Barbara

You were not afraid

to reach out,

and make friends.

-

You carried pad and pen

to communicate. We learned fast.

-

We could speak

and hear;

and you could not.

-

We learned from you

to sign a bit,

and laugh a lot,

-

We were the ones

handicapped

by trepidation.

-

You taught us

to relax

and enjoy.

-

To appreciate

all of our blessings.

The greatest of which

-

WAS YOU!!

Discovering Music

She sat;

feet flat

upon the floor,

so she could hear

the music.

She laid her hands

against the speakers,

so she could feel

the music.

Interpreters signed

the words of the song . . .

played air guitar,

when there were no words to sign.

Faith,

(what a beautiful name)

knelt at her side,

snapping her fingers to the beat~ ~

she followed suit.

Faith pulled her to her feet~ ~

she was hearing~ ~

feeling~ ~

dancing~ ~

~ ~ DISCOVERING MUSIC~~

Poems (with apologies to Joyce Kilmer)

I'll never find, where e'er I roam,

a tree as pow'rful as a poem.

-

A poem is breathed from God's sweet soul,

into the hearts of men, here below.

-

A poem heals the hearts of men.

and makes them whole and well again.

-

Instilled in man by God above.

poems empower with God's love.

-

Trees are made by God to please our eyes.

but poems are God's loving sighs.

Jr. Kills The Pills

Each morning at the table,
I count out the pills,
prescribed by my Dr. for
various and sundry ills.
When Jr. hears the rattle
of the bottles and the pills,
he jumps into the middle
and scatters all the pills,
prescribed by my Dr. for
various and sundry ills.
He stalks them and he pounces
with all his feline skills,
and basks in the satisfaction
of his imagined kills;
the hunt and chase and capture,
and torment of the pills,
prescribed by my Dr. for
various and sundry ills.
I wonder why he does it?
Are there vicarious thrills
in his attempt at assassination,
and ruthless massacre of the pills,
prescribed by my Dr. for
various and sundry ills?
Is there any way I can avoid
the attack, scatter and spills,
perpetrated by this vicious beast,
on the unsuspecting pills,
prescribed by my Dr. for
various and sundry ills?

Invasion of the Machines

The machines are taking over
all our office space.
We need a bigger office,
just to give them all a place.
-
Once we ran our office
with just a telephone,
typewriter and calculator,
these three and these alone.
-
With our new phone came
a control box and a printer.
Then we got a copy machine,
(black and white, it has no tinter.)
-
Next came our beloved cash Register,
which drove us all berserk.
Then a cute little machine for
credit cards, which saves us lots of work.
-
The last machine to arrive
was our darling little FAX.
I think a computer will be next,
which I know my brain will tax.
-
Yes, the machines are taking over.
but they are so much fun.
I sit and play with all of them,
and somehow my work gets done,
-
So, if we're being invaded
I say, "Take me, here I am!
Take me to your leader,
I'll go meekly as a lamb!"

My Favorite Fruit

Just what is a cherry tomato?

This food that is called by two names?

Well, I submit,

this fruit is a hit,

because of its penchant for games.

-

It issues each diner a challenge,

to each man, woman and child,

"Let's play hide and seek

behind lettuce and leek."

And instantly they are beguiled,

-

by this fruit with a weird sense of humor,

which delights in causing chagrin.

Some simply ignore it,

because they abhor it,

for dribbling all down their chin.

-

Then there are those more determined

to eat all that remains on their plate.

They take a wee bite,

while hiding from sight,

content they have escaped their fate.

-

When suddenly juice starts to trickle

from between their tightly closed lips,

at first just a drop, that just will not stop,

'til the tiny drops become drips.

-

But, I am so enamored of

this fruit that loves to play,

so, tho I abstain

when I entertain,

later, I have my own way.

-

When no one is there to observe me,

and there's no way they'll find out,

I buy them by the box,

and sly like a fox,

I climb into my tub and pig out.

August

The temperature's past the hundred mark,

there's not a hint of breeze.

The youngsters run and play and sweat,

the oldsters sit and wheeze.

-

The sun don't set 'til ten PM

and its up again at five,

without these hours of darkness

no one would survive.

-

It doesn't cool off all night,

the evening breeze is not.

Don't want to move, it's hard to breathe,

it's muggy, still and hot.

-

August is only thirty-one days,

the longest month of the year.

Then, at long last comes September,

and it's all downhill from here.

-

We've survived another August,

August always seems eternal.

September brings us sweet relief

from dog-days most infernal.