Brian A. Bendall

Often, when it's late at night
And no one's 'round but me,
My mind will travel back in time
To my sister's memory.

So many scenes will fill my head.
It's hard to keep them sorted.
All our laughter, talks and games
Through life have been aborted.

But my mind keeps you alive,
Though memories all it shows.
Still, I need to talk to you,
My questions to propose.

Are you happy where you are?
Are Mom and Dad around?
Can you see the thoughts I have
Or words I've written down?

Are you warm in winter time
And cool in summer's sun?
Has the pain that sent you there
Been mercifully undone?

Do you and Mom and Dad play cards
Or talk throughout the night?
Do you still have the forest walks
You loved with pure delight?

Do you still have the laugh you had
When I'd say funny things?
So much of you I'll never know,
Unless I had some wings!

It's been so long since you've been gone,
And still, it's hard to cope.
I want to get to where you are.
Could you throw me a rope?

Is Jacob's Ladder still around,
Available to rent?
If you could send it down to me,
That would be heaven-sent!

A rocket ship or "beam me up,"
A sling shot or a jet!
All might help me get to you.
I would have no regret!

Oh, well...

I guess that I am stuck down here
Until I pass away.
I hope you're there to take my hand
When time is up that day.

Then we can talk and laugh again,
Play games without a care!
One more question, then I'll go.
Will you be there?

There're many women I have met
And loved throughout my years.
Some provided joy I'd get,
But most provided tears.

There were those in fancy clothes
Who'd show me their affections.
Less fancy dressers then arose
And showed me new directions.

But all would leave, I'm not sure why,
For other loves or interests.
So, with the last tears that I'd dry,
I vowed to end these contests.

No longer would I give my heart
To have it sliced in two!
Too many dreams were torn apart
By women that I knew!

I became an island to myself,
With interests born anew.
My hopes of love placed on a shelf
Where mold and mildew grew.

However,

The best laid plans of mice and men
Do often go astray.
I saw this truth one evening when
She came in sight one day.

She looked at me with lonely eyes,
I'm sure mine looked the same.
It took some time to realize
Attraction was to blame.

The vow I'd made to hide my heart
Began to fade from view.
My new love seemed so far apart
From the other ones I knew.

Today, my love is with me still,
So many years we've shared.
My love and trust have been fulfilled
And formed a love that's not compared.

For those out there, please don't despair;
Don't squander your affections.
Don't hide your need for love to share;
Don't dwell on your rejections.

Love is there, I'm proof of that,
No matter what your setback.
There's someone there who's where you're at,
Who'll show the joy you'll get back.

At night, when we both lie in bed,
She shows what my love's meant.
I stroke the hair upon her head;
She whispers sweet contentment.

What makes a moth fly to a light?
Is it need for what they see?
Or does it seem, their useless flight,
Is just curiosity?

I guess it's both that brought us close,
Our lives of different walks.
But now, to please my love the most,
I'll clean her litter box.

I've tried to write so many times,
But it's been hard to say in rhymes.
I'll try once more and hope you'll see
Just what your love has meant to me.

Thank you for your pain at birth
That brought me to my life on Earth.
Thanks for all the time you spent
For cuddles and your nourishment.

Thank you for the stories read
As I lay cozy in my bed.
Thanks for your enlightenment
To solve new mysteries life had sent.

Thank you for the cures and care
When sickness caught me unaware.
Thanks for tucking me in tight
And kisses on my head, "Good night."

Thanks for comfort when I cried
And tissues used for tears you dried.
Thanks for courage to go on,
To see from night, a day will dawn.

Thanks for freedom that you gave
To go outside, the world to brave.
Thank you for the friends I'd meet
That helped with friendships I'd repeat.

Thank you for your help with school
And teaching me the Golden Rule.
Thanks for praise when I prevailed
And understanding when I failed.

Thanks for parties that you gave
And birthday cards I tried to save.
Thanks for meals I loved so much
And baking skills that few could touch!

Thank you for your help to write
My stories you helped bring to light.
Thanks for helping talents surface
That made me see my life had purpose.

Thanks for tears when I left home,
So I could make it on my own.
Thanks for tears when I returned
For visits that you long had yearned.

But now...

Your life I loved has run its course,
For time will take us all by force.
Your love for me, not kept inside,
And no conditions were applied.

So, thanks for all things, small and large,
Your love saw fit to do ... no charge.

Most living things are around
Wherever living things are found.
On land or sea, that swim beneath,
Most of them have got their teeth.

Humans need their teeth for treats,
'Cause, you and I, we love our sweets.
We chew our candy, gum, and chips,
Our chocolate bars and licorice whips.

But other beasts have different treats,
Like veggies or assorted meats.
They eat these foods to stay alive.
They know these help them to survive.

Herbivores and carnivores;
The two main groups this tale explores.
Each group is different, there's no doubt.
Put them together? ... Oops! ... Look out!!

Herbivores all love their greens.
Their teeth are made for just that means.
They chew their grass, their hay and oats;
The horses, cows, and Billy goats.

Hamsters, rabbits, sheep, and moles,
Veggie munchies are their goals.
Giraffes and hippos, llamas, too,
Salads are their favorite chew.

But looking at the other side,
Carnivores want meat supplied.
They like their steak but extra rare.
No spice, no sauce, no savoir faire.

Lions, wolves, and crocodiles,
Hyenas with their laughs and smiles,
Foxes, sharks, tyrannosaurs
All are known as carnivores.

They watch the ones that eat their plants,
Bide their time and wait their chance.
They're not cruel or hunt for fun;
They just pursue ... 'til dinner's done.

All these beasts might be amazed
At what us humans like to graze.
We will eat all kinds of things,
From brussels sprouts to chicken wings.

A juicy steak or salad plate,
Buffets to us are super great!
Pork chops, pears, or carrot sticks
Is how some people get their fix.

Are human beings carnivores
Or misdirected herbivores?
The other beasts don't really care,
As long as they're not in our fare!

Those beasts have menus on their mind
That nature's restaurant has designed.
(And mouse or pig or alligator
Never have to tip the waiter.)

For all the stuff we humans eat,
The vegetables, meats, and sweets,
There's one thing that is clear to me.
We love our food variety.

As time goes by we'll choose the foods
That fit each other's different moods.
For now, at least, you need to grow
With good foods that your mother knows.

So, eat the foods mom makes for you:
The roasts, the fish, the chicken stew.
With all the great meals that you see,
Eat your peas and broccoli!