The door of life now slowly closes
Where I am gone please send no roses
For on the stem they live must be
Their petals strewn their fragrance free
To float upon the air or breeze
To swirl or stay where’er they please !
Then place no stone upon my face
I crave no words to mark my space
But on the wind my ashes fly
To seek my God who bides on high
Let no one come to mourn for me
From life’s impact at last I’m free !
I had a great aunt she was Olga by name
Her generous nature, the root of her fame
I was told she was born in May eighty-eight
Although it seems that no one knows the right date !
She had the same job for the whole of her life
Sadly she never became anyone’s wife
Though it was not because she had not found love
But the boy she admired was not approved of !
Her Rudy he worked as the baker downstairs
While she sold his bread from the counters up there
Her mama, she followed the old fashioned ways
Dictating to Olga for all of her days !
I know that lives were so different back then
I’m sorry that she died a childless woman
But she brought so much joy to all of us girls
What a blessing she was with her Marcel curls !
She bought us those gifts that no one could afford
Hats, coats and shoes from Mister Macy’s big store
And took us to places we only dreamed of
She filled all our cups with her unselfish love !
Sometimes I think that I might fly
Up to the moon and touch the sky
What would I find once I got there
A cold cold place with thin thin air !
Now that’s not such a happy thought
Imagine all those chills I’d caught
Perhaps I’d settle for a spin
Above this space that I live in
And snuggle up to some warm fire
Until this cold spell does expire !
Sometimes the heart wells up with joy
Fueled by the truth friendships employ
And brings sunshine to time and place
To leave impressions we embrace !
To be a friend is no small act
It takes great effort and some tact
But most of all forgiving thought
Will in our growing web be caught !
How wonderful our lives would be
If God should bless this company
And save us with a show of hands
Mongst friends from many other lands !
I’d love to be a child once more
And welcome daddy at the door
To laugh and smile and play some game
Or hear my mother call my name !
We’d spend an evening by the fire
Reading chapters meant to inspire
Our hearts to learn the proper ways
To love our Lord and render praise !
There is a river I have seen
Its waters flow and ebb and stream
Sometimes it trickles on the ground
Among loose pebbles all around
Reminding us of how God’s word
Spreads like those waters as it’s heard
Embracing all both far and near
Sharing His blessings through each year !
Good morning Sun
How far you’ve come
Such a long trip
Without a ship
Across the skies
To bring sunrise
To everyone
Under the sun !
Sometimes when life seems turned around
I sense all that we’ve lost and found
Our longing for the loss is great
But finding God has sealed our fate
There is this hope discovery brings
While gaining faith that joyful rings !
Oh for the life that is no more
When hearts were young and kept no score
When all we knew was how to be
Afraid of abject poverty !
Our lives were so much simpler then
When girls were gals and guys were men
When unisex was still unknown
And being high meant airborne flown !
Songs had real words and melody
And marriage knew God’s sanctity
I wish we could turn back the clock
Oh what I’d give to join that flock !
I thought that I might want to be
A songbird perched upon a tree
There hidden deep among the leaves
While chirping songs into the breeze !
The notes would carry through the air
Impressing those who sojourned there
Perhaps they will return once more
To witness a new bird encore !
Awake the joy this hope will be
And join our Lord in harmony !
When I was small and dreamt a bit
About a niche where I might fit
I thought that dance could be my style
It made my folks applaud and smile !
I’d twist and twirl and spin around
And click my heels upon the ground
Into the kitchen, on the stairs
I tapped away most of my cares !
In window panes or mirror bound
That’s how I chose each pose I found
Since I have lost my dancing shoes
Which other footwear shall I choose ?
With fortune surely changed so much
What will replace my stagedoor lust ?
( My wheelchair and I are good friends since 1989 )
Oh how I miss each Sunday morn
Sounds echoing since I was born
Those happy tunes or plaintive hymns
From early on till evening dims.
Their voices raised with one accord
The hopeful sing and praise the Lord,
My mother’s voice so sweet and strong
Would sound aloud the whole week long.
She loved to sing each olden tune
About romance, lost love or moon,
I wish I knew if heaven rings
With hymns and songs an angel sings !
How I remember little things
The way the scent of ocean clings
And salt that lingers on one’s lips
Or dreams of trips on sailing ships !
The sound of waves that lash the shore
They whisper you’ve been here before
Days of great joy they can’t return
Their memories shall ever burn !
A heart that’s full with treasure sings
Amidst the pleasure laughter brings
Remembering what used to be
Becomes a lifelong litany !
I wish I were a mockingbird so I could sing the whole day long
I’d fill my time with happiness and live a lifetime full of song !
