Ode to a Lost Love

I

Charmed by the beauty of her face

But even more so by her heart

This beauty I longed to embrace

 

Love wasn't present at the start

But our friendship began to grow

In time we were seldom apart

 

I wanted to let my love show

No longer could hold it inside

My warmth I wanted to bestow

 

To her I found I could confide

She would listen and never judge

There were no secrets I must hide

 

In my life I cared not to budge

Her tenderness gave me a nudge

II

She proposed coffee and a talk

Most happily did I accept

Soon hand in hand we took a walk

 

At warming my heart she was adept

I felt happy when she was near

Between us no secrets were kept

 

To my life she became so dear

I hated when we had to part

Her feelings for me were sincere

 

She had fully captured my heart

With her was where I wanted to be

I prayed we'd never be apart

 

With her I felt alive and free

Who knew what wonders we might see

III

Many assaults she'd had to endure

She'd had more than her share of pain

For her malaise there seemed no cure

Her attempts to find peace were in vain

And yet she bravely carried on

Blessedly some strength she did retain
 

I pushed too hard and then she was gone

She reemerged and welcomed me back

It was me she could place her burdens upon

My days sunny again not just black

Once again our union steadfast

Yet the strongest of bonds may crack

Would she be haunted by the past?

I prayed our connection could last

 

IV

In a cottage she wanted to hide

She cared not for people but books

Yet she spoke of being my bride

I lived for the kindness in her look

Her gaze filled my heart with bliss

A look of dismay I could not brook

Finally we shared that first kiss

Were we moving toward rapture?

Or was something going to go amiss?

Long ago my heart she did capture

So why was I feeling this fear?

Somehow I sensed our love would fracture

I knew that our love was sincere

But inner demons can reappear

V

I know not where she does reside

But she's still a part of my being

I'll always carry her inside

I was concerned for her well-being

I feared I might ruin her life

Was I saving her or just fleeing?
 

Fear and pain in this world are rife

To her struggles I might only add

Couldn't ask her to be my wife
 

That I had doubts of course made her sad

Nonetheless we said a farewell

Broken a bond that was ironclad

What the future brings we can't foretell

But know in my heart you'll always dwell

Farm Life in Verse and Prose

Milk the cows
Feed the sows
From a neighbor get fresh eggs

Shingle a roof
Trim a horse hoof
A newborn calf on wobbly legs

Spring is here, time to plant
A few dry days God please grant
Let me sow the corn my father begs

A field to plow
Wipe sweat from your brow
Fix a broken pipe

No time to goof
Paint something so it's weatherproof
Tractors to polish and wipe

Spring is gone in a poof
Shovels stored in oil to keep them rustproof
The apples are not yet ripe

Mend a barbed wire fence
Haul a load of manure
Use some common sense
Farm on the contour

Here's a grease gun
It's kind of fun
Have to keep the machinery lubed

Reap the crops from the field
Pray for a big yield
Send it into the silo along a big tube

My dad likes only real butter
The sight of margarine makes him shudder
Eat a few ears of corn

Grab an udder
Clean the gutter
My boots are getting worn

Milking cows late afternoon
Sometimes seems inopportune
Come on Dad, I've got a date
I really don't want to be late

I ask to leave early
I have a date
I am pleasant, not too surly
He gives in and says, "Better get going or you'll be late."

Thanks Dad!

We go to the county fair
We take cattle and craft projects there
Everyone is in a good mood
We'll be eating a lot of good food

Grab a burger from the 4-H stand
Perhaps a sandwich from the beef booth
Drink pop in the grandstand
Pie al a mode for my sweet tooth

I hate the Tilt-A-Whirl
But dig the 4-H girls
In them I find no fault
"Come on darling.
Let's go to the dairy booth.
I'll buy you a chocolate malt."

A girl shows her champion steer
In the category known as Beef
To her the creature is so dear
But now she's filled with grief

At the livestock auction she cries
For she knows that he must die
The pain cuts like a knife
But she knows it's the circle of life

The green alfalfa has been cut
In the sun it's left to bake
When it's dry on one side
I flip it with a rake

It's a hot, sunny day.  I'm going to rake the hay.  I'm not talking about a garden rake.  I'm referring to a farm implement called a rake that one pulls behind a tractor.  The rake turns the rows of cut alfalfa into nice windrows that can dry in the sun before being baled.  The finished product is called hay.  Straw, on the other hand, is made from oat chaff.  Both are important commodities on a dairy farm.

Before I leave for the field my dad scolds me for not wearing a cap. 

"You should cover your head in this heat," he says.

I sigh and give him a weary look.  I think I manage not to roll my eyes.  I know he means well and is just concerned about my welfare.  But, I never cared much for caps and I'm a teenager who thinks he's invincible.  I sometimes acquiesce and grab a cap.

I'll be in the blazing sun driving in circles on a little tractor for quite some time.  I want to go shirtless but don't want to get burned.  I hate wearing sunblock.  So, I bring along a long-sleeved shirt.  I alternate between going shirtless and wearing the long sleeves.  Why not wear a short-sleeved shirt?  Are you kidding?  I'm not going to get the dreaded farmer's tan.

