"To The Rescue", in the original form this piece was a post on the msn bulletin board, Rouges, explaining my absence of sev­eral days.  It is a true story and one that I wished had not had occurred at all!

 

"Nonsense", was written one night in early December when I felt particularly impo­tent when composing.  I do not readily recall when it was generated, but I am will­ing to guess that it occurred around the time my emotions were quite well spent given the then rapidly deterioration of Don's health.  Since composing this piece I have learned from others who also write creatively that such periods of creative drought are to be ex­pected.  None-the-less, such times do alarm me as  I have grown rather fond of writing.

 

"Ronnee's Poem: Live", was written for Ronnee an assistant forum manager for the Chronic Diseases Forum on msn.  She is a regular on the Cancer Support and Voices from The Heart newsgroups on the Microsoft Network.  As a humours post, I had placed on the Voices newsgroup a riddle to the date of my birth.  I added that a poem would be written for the first per­son to identify the date.  Ronnee did, thus, the poem was writ­ten about her. Ronnee is a con­stant source of support, encour­age­ment and medical information for those posting for help on the Forum.  She certainly was for me when I began my search for an­swers to assist Don.  She has placed this poem along with music and a pleasant graphic background on her web site. Ronnee was sur­prised and pleased with the poem, she and oth­ers had expected a humorous piece.  I was in turn pleased that she liked it well enough to place the poem on her web site.  I wrote another poem for Ronnee when her mother passed away and just re­cently revised another poem for her thirty-fifth wedding anni­versary.

 

"Ice Skating", was written one night while watching the US Skat­ing Champion­ships. I have always been moved by the beauty of this sport specially the athletic abilities expressed through the choice of music and the movements. I can think of no other sporting event nor entertainment presentation where all such spheres are combined into one wholistic demonstra­tion.  I am not pleased with this poem, but have decided to leave it in as I have posted it on the internet newsgroups, thus, al­ready embarrassing myself!

 

 I wrote, "A Helping Hand", one night as I was reading other poems and posting one of my own on the internet bulletin board for poetry.  Nothing special about it.  But it was kind of a kick writing it!  I will not say much more about it here so as not to give away its special story.

 

This piece, "Red Night", is a foreboding composition.  It was written several hours after learning that a friend had been mur­dered in his own home.  This is really a compan­ion piece to "Simply a Man".  The friend was shot in the head, refusing to give up money stashed away in hiding.  The dramatic and traumatic circum­stances occurred in front of his girl friend, their six month old child and two others who lived with them.  The composition describes the images that came to my mind when hearing of that horrible incident, I certainly do not know if indeed any of it fits with what did take place that cold rainy night in January. There is not much more I can say here.  As of this writing I am not aware that the perpetrators have been appre­hend.

 

"Simply a Man", is a companion piece to," Red Night", and a composition I had originally not planned to include in this collection. But as I debated with myself, first thinking it to personal and then perhaps not, I thought it is a work I authored regardless of the topic or protagonist. The composition about the death of a friend by murder was my attempt to bring about some perspective to his life and begin the processes for closure. "Simply A Man" is a requiem which was written to be delivered at the friend's funeral service.  However, it was not, instead the composition (as well as the two companion pieces) were given to the surviving significant others. 

 

"Meeting",while chronologically out of place here, none-the-less is appropriate to conclude the triology which was created as the result of the incident described in "Red Night".  I had not seen the girl friend of the friend murdered for at least a year.  Then one day she appeared along with the son fathered by my friend in the store where I had temporarily been working.  It was a surprise to both of us.  We spent a few minutes in conversation.  I later wrote "Meeting" as an outcome from our short time together and gave it to her. Since that episode I have not had any further contact with her, although I do know that she appreciated the three pieces I wrote and confirmed that my des-

cription of "Red Night" closely fits that tragic night.

tedc oct. 15, 2005

 

This poem, "Such as You", is written for Nancy, my special in­ternet friend since '95.  The piece addresses  friendship.  I can not recall the circumstances leading to the poem's origin, how­ever, the sentiment expressed is genuine, the affect certain, and the meaning real.  The composition does not fully describe the qualities of friendship that Nancy brings to such a relation­ship.  Even from a distance and though never face to face, from Co­lumbus, Ohio to Portland, Oregon, across the internet and on to our monitors, our relationship has experienced those proc­esses found in all special friendships.  We have argued, feelings have been hurt, we have listened to special songs and "danced" together, we have consoled, supported and given counsel, and we have shared the important and not so impor­tant events or moments from our lives with each other.  These and much more have passed across the way from each to the other.  I do wish I was able to more thoroughly write a portrait of Nancy in this piece. She is indeed a very special lady and friend.

