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She rode in the car with the wind in her face,

The passenger side was her favorite place,

When Belle pushed the button she always knew,

She’d have the wind, front seat, and a great view,

It takes more than the wind to make her grin,

An open window is just a place for her to begin,

She sees the world as she thinks it should be,

It’s nicer when everyone is happy, don’t you agree?

Belle and I were going shopping one afternoon,

It was one of those beautiful days in late June,

She rode with her head outside to enjoy the air,

The temperature was still rising but she didn’t care,

“Belle,” I said, “dogs aren’t allowed inside the mall,

We’ll get an ice cream cone and then go, that’s all,”

If one food is her favorite it might be ice cream,

I expected Belle to be excited, maybe even scream,

She struggled and fought for me to let her down,

Her expression had changed, now she wore a frown,

The pavement was burning on her little paws,

She was in rescue mode, she had a cause,

She dashed three rows away to a car shut tight,

The car looked empty, no one was in sight,

Belle was insistent, she refused to leave,

She was giving me a message, I chose to believe,

I got closer and much to my surprise,

Children were in there, I saw two sets of eyes,

Their faces were flushed, their condition was poor,

I had no time to think, I tugged at the door,

The door was locked and the children were afraid,

How could I get them out and into the cool shade?

I called 9-1-1 and waited for their parents to show,

Should I break a window? I didn’t quite know,

Belle was running in circles but didn’t go far,

Belle heard a siren and led the firemen to the car,

The children were rescued but Belle wouldn’t go,

She wanted to show me something, what I didn’t know,

One more time I listened to what she was trying to say,

On the floor was a blanket, within it a baby lay,

Before I could call for help a fireman was at my side,

He had seen me follow Belle, his eyes were open wide,

Their procedures were smooth and quickly carried out,

The two recovered quickly, the baby’s life was in doubt,

Belle watched closely and then just walked away,

I could tell by her demeanor the baby would be okay,

“We’d like to take Belle with us,” was one fireman’s remark,

“She had so much to tell us without even one frantic bark,

She was calm in an emergency and she was constantly aware,

A dog that can do so many things is certainly very rare,”

A woman approached, “What have you done to my car?

You’ve broken a window and my house is so far,

My children don’t like the air blowing in their faces,

Somebody has to fix this so we can go places,”

Belle growled at the woman, something was not right,

Belle rarely growled but she was ready to fight,

The children were trying to hide behind me,

I wanted to ask Belle, “What could it be?”

“Don’t worry, ma’am, whenever there’s some doubt,

We call the sheriff and he can work it all out,”

The fireman wanted the kids away from danger,

He was becoming certain this woman was a stranger,

“Come on, kids,” she said as she backed away,

But she ignored the baby who on the ground lay,

Belle blocked her path so she couldn’t escape,

I thought, “All Belle needs is a Superman’s cape,”

Several police cars arrived at nearly the same time,

Apparently the police were working a major crime,

The woman was surrounded and nobody was hurt,

One deputy said, “You must have heard about the Amber alert,”

When all was explained from the finish to the start,

All were convinced that Belle had a big heart,

She’d saved three children from inherent danger,

And helped capture a woman who was a stranger,

Belle doesn’t like all the publicity or strife,

All she wants to do is live a quiet life,

But no matter how sweet life is each day,

She wants to do more than just eat and play,

With all of her quirks and strange whims,

She choose what she wants except for close trims,

She can ride up front with her face in the breeze,

Except when it’s cold and I don’t want to freeze.