I wish I were a robin red who sings a flutelike warbling tune
That echoes after eventide and carries on under the moon !
If I could be a whippoorwill I’d roam the forest late at night
The song I chant you’d recognize, I sing, but always out of sight !
A morning thought to start my day
I wish I knew a better way
To show how grateful I can be
Because my God created me !
I’m thankful for the food I eat
The kindly words from all I greet
For sun and warmth and evening rains
Those elements that life sustains.
The pleasant days and sad ones too
With joys and laughs and chores to do
It cannot always be a lark
Sometimes it’s cloudy and it’s dark,
But there is one thing that I know
The Lord’s with me where’er I go !
The church bells ring on Sunday morn
At times the sound seems quite forlorn
Reminding us that there are some
Who cannot see God’s kingdom come !
We raise our eyes and skyward look
For some small sign from His great book
Midst all the goals for which we strive
To keep our hopes and dreams alive !
Desert us not as time grows short
Destroy this net in which we’re caught
Help us to see what joy can bring
Open our hearts and hear them sing !
A peaceful calm invades the gloom
Now struggling to control the room
Today I can’t pursue a thought
That is uncouth or seems untaught !
My day is much too important
To entertain sounds dissonant
I’m looking forward to a true
Enjoyment of all I might do.
My life is full of joy and care
Because I’m sure that God is there !
My love for God is not a fad
It took much courage, all I had
I wished that I might inspire you
To see the future as I do !
We need to halt and take a rest
Learn to accept how we are blessed
Observing sea, air, earth and sky
With animals and birds that fly !
These creatures part of God’s invent
Display to us His great intent,
This gift to us, the final prize
That transports all to paradise !
The morn arrives with no surprise
To flush the corners of our eyes
While airborne creatures fill the sky
To welcome day, bid night goodbye.
The streets are clear and fresh with dew
The day begins with chance anew
Pray hear the flutter of the heart
And grant each one a brand new start !
To stand up tall and not fall down
To learn to live without a frown
To be sincere while yet a clown,
To welcome those at your front gate
To proffer love instead of hate
To pleasant be and seldom late,
To greet success with gracious smile
To truthful be without denial
To kindness give and not beguile,
To help the weak before they fall
To answer when you hear the call
Believe that God is there for all !
Listen closely and you will hear
Wind whispering into your ear
Its breathy voice echoing clear
Wake up, wake up the summer’s near !
Those memories that bring a smile,
The touches that make love worthwhile
The words that echo in the night
These are the embers of delight.
The sound of childhood’s rush of glee
With happy laughter bubbling free
Angelic faces shining bright
Reflecting God’s eternal light.
These are essentials to request
As life at hand survives the test
We will be saved and kept from harm
There in the crook of God’s left arm !
How long or fleet our lives may be
Examples set by those we see
Have impact we can never know
Directions may move fast or slow !
Decisions made without much thought
Ensnare us in dilemma fraught,
Should we turn out our patient best
It would be sweet to ace that test !
I’ll settle for a joyous smile
Days that promise to be worthwhile
A life that thrives with energy
And faith that God abides with me ‘
I’d like to be an elephant
With memory forever long,
A wrinkled trunk to honk and rant
My strength and power exceeding strong !
I’d travel with a circus troupe
To visit many foreign lands
While children all around would group
And smile and laugh and clap their hands !
Can you just picture all the joy
This spectacle would bring to me
Imagining I could employ
The magic wand my mind must be ?
Each day I rise with early morn
Much pleasure waits upon the dawn
God’s beings stir and move about
They wake and stretch and boast and flout.
It’s such a noisy world out there
Too many creatures fill the air
Assuring us we’re not alone
That God is with us, age unknown.
We’re grateful for the joys we find
And thankful that we’re on His mind !
Oh saddest day the world recalls
The sunrise fails the darkness falls
Man cannot bear the ugly pain
How long until true peace will reign ?
The time draws nigh twill reappear
Chance quite a few will yet be here,
Like Noah and his party small
They will begin life over all.
Oh what a joy that time will be
Fulfillment of the prophecy !
Good morning world, I know your face
I hear your sounds, it’s quite a race
The nimble are just that and quick
It’s time to take your place and pick
Some goal you have decided on
An aim to base your life upon.
How marvelous the chance exists
You can succeed if will persists
I wish you luck and so much more
That is what love and friends are for !
I wish I had a magic wand
That reached into the vast beyond
To make each happy dream come true
A gift of joy from me to you,
That is what friends are really for
To keep us close and even more !
And if my wand could work in space
We might escape this human race
To gather there at God’s front door
And bide with Him forevermore !
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Claire V. Bogdanos 