I’ve wandered down on memory lane
Hoping to visit old friends again
Trying to recall what used to be
Traveling back in my memory
So many shadows along the way
Of all we have met here day by day
Celebrate occasions one by one
From early morn till each day is done !
Oh little cat with four white boots
It’s clear to see, we’re in cahoots
Together you and I will be
Two partners in disparity.
Your coat of striped grey’s thick and bright
Your neck cowl is so furry white
Where do you go when you leave here
Is it too far or really near
What will you do when fall has done
And winter cold too soon has come ?
I’ll miss you if you go away
What can I do to make you stay
I’m trying hard to comprehend
I’d like our friendship not to end !
I’m lying here in dark of night
Anticipating morning’s light
A bright new dawn is on its way
To wish us all a pleasant day.
How wonderful our God must be
With all His generosity
And greater strength with peace of mind
A truer friend we’ll never find !
There is a trip that I need take
One that I wish I might forsake
However love, I’ve no recourse
And no way left to try outsource.
This trip is mine alone to brave
With no time left for me to save
It is my choice the last one too
Before I bid goodbye to you.
The sadness is not mine alone
To all who are a lifetime known
For we shall part while we are friends
Until so sad, all friendship ends !
Oh tell me Lord, where do I go
What is it that I need to know
How shall I carry on each day
Please help me Lord, show me the way.
With all my heart, I’m not afraid
You’ve taught me well, I made the grade
I’ve found my Comfort once again
My true Love and Forever Friend !
I’d like to take this time to say
Thanks to you who helped share my day
And all who left while others stayed
Became my friends or passed away.
I’ll miss you all and hope you know
My prayers are with you as you go
Each one of you has taught me this
That life’s comprised of tears and bliss.
What matters most, as time rolls by
That we, in hope, good sense apply
For friendship is a crucial must
A gift of love and special trust !
There is this pair that I do see
Each morning, smiling back at me
We three have greeted every dawn
Practically since I was born.
We are old friends the three of us
And no one ever makes a fuss,
Their clothes look worn and faded too
But just like me, their hearts are true.
There is one plus I don’t possess
They’ve candied hearts within their chests
Now that may not mean much to you
But that’s one way to not feel blue.
Sometimes I wish that I might be
Like those ragdolls, emotion free !
I glanced out o’er my yard today
To watch leaves slowly drift away
As one by one they sailed on by
A gust of wind made each one fly.
It seemed as though they spoke to me
But silence is their destiny
There’s too much that I need to learn
The list is long, it’s turn by turn.
I often wonder what we’d do
If nature had a word or two
So you and I might understand
What is the message of the land !
A simple meal by candlelight
To take the chill off winter’s night
A table set with antique lace
Warmed by the glow of an embrace.
The silence that accompanies
This sudden chill before the freeze
While God and man try to maintain
The quiet calm that shall remain !
Oh pussy cat, dear pussy cat, what is it that you seek
Hiding in a dark corner from which I now see you peek
Oh pussy cat, sweet pussy cat, all cuddly soft and warm
All heart and love and furry coat in such a friendly form
Oh pussy cat, I miss you so, you help me feel so strong
Come snuggle here beside me where both you and I belong !
As I awake to morning’s sound
The dawn’s exploding all around
I hear bees hum and cats meow
The birds all sing while dogs bow-wow.
The noise of traffic fills the air
While beeping horns annoy and blare
The sidewalks soon begin to crowd
Street vendors hawking goods aloud.
Oh what delight each daylight brings,
A joyous heart that hums and sings,
Along with happiness and glee
Contributes to comradery !
This is the first I can recall
I find my back against the wall
It all seems strange with no debrief
There is scant time to seek relief.
We flounder in life’s deep morass
Without the aid of skill or class
I wonder what the future brings
Along with normal happenings.
Shall we survive until the end
In need of courage and a friend
Let’s say the prayer we all know well
And to the Lord our wishes tell !
There was a time that’s now gone past
When we dreamt dreams that seemed to last
And compromise was but the thought
Of all the lessons we’d been taught.
When life meant more than recompense
And most espoused good common sense
Consideration was the key
To all of God’s humanity.
Alas for most this disappeared
Replaced by arrogance and fear
Is it too late to make amends
To garner strength and still be friends ?
One lonely heart beats in this breast
Will I find joy in what comes next
Since any move that I chance make
Could mean to me just more heartache ?
I do not think that I shall last
If life does not small pleasures cast
The lonely path is not much fun
Tis better far to have someone !
True friendship is the kindest thing
It moves the heart to smile and sing
And raises all our hopes and joys
Like birthday gifts and children’s toys.