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One Sunday as I finished giving Belle her weekly scrub,

Her expression said, “I’m tired of being in the tub,”

She looked shaggy while wet and needing a trim,

And I don’t think she liked her little swim,

As soon as her feet hit the bathroom floor,

Lickety-split she was out the bathroom door,

Vigorously she shook, then gave a final shrug,

She began racing from room to room, then rug to rug,

I pretended to chase her and I really did try,

But her energy seemed endless and she needed to dry,

Like a clock with a spring she finally wound down,

She lay there thinking and didn’t make a sound,

I thought she said, “I’ve been watching the kids go to school,

I’m ready to go, too, it looks pretty cool,”

I drove to school with Belle in the back,

She knew she would have to remain in my backpack,

Even for a teacher dogs weren’t allowed at school,

But Belle looked so happy I was willing to break the rule,

The morning went smoothly, you might say it was a breeze,

Belle took her constitutional after her lunch of mac and cheese,

My lessons were great but they might have been boring,

As the afternoon progressed I heard someone snoring,

If everyone stayed quiet that was okay with me,

But a rascal named Joe had an insatiable curiosity,

He was restless, talkative, and definitely wiggly,

He teased the girls and made them giggly,

He wanted to impress the girls how tough he could be,

It was evident he was ready to challenge me,

Belle could sense that trouble was ready to brew,

So she jumped out of the backpack, she knew what to do,

Joe’s admirers saw Belle and left him behind,

Without an audience he nearly lost his mind,

Joe was ready to fight everybody he could see,

And of course, his target happened to be me,

Belle was aware that Joe didn’t care at all,

That’s when she brought him a soccer ball,

My class went outside for the ultimate game,

Joe and his friends against me and what’s-her-name,

It was hard fought and Joe did his best,

The score was tied close to the end of the contest,

Belle looked at Joe, then gave me a grin,

And sealed their friendship, she let him win,

The principal arrived, “What’s this?” he croaked like a frog,

Joe faced him defiantly, “She’s our therapy dog,”

From then on when I brought Belle to school,

Joe claimed he taught her to read and she wasn’t a fool,

She knew not to argue when she had it so good,

Because Belle, the therapy dog, always understood.

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Good deeds?  Yes, I’ve done good deeds,

I’ve had my share of helping others,

But I, Levi, got caught up in my own greed,

As a tax collector I was selected,

I swore to do my best in office,

But my dishonesty was soon detected,

All the good deeds I had ever done,

Were all forgotten by those I served,

And I lost all the trust I had won,

I was required to go before a judge,

I secretly offered a share of my profits,

But the man was honest and wouldn’t budge,

I found out he was afraid of the trouble it might bring,

He suspected officials were on to him,

Trying to snare him with legal strings,

I didn’t need to take an honesty test,

I’d take whatever the Romans gave me,

And of course, I would steal the rest,

Money was always worth fighting for,

Why worry about what the rich were getting,

There would always be the poor,

Because I stole I was always the one to blame,

When I was called to follow Jesus,

Matthew became my new name,

Most of the population still hated me,

They knew I worked for the Romans,

And the Romans were the enemy,

I don’t know why Jesus gave me mercy and grace,

But he said my sins were completely forgiven,

They were gone without a single trace,

Hated by the Pharisees, I was still a Jew,

But a different world was revealed around me,

And the more He taught, I knew.

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She Has to Lead!

The big dogs could have eaten Belle in one mighty gulp,

But she was always fearless and she let them rough her up,

Often she romped happily with her canine friends,

When life is good like that the fun never ends,

To the other dogs her personality was a soothing balm,

This Tibetan bearded lion dog always seemed calm,

Playing with others became part of her daily game,

But Belle would stop her play when she heard me call her name,

Her best friend, though, was Fluffy the cat,

She would chase him and he would take her to the mat,

They wrestled day and night until they went to sleep,

Then they would snuggle together, in a little heap,

On evening before dinner I was watching a show,

An intruder entered, someone I didn’t know,

He carried a gun and I had no time to react,

Belle disappeared for a moment, then I lost track,

The stranger said with derision, “If that Lhasa apso is so wise,

How did I get the jump on you guys?”