Farmer's tan - A tan that is only on the arms and neck of a person because he or she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt when the tanning occurred.  The rest of the torso is white from lack of exposure.  Farmers get this because they do a lot of labor in the sun.  This can also happen to people involved in outdoor sports like golf, tennis, baseball, and softball.

So, I rake the hay.  Glad it's a sunny day.  Round and round the field I go.  I listen to the radio. 

My Grandpa Lester uses the 4040 John Deere to pull the kicker baler.  The baler literally kicks (throws, ejects) the square bales into the wagons.  Twine holds the bales together.  Some balers have a counter so you can track how many bales you've produced.

The wagons of hay bales get unloaded and stored in our barn.  Sometimes the area where the hay is stored is called the haymow.  Mow rhymes with cow.

The hay is stored in the mow
The bales are stacked very high
Later it will feed the cows
For winter you need a big supply

You unload hay onto an elevator so the bales can be stacked up high.  Unloading hay and stacking it in a hot barn with little airflow is hard work.  You never know for sure how many wagons of bales will come from any given field of hay.

My mother asks, "How many loads will there be?"
My fathers says, "It may be only six, we'll just wait and see."
My mother scoffs and says, "It'll probably be eight or nine."
My father replies, "Then I'll be pleasantly surprised."

After unloading each load, the ladies usually go to the house for a brief respite.  I usually go to the field with my dad to get the next load.  I help switch the wagons so Dad and Grandpa don't have to get off of their tractors.

Before heading back to the field, Dad and I walk over to a nearby water hydrant and drink some water.  I drink and drink and drink some more.  You sweat a lot during hay baling season.

When I was younger we would stop baling hay in the late afternoon because we still needed to milk the cows. 

We'd sit down as a family and have a meal before evening chores.  Perhaps it's egg salad sandwiches.  Maybe Grandma made her potato salad.  We drink some lemonade or Kool-Aid.  Grandpa tells funny stories.  Sometimes he has trouble finishing a story because he gets to laughing so hard.

When I got older we wouldn't stop for a family meal.  I could begin milking the cows and the rest of the family could keep baling hay.  It made sense to keep baling.  Make hay when the sun shines the saying goes.  But, I missed the family meals.

I'm back in school when fall harvest time arrives.  My dad hauls loads of corn from the field.  A neighbor combines the corn.  Sometimes I ride in the cab of the combine with the neighbor and he explains how the big machine works. 

The harvest is soon over
Winter comes and so ends fall
Say goodbye to the clover
Soon snow will blanket all

Put snow chains on tractor tires
Tighten a bolt with your pliers
Cut some wood for the fire
Bed down the cows before you retire

The land is barren and asleep
The farmer gets a respite from the crops
But the farm still requires upkeep
The farm life never stops

That's the cycle of a farmer's life
Reap and sow, reap and sow
It's the same for the housewife
They must go on with the show

Farmers feed the world.

ANF - America Needs Farmers

Ode to My Younger Self

Young man so sweet and innocent

An ode to you, not a lament

You're hoping to look cool

Now that you're in high school

Want the right clothes and cool haircut

You look good so you have to strut

Cool pair of Nike shoes

With those looks you can't lose

See you at your first Homecoming dance

You feel so good, can't help but prance

Maroon sweater, gray slacks

Looking good to the max

Second year is even better

See the redhead, go and get her

Slip her hand into yours

Be a man and open doors

The sweetness of that first real kiss

Thundering crash, shiver of bliss

Can it be love I feel?

Perhaps this joy is real

Some close friends say, “Let's hit the town!”

Challenge us and we won't back down

We've got life by the tail

Knowing we'll never fail

The guys and me go for a cruise

Buying condoms we'll never use

Trying to make our play

Not quite sure what to say

Seeking girls to give us a chance

Always feeling firm in the pants

Most young men mean no harm

Teenage boys just have no charm

I can't wait for the junior prom

Conquer the night with great aplomb

Looking sharp in a tux

Glad that I spent the bucks

The evening goes on and on

Don't get home till the break of dawn

Man, I feel so alive

Won't take long to revive

Senior year is set in motion

Still haven't found a love potion

Take wild girl to first dance

Shocked she gave me a chance

Second dance dateless, I go stag

Looking handsome but I don't brag

Hanging out with a friend

Lonely heart, quick to mend

We might sneak a drink and a smoke

Or maybe we'll just have a Coke

Don't need drugs to feel good

A slow march to manhood

I don't care about Calvin Klein

Wearing my Levis feels just fine

Polo shirt, collar popped

Feeling good, can't be stopped

I soon become a conference champ

Much more than just a little scamp

Starting to be a man

It's time to make a plan

Graduation day, throw the cap

Now real life will give you a slap

Time yet to be carefree

Then off for a degree

Leave for higher education

Parents built a strong foundation

What will my future bring?

Sweetness but with a sting

Have to take some pain with the joy

Cannot remain the little boy

Take time to smell a rose

For tomorrow who knows

I was robust but now am frail

Feeling old, health begins to fail

Now you're long in the tooth

But don't forget your youth