Such As That

He got old and fat and such as that
And sat in a chair and petted a cat.
His wife watched him age,
And sometimes he’d rage —
Not at the cat, but at “such as that.”

Quiet Day . . . Until

Daddy had a very quiet day
And was eating lunch off a tray.
But he spilled his tea
All over his knee,
And that’s when the donkey began to bray!

Git-tar

Jimmy bought him an old git-tar
And learnt him some chords here and thar.
Fore he knowed what he had done,
He was havin’ him some fun,
Sanging “Boy Named Sue” and “Wildwood Flaur.” 

Punsmoke

“Punsmoke” . . . starring James Armrest

Morning

I woke up this morning feeling rough.
Ate some cereal but that weren’t enough.
I slouched in my chair,
And my TV was there
To help fill my mind with fluff.

A Vacant House

A sunflower grows by a windowsill.
And nearby nests a whip-poor-will.
A vacant house that hosted generations
Weathers, as summer passes. 

Aspiration

Benny bought a banjo to learn to play,
And he bought fancy duds and some hairspray.
He wanted to star
And drive a fancy car,
But he soon sold the banjo on eBay.

Baroque

Jan truly cherished her fancy things.
She loved jewelry boxes and diamond rings.
Her taste was Rococo,
But mostly Baroque,
And that’s how she ended up — Baroque broke.

Rain

Summer clouds threaten with rain.
Dark air thickens with moisture, again.
Trees stand ready for a downpour,
And the Enoree River looks longingly to the heavens,
From which it draws its strength.

Who

Our younger daughter once said to me,
“Dad, you’re who your friends say you are.”
I guess she was thirteen,
Not old enough to drive a car.
“No,” I said. “You’re who God says you are.”
Soon, she was grown
And had moved away . . . 
Away, pretty far.

The New Pew Review

Sunday comes for shut-ins too,
Those who can’t do what they used to do.
Some watch TV to glean
Truths from pastors seen.
They listen from an “electronic pew.”

Jesus, Take the Wheel, If . . .

“Jesus, Take the Wheel” is a nice song.
But if you left Him by a curb, what’s wrong?
Don’t run off a cliff,
Or end up as a stiff,
Before you wish He’d ridden along.

The 4th

Harold got him some beef and fired up his grill.
“Don’t forget taters!” his wife said, right shrill.
Their kids and grandkids drove in to eat.
Freedom didn’t miss a beat.
But freedom isn’t free, someone said.
We owe a debt to many, living or dead —
Brave folk who paid, or are paying, freedom’s bill. 

Our Father Who Art on Earth

“Our father who art on earth,” they said.
“Let us honor you before you’re dead.”
They embraced the old man
As tears down his cheek ran,
And resentments from years ago fled.

The Old Man Turned Off the Radio

The old man turned off the radio,
But he didn’t say, “Where’d all the old tunes go?”
No, he said, “It’s time to pray.”
And sitting in his chair, he voiced a prayer.

First, he gave God adoration,
And then, he prayed for our nation:
“Lord, make this a land that ’t’is of Thee’;
Help it stay brave and keep it free.

“We’ve wandered in sin’s wilderness,
And seems like things are in a mess.
Lord, forgive us of our sins.
Don’t let us become just ‘has-beens’.

“Forgive me for sounding uptight.
Thank you for things that are going right.
Thank you for my family and blessings aplenty.
Help the many folk who don’t have any.
I thank you, Lord, for taking our blame,
For dying in our place, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

The old man gazed through a window nearby,
Then rose from his chair, and, with a sigh,
Remembered these words to an old song:
“God answers prayer in the morning.
God answers prayer at noon.
God answers prayer in the evening,
So, keep your heart in tune.”

The old man turned off the radio,
But he didn’t say, “Where’d all the old tunes go?”
No, he said, “It’s time to pray.”

The Couple

When Saturday comes and chores are to do
Try not to let an argument brew
When she says, “I want . . . ”
And you say, “I don’t”
You know what you’re getting into

Ready to Meet the Lord

There was a young fellow from Greer
Who lived like he’d little to fear
But as he grew old and gray
And faced Judgment Day
He leaned on the Lord who was near

Summer

We suffer June heat 
Summer sends down golden rays 
Iced tea will soothe us

Watching 'Gunsmoke'

An old man watched “Gunsmoke”
As his wife dozed in her recliner.
He knew he’d never find
A woman any finer.

The old man could rise with the sun
Or rise as he pleased.
He needed his rest,
And he needed some knees.

His doctor told him he’d know
When his knees were about to go.
But he was taking things easy,
Just walking real slow.

“Gunsmoke" reminded him of times gone by.
When the program was over, he let out a sigh.
“Those were the good old days,” he said.
Then he kissed his wife and hobbled to bed.

A Stranger Asked a Question

We used to attend a large church in Southern Pines, N.C. People can “get lost” in big congregations. Someone said, “Church is a place where we worship together, alone.”

An odd thing happened at that church on a Sunday after a sermon ended and people sought out friends or drifted into the parking lot.

I had seen an isolated man, probably in his early sixties, standing in that church's lobby. I greeted him but did not ask for his name.

As the after-church crowd thinned, my wife and I started out one of the many metal-and-glass doors fronting the worship facility’s lobby. The fellow I mentioned stood to one side of those doors, and as I placed my hand on a door, the man asked, “Could I go to lunch with you?”

“Sure, come on,” I said, amazed that a stranger would ask someone he didn’t know, “Could I go to lunch with you?”

He left his car at the church, and the three of us headed to a nearby Golden Corral. His wife would be joining him in a few weeks, he said. They were moving temporarily from a distant state to stay in a family member’s apartment while that member was deployed with the Army. He told us about his journey to Christian faith, and we shared stories about our lives. As we talked, I thought of these words spoken by Jesus, “I was a stranger, and you took me in.”

The man’s wife moved to our area, and we enjoyed lunching with the two of them before they moved back to their distant home.

I often think about the man who was lonely enough to ask a stranger this question: “Could I go to lunch with you?”

When an Older Person Dies

“With the death of a young person, we are conscious of what will never be. When an older person dies, they take a whole world with them. Millions of experiences end in an instant. Voices that won’t be heard again. Sights that die with the dead.” 
   — Michael Gerson, columnist, writing about his mother’s death

That’s how I feel about Uncle Fred Crain’s recent death at age 92. He told me stories about “the old days.” He took that world with him, except for accounts I wrote down. I wanted to hear more, but he’s no longer with us, here. I plan to see Uncle Fred in heaven because of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Uncle Fred confessed belief in Jesus Christ. So do I.