It’s a blessing that loving shares
To soothe the beast midst worldly cares
For without friends one’s cast aside
Into life’s emptiness outside
To languish wasted on the vine
Without the warmth of auld lang syne !
There’s often a thought that I have had
That life’s not clearly all good or bad
And sometimes trauma gets in the way
Like visions we’ve had that go astray.
Tis foolish to think we’re of one mind
For this world consists of every kind
The short and tall or the lean and fat
Those who prefer either this or that,
Only time will tell where all this ends
We can be enemies or make friends !
When I was young too long ago
There was so much I did not know
I learned that I might wonder why
We had to walk while birds could fly
Or why the stars were seen at night
And spent their daytime out of sight,
Or how the snow would fall all day
And by next morning melt away.
Some other things I’ve noticed too
This ageing of both me and you
Tis sad to say it never ends
I pray that we’ll remain fast friends !
I’d like to shout from rooftops high
To all of those just passing by
Is there compassion in your heart
What must we do to reach a start
Let’s try once more to make amends
And see if we can’t all be friends !
We have been friends so many years
We’ve shared the range of joy and fears
We laughed a lot, we also cried
As family and pals have died.
We toughened up and made a choice
We chose to heed the calmer voice
For this scant time we each have left
Perchance to guard against its theft
As all that we’ve been wishing for
May help us reach God’s exit door !
For all of the joy that the holidays bring
There is this bit reminding us of one thing
That through all the pleasures each season may bear
Sometimes there’s a reason that we daren’t share.
The heart’s just a muscle that rises and falls
Yet treasures the moment and often recalls
Those times that were real, much before used to be
When some had to leave for a new destiny
Wherever they’ve gone, we have bid them adieu
As we must carry on, the remaining few !
I had a call just yesterday
A friend told me you went away
I’m sorry that I was not there
I’m sure you knew how much I cared.
We have been friends for forty years
And shared our coffee, laughs and tears
I’ll miss you kid, I feel so bad
So much in common that we had.
We lived our lives and kept no score
And understood what was in store
What shall I do now that you’re gone
I’ll trust in God and carry on !
I wish I knew that you and I
Would never have to say goodbye
And that our friendship would live on
Until the day we both are gone.
How foolish since that cannot be
For we both share mortality
And so old friend we must prepare
When you and I no longer share !
I miss my friends from long ago
The happy times we used to know
Football games and special events
Those summer weddings under tents.
All of the wars they had their cost,
Our pals that we have loved and lost
And now the enemy’s become
The dicky hearts we suffer from.
With cancer scoring second best
Our lives are never done with tests
The joys we knew when we were young
Those carefree days are gone and done
I’m sad I’ve lost so many friends
Our lifestyles soon will meet their ends
As will both you and I, in time
This has become a lonely climb !
How sad it is upon this day
That childhood soon must fly away
The dearest gift a child may find
Is someone who is of like mind
The search is long, it’s journey fleet
And sometimes it is bittersweet.
Tis better still as we do grow
Into the adult all should know
To leave our wayward cares behind
As need and purpose doth unwind
While hidden there amongst the shoals
Are finer truths and greater goals !
Tis sad to think that you and I
Too soon will take our last goodbye
It’s been so very long indeed
I know not how we shall proceed,
The time has gone the end draws near
Remember, I still hold you dear.
We have been friends forever now
It’s time to cut the chain somehow
And when and if there comes that day
When either one should go away
It’s not because we did not care
It’s that one is no longer there !
Oh for the days of auld lang syne
And friends we’ve lost or cannot find
We knew such joy and made great plans
The dreams we shared traversed all spans.
Though others fell beside the way
We managed to get through each day
But truth to tell it’s not the same
Sometimes I can’t recall a name.
I see the face and note the scent
I don’t remember where it went
There is a void left in my heart
This empty space since your depart !
Sometimes the road is rocky, sometimes it’s dusty too
Sometimes it’s filled with traffic, sometimes there’s but a few
Along life’s road there’s trouble perhaps no happy end
This is no simple matter for each must find a friend
With all the grit and dirt, the rocks, pebbles and each stone
God never meant for us that we travel on alone !
I’ve failed to take the time to say
To folks I’ve met along the way
How grateful I have always been
For kindness shown, to my chagrin.
So many things get left behind
I’m loathe to think I’ve been unkind
But vow to try to make amends
As best I can to all my friends.
For friendship is this special thing
That carries care upon its wing
And shares the hopes we’re dreaming of
Amid abundance of our love !
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | ||
Claire V. Bogdanos 