Aging Workforce

All around, the work place ages;
A familiar book with yellowed pages.
In the cubes and office spaces:
Knowing eyes in wrinkled faces.

Once flowing hair and handsome head
Is grey or glistens bald instead.
Hear the rasp of coughing; chronic.
Health-nuts leave too soon; ironic.

Strangers in community;
Shipmates in a torrent sea,
Drawn closer as they look ahead;
Careful planning, full of dread.

Youthful fishers, from the side,
Spread their hopeful nets out wide.
Patient; waiting there to see.
What will be their legacy?

Hyper

Hyper is our Gerbil boy,
He has a furry tail and face.
He never slows to say hello,
Its like he’s in some secret race.

He climbs around his wire cage
His wheel goes round and round.
Even in the dead of night
You’ll hear that wheel-round sound!

You’d think, to see the little guy,
That he’s a play-a-holic.
Just put him in a hamster ball
And he goes Hyper-ballic!

Re-affirmation

Things at work were going great;
Morale was really high.
Now ain’t it just like Management
To notice, then ask why?

"What’s wrong with this-here picture?"
"We’ve got to make them skirm!"
So they dusted off the work rules
And made us re-affirm!

"Cookie breaks; 10 minutes long,
And not one minute longer!
Make sure you report your accidents,
Don't wait until you're stronger!

"Copy machines are for copying,
And telephones for phoning,
But only for the company!"
All the while, the axe they’re honing!

And I always thought my work space
Was the area inside the fence!?
"We’ve got to quash this attitude;
This hoi polloi pretense!"

"Chain them to their bloody bench!"
"How dare they use the loo!"
And all this nonsense stems, I’m told,
From one, or just a few.

"It has come to our attention . . ."
Was the mantra mush that spewed.
Why can’t they just admit the fact
That somehow, they got screwed?

Wouldn’t it make more sense
To deal with the few involved,
Than kindle wrath in all the rest
And temper their resolve?

For me? Well, now I’ve vented;
My best intentions spurned.
I’ll just comply and plod along
‘Cause I’ve been re-affirmed!

Knowledge Transfer

The company pays for what I know;

What I’ve learned over years
That lets me solve the problems
That bites them in the rears!

But when I’m gone, those younger guys,
Those young pups there behind me,
Will have to learn it all anew
‘Cause they ain’t gonna find me!

Language Barrier

Dr. Esmailin de la Dientes;
My Hispanica dentist friend,
Each visit is like a fiesta,
Though he’s hard to comprehend.

His hands are big as a catcher’s glove;
Each finger like a thumb.
But he’ll pinch your cheek with those magic hands
And make your face go numb!?

There’s a TV in the ceiling
And his chairs are like a bed.
But the musica’s all mariachi,
And I can’t catch a word that is said!

I’m amused by Dr. Esmailin,
Mi amigo from the south.
He never asks me a question
'Til his hands are in my mouth!

Rackin' Frackin' . . . Frusser Musser

When it comes to fixing cars and such,
Trust me, I'm no good.
If it has to do with nuts and bolts,
I'm never in the mood.

I can change my oil if the moon is right
And if its not too hot.
But I wouldn't know a nimrod
If you tied one in a knot!

Today I had a thoughtful thought;
It should help me out forth hence.
I'll put the box of band-aids on
Before I turn the wrench!

September 2009

Singapore

My friends and I, (three more than me),
Formed a singing group for the harmony.
But what to call this handsome lot?
Some names are cool and some are not!

We tried "Four Bear-tones" and many more,
"Quadzilla", "Farmony" and "Four-on-the-Floor"
All held appeal but failed review;
We needed something smart and new!

"Quatro Sing Co." came to mind.
Is that the best that we could find?
Nothing we tried made any sense
So we took our quandary to the audience.

With one accord, from the hardwood floor . . . .
"Why don’t you call y’all Sing-a-poor?!!"

Peril Noctu

I stumble blindly in the night
Down a darkened hallway where
I’m drawn up short by a flash of pain;
Bitten by some monster there!

I’ve stubbed my toe, and something cries,
I slip, and I’ve pierced my heel.
The light reveals: a doll, a truck, legos ...
Is that a banana peel?

My sweetheart hears my curse of rage,
The baby in her arms,
As if her presence in the doorway there
Can shelter me from harm.

The floor is littered with children’s toys
My woes? I’ll not recite ‘em.
A rattle clamors to the floor,
Add Infant Item!

Chocolate

When I reach for that truffle, why do I wilt?
What fills that bliss with such heartburn and guilt?
I venture this finding, although some are not sold;
It isn’t the chocolate, it’s just that I’m old!

Chocolate’s not evil as some people say.
It is God-given succor when you’ve had a bad day!
No worry for young folks with years yet to live here,
But moderation is better for old folks I fear.

For the old can’t eat chocolate at night before sleep,
Only by morning, then just once a week!
They can smell it at bedtime, but never partake,
Lest their heartburn reflux and it keeps them awake!

Though a feast would fulfill, they must nibble and taste
Or that gold-foiled entree will end up on their waist!
Gone are the days of the trencherman glutton,
The elders are wise, but their buttons won’t button!

The virtues of chocolate outweigh any harm,
That is, if you’re young, so here’s the alarm:
Listen close to old wisdom and never forget,
"Eat well while you’re young child, or die with regrets!"

Stay the Course

You asked me once how a father behaves,
Claiming you had never been shown.
By this, I’m perplexed, for as fatherhood goes,
You rank with the finest I’ve known!

My grandchildren live in a home full of joy.
By example they’re taught and they’re led
To follow the Savior in all that they do,
And to read and to pray before bed.

Their mother; you treat like the queen that she is;
She’s revered as your helpmeet in life.
As her father, who loves her, I’m grateful to you,
For you know how to treat your good wife.

As you finish this chapter in life’s fickle book,
And depart from the learning of schools.
It appears to me that you’ve paid the good price.
You’re prepared, and you have all the tools.

But, if you’re seeking advice from this salty old dog
Before I and your family are parted,
I would simply say this (and I know that I’m right),
"Stay the course that you’ve charted!"


To a great son-in-law at his graduation from college. 2006