make a difference in the world, no matter what?
What if I make people glad I stopped being so absurd?

It's All In A Word

I love to explore it! Imagination gets stirred

When I dwell on the prospect of an exciting new word.

As my heart's beating faster, poetic juices are spurred.

Productivity is altered, household chores are deferred.

I've no time for the usual. My computer is preferred.

The sound of its humming can be overheard.

The time spent reflecting can be quite absurd.

Ah! Such is the life of a genuine word nerd.

If you listen quite closely the sounds can be heard

Over flutters and chirping of the tiniest bird.

It's the ooing and aahing of thoughts undeterred,

And the pronunciations that never get slurred.

And late in the evening when the eyes are so blurred

They will wish that the images that they incurred

Did not appear fuzzy, or fraggled or furred.

A word that is written must never be whirred.

And so,  my obsession with quips that I've heard,

And all this rejoicing of each little word

Are taking their toll on the brain that it stirred.

And such is the life of a certified word nerd.