He lit a cigarette and leaned against a wall,

“You’re all tied up and there’s no one to help at all,”

He smiled smugly and said, “If you make one sound,

Then you and that worthless dog are going down,”

At first Belle distracted him as she dashed from room to room,

The burglar opened the back door and out the door she zoomed,

“Hey, keep a sharp watch for the men in blue,

If I find you slacking, then I’ll be all over you,”

His two lookouts grunted, “We’re on it, we’ve got the outside,”

The burglar felt he had control so he went back inside,

At top speed Belle raced around corners and bends,

Then silent shapes in the moonlight sped to help her friends,

She led three Dobermans in a blitz the lookouts did not detect,

The lookouts were knocked to the ground, the canines they did respect,

Without a bark between them the big dogs knew what to do,

While the little dog continued onward, leading a motley crew,

Chihuahuas, terriers, bassets, two rottweilers, all were on the run,

Not one dog was willing to miss out on the evening’s fun,

The burglar heard a slew of sounds, from a squeak to a roar,

While he laughed at the sight, a dog slipped through the door,

From the top of a couch Belle found her viewing place,

The burglar took aim and shouted, “Get out of my face!”

When the waiting cat jumped on the burglar’s head,

The burglar shrieked as the cat took care of him instead,

Belle laughed to see such sport as the burglar thrashed around,

And then the rottweilers pounced to make sure he was down,

Later a patrol car pulled up and two policemen got out,

They were met by a small dog that was racing about,

She led them to the place where two men lay on the ground,

One of the policemen said, “Look at what we’ve found,”

“Roll over, and keep your hands behind your back,

These dogs look hungry, I don’t know if we can hold them back,”

One officer stayed while the other followed Belle to the house,

Small dogs were everywhere, but inside it was quiet as a mouse,

The burglar lay on the floor watched by the two rottweilers and the cat,

His face was scratched up and his pants torn where he sat,

“Please officer, I can’t move around and I can’t see,

If I turn just one bit these animals attack me,”

“Take me in and put me in a safe cell,

I have my rights and I know them well,

I’ll sue that man for all he’s done,

He’s the only one here so he has to be the one,”

I laughed, “I’m still tied up, you tied the knots well,

Think about that while you’re in your cell,”

He stared at me oddly but that drew a hiss,

I said, “You’d better be careful glaring like this,”

More officers arrived and put the bad guys in cars,

The burglar was crying because he thought he might have scars,

A detective approached me with a pen in his hand,

“I have questions to ask, there are things I don’t understand,”

“Who got all these dogs involved, and what about the cat?

And how did you do it all tied up like that?”

The three perpetrators are as confused as anyone,

And one more question, who called 9-1-1?”

When the officers left and I was almost alone,

I patted each dog and the cat and hung up the phone,

“Belle, you did well rounding up your friends,

But you had too much fun, so wipe off your grin,”

I gave all the animals treats and sent them all home,

“Come back and visit if you need somewhere to roam,”

Wearily I climbed into bed and turned out the light,

I thought about the events of this interesting night,

Following directions is considered a sign of dogs being smart,

But Belle knowing what to do in an emergency was pure art,

The other dogs might be smarter so I’m teaching her to read,

But already she knows they have to follow and she has to lead.

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Nuggets of Gold

Look for beauty and find it

In your surroundings

It lies there waiting for you.

Solitude and shadows wait

Hidden in my soul

Ready for the right moment.

Sounds and other stimuli

Connect me always

I feel the life force flowing.

Even though I do enjoy life

It overwhelms me

I’m easily distracted.

I used nine lives long ago

Searching in moonlight

It’s good that I’m not a cat.

Continuously write down

Your innermost thoughts

Your heart will know what to do.

I’ve squandered many precious gifts

Giving them away

But they will return someday.

To know, understand, accept,

Creates confidence

When it’s applied to oneself.

Heritage

Family trees can handle stress

Before the sap flows

If connected roots are deep.

Related by kinship lists

We encourage the

Successive generations.

Love

Almond eyes and peachy skin

She’s ready for love

My heart is pounding within!

I’ll write my own love story

One line at a time

Breathing life into stale air.

Macintosh Apples

A Macintosh fell kerplunk!

That’s how I became

Acquainted with gravity.

Seeds from Macintosh apples

Can grow apple trees

But not Macintosh apples.

Macintosh’s heredity

Cannot be traced far

Crab apples are the parents.

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Although the day was cold and crisp with cloudless skies,

I ordered a vanilla yogurt and then I sat,

The cashier looked at me with a question in her eyes,

“Would you like some nuts with that?”

