A Couple of Old Poems

For many years I have dabbled in poetry. I'm no Wordsworth, or Browning, or Frost, but my attempts at rhyme and verse have helped me scratch the itch to be creative. I guess I come by it honest. My maternal grandfather was a pretty prolific poet himself. Beside his other body of work, he wrote an original poem each year for the custom Christmas cards he and Granny sent out to family and friends. In fact, he was appointed "Poet Laureate of West Virginia" by Governor Hulett Smith back in the 60's. (I'll bet you didn't even know West Virginia has a Poet Laureate!) Even though I have never been named to that lofty place of honor, I have scratched out a number of lyrics - primarily for my own enjoyment.

Two of my sentimental favorites were written for my sons. Although they have never been published and obviously have never won any awards, I want to share them with you today. The first was written in June, 1974.

Jay

Someday maybe Jay will be,

An athlete folks might pay to see;

Or may be to the Congress sent,

Or Even become President.

So devilishly handsome, he,

A movie star's what Jay might be;

But with his strong and ringing voice,

A Preacher's job may be his choice.

Say, what if Jay, a Doctor bold,

Should finally cure the common cold?

Or maybe he will follow me,

And try his hand at poetry.

Yes, I'm convinced that Jay can be,

Any thing he wants to be;

But Mom says he should wait some more,

At least until he's three or four!

Well, a couple of years later, our second son, Ben, came along. He was a pretty special guy in his own right. So, by August, 1978, in the spirit of the "Fairness Doctrine" I felt compelled to compose a verse about him as well. Here 'tis:

Benji

Little Benji's quite a guy,

With curly hair and spirits high;

A bouncy step - variety!

The spice of life for Mom and me.

He's so much like his brother, Jay,

Yet different in a special way;

Blue twinkling eyes just seem to tell,

He'll win your heart and do it well.

I guess sometimes it's hard to be,

Just two years old - not quite three;

But Benji does his best, you know,

To win the spotlight, steal the show.

Each night he greets me at the door,

Same question as the night before;

(Almost as I park the car),

"Daddy bring me candy bar?"

In quiet times I talk to God,

And tell Him that I find it odd;

That He's blessed me, spite all my sin,

With number two son, little Ben.

Both sons are in their 30's now. Both are dedicated Christians and are married to wonderful young ladies. Jay is a pastor in New Orleans and Ben is a teacher and coach in Russell, KY. Each of them have two sons of their own. (Their photos appear with me on the top of the page on the left side of this blog) Linda and I are truly blessed by the Creator to have such a wonderful family.

To say the least, I was mighty proud of those two little boys way back there in the 70's.

I still am!