THAT CHILD IN ME

THAT CHILD IN ME

Oh, for yesterday
When I was just a kid
Walking on my hands
And standing on my head;
Skipped the fence barefoot
Was a show-off acrobat
Swinging from the rafters
Not an ounce of fat.

Oh, for yesterday
When I was young
And foolish and crazy
My voice still sung;
I played and I played
To my hearts content
And spent summer days
In a homemade tent.

Oh, for teenage years
When I felt a crush
But too shy to share
Didn't dare to rush;
Parking in cars
Dancing in the street
Teasing & pleasing
Feeling the heat.

Oh, for yesterday
Thin & smart & true
Never once imagined
Being old & blue;
Now I just remember
How it used to be
Oh, I wish I could find
That child in me.

THE OLD DJ

THE OLD DJ


The old town looked the same
As I'd left it years ago
And as I drove around a bit
I took it nice & slow;
There's the house 'round the bend
A different shade of blue
I turned on the radio
And then I thought of you!

There you were, a DJ
On the air tonight
Playing songs and laughing
Like everything's allright;
You sounded 10 years older
I listened to you say
"This one's for my late wife:
"I'll Give You a Daisy a Day."

I listened very closely then
To each and every tune
Hoping you'd remember me
Under a nice full moon;
I stopped beside the ocean
And longed for yesterday
Your program was just ending
Then I heard you say:

"This one's for someone special
Just someone I used to know
Perhaps she's out there listening"
Your voice was smooth and low;
I could not believe my eyes
When I saw a white dove
While listening to you play
"SOMEWHERE MY LOVE."

I turned the new car around
And headed for the city
Had a plane to catch at dawn
But filled with self-pity:
I wiped my nose on my sleeve
Like I was still a kid
And knew I'd always love you
Until we both are dead.

THE LAST DANCE

THE LAST DANCE


He knew their time was up soon
As he walked across the floor
She glanced up to see him coming
And looked down at the floor;
"Care to dance?" he asked her
She smiled & took his hand
And they waltzed across the floor
To the slow beat of the band.

Her wedding plans all in place
The ring was on her finger
And everyone who saw it
Said it was quite a dinger!
This was 'girls night out'
Her last one 'fore she wed
As he watched her every move
He wished that he was dead.

Her body felt just like before
She smelled oh-so-sweet
And her smile lit the room
Swept him right off his feet;
His lips touched her shiny hair
His hands held her so tight
And he had his woman back
At least for one last night.

The dance was nearly over
He asked to take her home
She said "I see no harm in that
Beats walking home alone";
At the door he held her close
He knew this was the last
Chance he'd have to say it
So he said it very fast:

"Would you have married me, dear
Would you have shared my bed
If I had been a single man
Would you choose me instead?"
A tear fell from his dark eyes
As she looked straight up at him
She gently wiped his tears away
Said "We'll never know, dear Jim."

WAR IS HELL

WAR IS HELL


She always liked a man in a uniform! Her friends used to often tease her about it but her dad had been a fireman and so perhaps thats how it all started.

After High Sclool she attended University to become a Nurse but dropped out when she had a chance to tour as a civilian health care worker in Iraq.

"Why do you insist on taking risks?" Her mother was against her going to the war torn country but she was a believer in freedom and knew that "freedom isn't free". She wanted to do her part.

It was hard to say goodbye to all of her friends and family but she felt the call of duty. Soon she was working in a foreign hospital, bandaging the wounds of young American soldiers. She saw death first hand and was even more determined to help her country.

"What's your name?" he asked. She turned around to see a man in uniform but this time it was not an American. They all looked alike to her, these Muslims but he wore the uniform of the Iraqie militia.

"Jill" she replied. "Jill Henderson." She extended her hand and he acknowledged it. His grip was firm, his flesh was warm. He towered over her and filled out his uniform very nicely.

"Please stay clear of the area where they are drilling today," he warned. "One can get hurt from the falling debris and ill from the poisonous fumes. What is your job in my country?" His english was flawless.

"I am a nursing assistant at the local hospital."

He nodded & with that, he was gone. But she saw enough of him to see the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on.

As the hot, humid days and nights passed and she worked diligently to help ease the pain of war-inflicted injuries, she slept fitfully in her mosquito netted bed. She found herself dreaming of the Iraqie soldier with the dark moustache and black eyes. She wondered how it would feel to have his mouth on hers?

One day, she was on a bus and saw him escorting children to a school. She looked out the wide, open window just as the bus stopped and he glanced in her direction. Their eyes locked and he nodded, a semi smile on his dark face.

He looked back but she was gone; the bus had moved on quickly. He wondered about her and her auburn hair with dancing brown eyes and full lips, a bright scarf wrapped around her head. He was struck by her beauty and wondered how it would be to see all of her hair, all of her.....

The war was getting nastier by the minute and Jill was afraid but determined to help America by doing her small part. Every day she traveled to the hospital to assist the doctors and nurses as best she could. There was no free time except when she could grab a few hours to sleep and eat.

She remembers it very well. Her tent was near the school where she had seen him and it was outside her tent she was standing when he came looking for her. He asked her if she was going to work at her job in the hospital today.

"No; I just finished my shift there" she replied.

"When will you return to your work" he asked?

"Tomorrow morning" she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason" he said. "There is much going on there today by my fellow soldiers so it is best if you avoid the area until tomorrow."

"Thank you" she said.

He looked into her eyes and before he walked away in his uniform, he said "War is Hell; a woman like you should stay in America."

She watched him leave to catch up with a group of armed Militia and he only looked back once. She raised her hand in a slight wave and he turned away quickly, a very serious look on his handsome face. She would never forget it!

That night, she was awakened by sirens and loud noises in the streets. She quickly dressed and ran outside her tent to see the reason for all the commotion.

Her bunkmates ran to tell her that some Iraqies had blown up the hospital and there were few survivors. The most disturbing news was it had been accomplished by the enemy who had disguised themselves as friendly Iraqies. Jill lost many good friends and valuable doctors and staff.

She was grateful that she was not in the facility when it was struck and was alarmed that it could have been herself blown to pieces. She was mortified!

The next days newspaper showed the Militia behind the massacre and she was stunned and shocked to see her handsome Iraqie soldier had been one of the suicide bombers. His name had been Mohammed Havolie.

Had he not warned her to stay away from the hospital? Was he willing to sacrifice his own life yet smitten enough to save hers?

She prepared to go home as she felt the sting of death all around her. She was one of the lucky ones; she was walking onto an aircraft; many were in body bags with the American flag wrapped around them.

Jill grew old overnight; she returned to the United States and went back to school to become a Pediatrics Nurse. But she knew in her heart and she never forgot that the enemy in uniform had saved her very own life.

War is hell!