She must have thought I was a normal guy,

She waited expectantly while I tried to decide,

“What are my choices?” I asked loud and clear,

She said, “Almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, are but a few,”

I guess I didn’t have to shout with her standing near,

“Don’t forget pecans, macadamias, pine nuts and cashews,”

I started giggling and then my laughter turned into a roar,

I couldn’t choose one kind when there were nuts aplenty,

Soon I collapsed with laughter and tumbled to the floor,

“What’s wrong with him?” called one voice out of many,

“I don’t know,” I heard as I was thrown out the door,

How could I explain in a few words or less,

About my family tree and the research I’d done,

How all my late night work had increased my stress,

And even though I said I was having great fun,

There were certain problems I needed to address,

As I scrambled from branch to branch on my family tree,

Expected results were not always found,

Kings and Queens were shown to be unrelated to me,

From the base I started up from the ground,

Until I got to the top of the chart where I could see,

The diverse branches of kin no one knew,

At first they proved to be beyond my reach,

But I would continue until I overturned a stone or two,

And discovered a rowdy pirate like Edward Teach,

Who sailed the seas where strong winds blew,

I hoped that only a few pirates would I find,

I could accept Pocahontas or Belle Starr, the bandit queen,

Or other nuts that hid between the lines,

Descending through generations almost unseen,

But too many nuts would drive me out of my mind,

Peaches and almonds are on the same family tree,

Closely related although only one is a nut,

That’s crazy and I’m not sure how it came to be,

But it’s a closed case and the door is shut,

It’s a question best left to biology,

I’ve heard the saying and know it’s true,

That a nut doesn’t fall far from the tree,

Think of all the troubles that would surely ensue,

If a few more nuts were related to me,

Because I think I might be related to you.

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Long ago I learned how important,

It was to be like a powerful tree,

As I grew in wisdom and stature,

There were those who relied on me,

At first I was merely like a shade,

To protect visitors from the sun,

As I grew wiser I slowly realized,

My branches were for everyone,

Then I became a resting spot,

For those who were passing through,

My branches as a social gathering place,

Became important for those who flew,

And finally groups came by,

Content that I was safe and secure,

I didn’t charge any to stay,

Because my heart was willing and pure,

My roots stretched wide and deep,

Within the clay packed ground,

And all the denizens within the dirt,

Were proud that I was earthen bound,

I had chosen where to place my roots,

I needed a strong unmovable base,

When ferocious storms came through,

I wanted to be ready just in case,

Yielding only to the harshest of winds,

Often I was unable to save the nests,

Or protect those who depended on me,

But I still chose to remain and do my best,

I didn’t mind being rooted to the ground,

Traveling was something I didn’t need,

I chose to be happy where I was planted,

I decided that as a seed,

My visitors and the winds kept me informed,

About the bigger earth around,

But I was as happy as I could be,

Content with the world I’d found,

Like a tree I didn’t travel far,

Though my thoughts and wishes flew,

And my dreams and hopes were carried about,

By those who cared and knew,

My home has been available to everyone,

My arms have opened wide,

Like a tree I stand with arms upraised,

While my heart beats warmly inside,

“Do you mind being anchored to the ground?”

Some people dare to ask,

I smile and say, “I’m like a tree,

I have a bigger task.”

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“You have a hernia,”

My doctor declared,

“You’re going to have problems,

If you don’t have it repaired,”