 

"SUZI" is a first for me.  It is written in memory of a pet dog.  One of the members, Betty, of the internet newsgroup where I frequently post, wrote one day that her pet companion had just passed away. Accompanying the post was a picture of SUZI, obviously taken in her last years of life. The dog looked old and tired.  Still, one saw an image of a pet well cared for and one which in return gave a lot.  As I looked at the picture and read the words Betty had written, I was reminded of our family dog She was called Trixie and was a mix of terrier and Boston bull, I think.  She lived with us from the time I was in the second grade until well into my college days.  Ac­tually, Trixie was the only dog our family ever had except for one that mom and dad had just before I was old enough to remember these things clearly.  I think I re­call her name as Ginger.  She is mentioned elsewhere in this collection. After I left home home Trixie left us, she died at our family fishing cabin. Not to long after that dad and mom had one other dog.  But Trixie was the family pet.  Ani­mals are special, they too deserve to be remembered.  I dont doubt that I shall in the future write again of other pets, in fact several come to mind immediately.  Betty appreciated the poem and that was important too.

 

These next three compositions, "Elsie", "Sand Dollar", and "An Ode to a David" are written for or about folks in my office (editorial note, I am correcting this passage Sept.22, 2005  to clarify that "folks" are agents in the real estate where I was working at the time).   At first I was not going to include them in this collec­tion. But on the other hand they have been written during this period of stress and do represent a departure from some of the other pieces and were fun to write for those to whom they are di­rected.  "Elsie", was written for an office col­league whose mother, Elsie, was celebrating her eighty-eighth birthday. The poem was read to her and members of her family who had gath­ered in reunion from across the country to celebrate the special day.  Elsie's sister Ada, mentioned in the in poem, was also there to hear the piece.  "Sand Dollar", was written for another agent who took a midsummer's short vacation along with her cat to the coast and, because of a com-ment from me, brought back a sand dollar for me!  That was such a gracious gesture given my frame of mind these past number of months, that I in turn wrote this little verse about her and her cat. They walk the high tide line, she and the cat, both taking in the fresh salt air and the  invigorating scenes.  I bet they build castle's in the sand!  When our managing broker David left our office, I wrote, "An Ode to A David ", originally to share with him.  When showing it to several other folks in the office, the deci­sion was made to present it to him from the group.  All the agents signed it and we gave it to him during a luncheon get together on his last day with us.  David was and shall always be a significant person in my life. 

 

 The second "An Ode  to A David" was not shared with the others.  I gave it to him privately.  Enough time has gone by since then that I feel confident there is no harm in sharing it now for the first time on the web site.  This version more "accurately" portrays the circumstances for David's leaving.

tedc oct.15,2005

 

"Hardy Hi Ho", was written for real estate clients. After years of renting, they found they had the means to purchase their own home.  What started out as any easy task ended with many twists and turns along the way, never-the-less, we fought through the obstacles, won the day and bought a home! I enjoyed writing this little verse for them.

 

The following pieces are spontaneous short compositions I posted on one or more of the internet bulletin boards. .  "Love and Marriage", "Sunshine", and, "A friend," are several quotes I came up with while posting at various times on the bulletin boards.  These were fun to do and perhaps including them provides an ease into the end of this part of the collection.

 

Well of course, since composing this original introductory in 1997-9, I have written several additional works which I will try now to recall the circumstances and place the descriptions in the following paragraphs.

 

For A Special Aunt 

 

The following introductory remarks for Reflections of A Friend", an"Reflections of A Friend Revisited", were written in October and February 2004.  The poem "Reflections of A Friend", is a very personal and special poem written about a friend by a friend. This man once had it all together, but in one fell swoop, it disappeared. He now struggles to put back the pieces and to chart new courses for a future life. He knows what was will never again be, both the good and the ugly are now in the past. The future is his to now acquire.

tedc February 23, 2004

 

The second composition, "Reflections of A Friend Revisited", is perhaps the more poignant of the two.  The words now tell of the crisis befalling a friend who once had it all together, but then lost it all when unresolved issues from the past over powered the present and sent him into a downward spiral he could not break.  Although unintended, both poems have been prophetic in detailing the aftermath of this downfall.  The “past reached out” in dramatic form “to touch the present” (from Reflections of a Friend), and thus, the ending was written in the beginning, the focus of this piece.  While I am deeply saddened buy the circumstances he now finds himself in, there is always hope for the future, and if in some small measure I am able to send that message to my friend and his family, then perhaps this composition will have served a purpose. 

tedc October 1, 2004

 

Specially for April, is one of those whimsical pieces that somehow just developed, whether good prose or not matters little! When Terry and his wife April stopped by my home here in Portland on their way south for the winter last year (2004), April gave me a beautiful quilt she had just finished.  It lays as an afghan on my couch, when chilled I snuggle into it to and I am reminded of the warm friendship that has developed between the three of us because of a chanced internet mail message. I  wrote this silly little piece a few days or so after they continued on their way to the sunny California weather.  This work also was the first one in which I attempted to create an animation.  April continues to make quilts and other handmade sown objects like sweaters and handbags, and perhaps others "objects-d-art" that I am unaware of! So  this "Specially for April" piece is a salute to her, a special Canadian friend.  Thanks again, April!

tedc oct.1 5, 2005