On Friday the thirteenth,

My surgery was set,

“Be at the hospital at six”,

It was written so I didn’t forget,

I made arrangements with Lori,

To get me there at six precise,

But that early in the morning,

She’d have to sacrifice,

True to her word she was on time,

Though the morning was icy and cold,

“You don’t have to pick me up later,

I have a ride home,” she was told,

Checking in was real easy,

My paperwork was already done,

Yet I was a little tense already,

The thirteenth had just begun,

I got my instructions and undressed,

And slipped on my hospital gown,

It was tied securely but still drafty,

There was no back to be found,

An early shift nurse placed my clothes,

In a bag and in my backpack,

Out of sight, out of mind,

In a locker they were stacked,

Afterwards while I recovered,

I wanted to know when I could leave,

If it was going to be soon,

I wanted my clothes to retrieve,

According to my nurse,

I was recovering very well,

I could leave if I continued progressing,

But only time could really tell,

If the pain had lessened,

And I could finally urinate,

The surgeon said it would be okay,

For the nurse to release me late,

After much discussion,

A nurse said my clothes were found,

It wouldn’t be long before I was gone,

And I’d be homeward bound,

My thoughts were on Pam,

She’d driven from work afar,

She must be cold and anxious,

And tired of waiting in her car,

I passed nurses looking for someone,

That was my humble conclusion,

“Which way did he go?” one nurse asked,

“Over here,” I heard in all the confusion,

I followed, trying to stay out of the way,

But I lost them when I stopped to pee,

The nurses were hunting for someone,

I didn’t realize they were searching for me,

Strange things were definitely going on,

I heard them calling for “Dan”,

“What a coincidence,” I thought,

“I’ll help them if I can,”

Through the halls I wandered,

I was hot on Dan’s trail,

But the nurses couldn’t catch him,

And I was destined to fail,

However, it was Friday the 13^th,

And a full moon rose to boot,

I forgot about the fugitive,

Because it was time to scoot,

Disheveled and carrying my backpack,

A large bloody spot on my shirt,

I saw no one around to question,

“Sir, are you badly hurt?”

Pam eyed me suspiciously,

When I climbed in and asked to go,

“Did you tell anyone you were leaving?

I think they would want to know,”

“Where’s your nurse and your wheelchair?

I’m sure a release you’ll need,

I think they’ll all be concerned,

If the checkout rules you didn’t heed,”

Pam called the nurse in charge,

Trying to make things right,

In a short while the nurse arrived,

She said, “It’s been a long, tiring night,”

Pam helped the nurse whisk me inside,

So I could be officially checked out,

They both seemed a little peeved,

With the full moon out and about,

I said, “It’s been fun,”

And I tried not to sound rude,

Even though Friday the 13^th,

Put my nurses in a bad mood.

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In my dreams I can’t get enough of you,

We frolic in love’s hottest flames,

Caressing and savoring our pure joy,

Filling the time with love’s games,

But when I awake to empty arms,

My heart crashes to the ground,

No more leaping and soaring in the sky,

No more planets or stars, for I’m earth bound,

I want my fantasy to be my reality,

I want to hold you next to my heart,

We’ve been magnets with the same polarity,

The harder I try the more you push us apart,

I think I’ve often tried to kiss the mist,

Or tried hugging a non-existent rainbow,

To be near you without touching you,

Is like being in the sun’s early glow,

The warmth is there despite the air’s chill,

Open your heart and let me in,

We’ll fill the moments with sweet love,

And let the waiting dreams begin.

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We built a house out of silence and words,

With deep conversations we built the foundation,

Sweet honeyed words that oozed and dripped,

Hardened into concrete passion and love,

Kept level for a time as we patched the cracks,

We let down our guard as the foundation settled,

That was our first mistake,

With polite greetings we built the walls,

Used small talk as we went about our tasks,

In the walls silences became trapped and used for insulation,

Keeping uncomfortable spaces between us,

We talked with our eyes without sharing our thoughts,

That was our second mistake,

With angry words we raised the roof,

We built rafters with the appearance of strength,

But empty and unlivable to those inside,

We chose barbed shingles in an overlapping pattern,

Beautiful to behold but they caught and tore the heart,

We lived in this house and never made repairs,

That was our third mistake,

If we had built our house with realistic expectations,

Knowing that marriage either grows or weakens,

We could have given it the attention it needed,

Sharing our dreams and goals as we stayed best friends,

Making additions, repairs and strengthening the foundation,

But we didn’t,

We built our house on hopes and dreams,

Thinking that the other’s faults would change,

Rather than learning unconditional love and acceptance,

Our house was built on the sand of our own vanities,

And when the storms came, and they always do,

The storms were stronger than a house of words,

And the only thing left is the silence.

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S. T. O. P.

Ages ago, when cars were raked and chopped,

There weren’t cell phones or games to be shopped,

And many young kids took the time to drag Main,

Whether the night was clear or pouring rain,

It was a time of confusion and serious doubt,

Where should young kids go if they wanted to hang out?

During this period lived three Signs of the time,

I know this is weird but their names do not rhyme,

Stop lived with his two brothers, Yield, and Slow,

And hung out at corners where most people go,

Stop grew tired of being ignored like you might expect,

People waved at him but they showed little respect,

Some raced through without thought of danger,

Some turned off their lights at intersections, (even stranger)

Stop thought it could happen one day that cars crashed,

He thought cars should halt before someone got mashed,

But Slow and Yield argued and could not agree,

Just reducing the speed was enough, they said, just wait and see,

The brothers searched for solutions all through the night,

And finally they were all happy by dawn’s early light,

Slow would show first, and Yield would be next,

Stop would wait patiently to keep cars from wrecks,

Slow and Yield were respected and rarely got blame,

But Stop stirred up some who made fun of his name,

His name was used as an acronym for many phrases,

But Stop grew to accept them as they went through phases,

1.  Stop Teasing Our Police

2.  Squeal Tires on Pavement

3.  Start to Open Presents

4.  Start the Oprah Program

5.  Stop Testing Our Patience

6.  Stop Telling on People

Stop became well known and recognized by all,

It wasn’t because he was handsome or nine feet tall,

Stop’s sign wasn’t common or made from a riddle,

His sign was a red octagon with his name in the middle,

Slow with a rectangle and Yield with sides of three,

The brothers were happy, as happy as can be.

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Predicament  (5/6)

5)  A call from Nashville was on Mindy’s machine,

This was her chance to fulfill her dream,

If she wanted to be a country music queen,

She wanted to tell him one more time,

That she really and truly loved him,

This was her chance while in her prime,

He had laughed off her attempts to be on the air,

“You should just stay home,

You don’t need to be there,”

This was her big break for riches and fame,

If he loved her he could let her go,

Later she would marry and take his last name,

Her plane was leaving at half past four,

Could she reach him in time,

Should she go or stay, she tried once more,

Her song might be a major hit,

Would he be proud of her,

Or just tired of it,

A voice on the line told her what she needed to know,

“Please wait, he’s with a friend, you’re the next one in line,”

Always left to wait, she chose this time to go.

Predicament (6/6)

6)  There were always bullies,

Who taunted, laughed, and pushed him around,

Joel was tired of them ganging up,

And threatening to knock him to the ground,

He would show them this time,

That they were very wrong,

They were weak if they met strength,

If he brought a gun he would be strong,

Maybe he could show them once,

And they would leave him alone,

Somebody had to stand up and face them,

He would be a wall of stone,

He wanted to talk to someone who understood,

Who knew just what he was going through,

He tried to call his older brother,

He always knew what to do,

It happened that the voice he heard,

Was not the one he wanted on this try,

Confused and frustrated by a voice that said,

“I’m sorry, that mailbox is full, goodbye,”

He stood there a moment staring at the phone,

There was no reason to hesitate,

The bullies should get their due,

It was time they met their fate,

No one cared what he was going through,

He was tired of smiling when bullies put him down,

Tired of worrying about them in the dark or sun,

Tired of waiting until they made him run,

Tired of everything, so he brought the gun.

Predicaments make us decide between good or bad choices,

We choose the result if we listen to our inner voices,

Who do we have to help us think things through,

What wisdom would you share if someone asked you?

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Predicament (3/6)

3)  Insufficient funds, there must be some big mistake,

Andrew read the line again. This couldn’t be happening,

It could just be a silly fake,

How could the young lady be part of a scam,

She was convincing and trustworthy,

But she had left him in a jam,

Once more he looked for numbers as he ran a check,

His entire life savings had disappeared,

Answers were needed because his life was in a wreck,

He called her company. The response made him nervous,

He realized what a fool he was when a voice said,

“I’m sorry.  This line has been disconnected and is no longer in service.”

He called the attorney general’s office and much to his dismay,

There seemed to be a pattern in all the lessons he had learned,

“I’m sorry.  The attorney general is in a meeting or away for the day,

Please leave your name and number and your call will be returned,”

It was too late to ask anyone for advice,

Anyone he talked to turned a deaf ear,

Nothing he could do, no laws would suffice,

He encountered walls everywhere he tried,

There was only one thing left to do,

He went home and cried.

Predicament (4/6)

4)  Elizabeth and her children lived alone in a house,

They were isolated and vulnerable,

She had lost her spouse,

One evening a car came down the lane,

Why was someone there this late,

Were they lost, needing help, or slightly insane,

Men got out and approached the door,

She called 911. “I need help.  What should I do?”

“Please stay on the line and I’ll send car twenty-four,”

The intruders weren’t friends nor were they her kin,

They weren’t listening when she yelled, “Go away!”

It was quite a predicament she was left in,

Were they there to hurt the children or do her some harm,

The door was caving, someone crashed through,

And was met by the shotgun she carried in one arm,

Determination was clearly written on her face,

She would protect her children and her home,

A woman with a gun wasn’t out of place,

What would he do because he had a choice,

But he was a man full of manly pride,

And he ignored her warning voice,

When he continued to advance,

She pulled the trigger without hesitation,

She had warned him not to take a chance,

The intruder was stopped there in his spot,

The voice on the line returned,

“Ma’am, are you okay, I heard a shot,”

She replied, “Yes, I’m okay,

But the intruder is not,”

“Please stay on the line and wait,

An officer should be there shortly,

He’ll need to investigate,”

A woman alone looked like easy prey,

But when her children were threatened,

The adage was proven, crime doesn’t pay.

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Six Predicaments (2/6)

1)  John stood on the ledge waiting to plunge,

A crowd gathered below,

Waiting for him to make his big lunge,

He moved a few steps searching for traction,

The timing was not quite right,

He called his wife wanting her reaction,

When he told her he loved her without any lies,

Wanting her to know that he lost his job,

He was tense and irritable, But to his surprise,

He heard, “Please wait until your party is found,”

And then music he didn’t like boomed in his ear,

He didn’t want elevator music on his way down,

He let the waiting rescuers come near,

He heard, “We help everyone in our town,”

Despite all the news about John’s desperate act,

Some people thought he was being dramatic,

And said he had a tendency to overreact,

His wife went to her mother’s for a week or two,

John wonders if she’ll ever come home,

Because she’s long overdue.

2)  Flames were reaching higher and higher,

Eduardo called 911 screaming, “My children are in there,

Please don’t let this be a funeral pyre!”

A voice rang clear, “Please wait because we have pranksters about,

We’ve had several people call in tonight,

So all our engines are already out,

Tell me one more time what is your plight?”

Fortunately others had seen the glow,

He stammered and stuttered,

In his excitement his words did not flow,

Fire trucks returning were diverted and sent,

Firemen arrived to see the house in dire straits,

Through smoke and flames three firemen went,

They found one child, two, and then another,

They were carried out safely,

The two girls were okay, and so was their brother,

They lost their home, their belongings, their bed,

But when all was considered and done,

They were lucky to be alive instead.

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During the daylight hours,

I flit, I flutter, I fly,

Sometimes high into the sky,

I wander from flower to flower,

It seems such a short time ago,

Before I had these dainty legs,

I was just a good little egg,

That stage was only four days though,

When I hatched, I went through a stage,

Feeding, growing, crawling about,

Those two weeks of growing tired me out,

Especially since I was big caterpillar for my age,

I built a chrysalis so I could rest,

During the next ten days I began to transform,

Which was certainly the norm,

I wanted to emerge looking my best,

After ten days I stretched my beautiful wings,

This way and that until I was dry,

I felt so strong I wanted to fly,

Over meadows, mountains, and castles of kings,

I danced across flowers for children to see,

How beautiful and colorful the world could be,

Letting children know that some things are free,

They could dance too and be as happy as me.

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