Be Wild
Sandy Ilsen
You’ve made your contribution,
And watched all your p’s and q’s.
To uphold the institution,
You worked hard and paid your dues.
You’ve lived your life unswerving,
Without a snag or a hitch.
Now you are most deserving,
To make a positive switch.
Relax your inhibitions,
Put practicality on hold.
Turn your back on traditions,
Dare to be brazen and bold.
Now is the time to be wild,
Riotous, reckless, and rash.
Let out your inner child,
And invite him to a bash.
The Mirror
Tom Marschel
There it hangs right on the wall
A lonely mirror that sees it all
So don’t be shy just take a look
At the pages from your life’s book
I’m lookin’ as deep as I can see
Is something lookin’ back at me?
There’s nothin’ there in that reflected place
Nothin’ but my own smilin’ face
So who’s the man lookin’ back at me?
He’s not young but he used to be
So don’t be weak just take a peek
It’s just a mirror for you to see
I leaned up for a closer look
And saw the things the decades took
The eyes still blue the beard now gray
But I’m still here for another day
What would I see if I took a chance?
I gave that mirror another glance
There’s a dad with work undone
So very proud of his three sons
There a soldier once young and brave
Though two he knew went to their grave
Felt real bad when he came home
For he had left them there alone
So there it hangs right on the wall
That lonely mirror has seen it all
I turned to leave but looked back to see
And there’s that mirror starin’ back at me
Puppies
Ellen Brittingham
Driving in Salem the last few years we lived there was not the smooth trip it had been when we first lived there. In those 30 years, a few bottleneck areas had developed. One was the ramp off eastbound Highway 22 onto Lancaster Blvd. There was always a long line for cars going left onto Lancaster or right going to the single inlet to The Home Depot. It wasn’t uncommon to wait through three light series to get to the top of the ramp. I needed to get somewhere on Lancaster, and I got in line at the bottom of the ramp. I looked up toward the top and saw a man holding a piece of cardboard with words on it. This was a good place for him to advertise his predicament on his homemade sign. There often had been such a sign carrier on this corner.
As I waited to finally get on my way, I thought about some people I had heard talking about how these guys did this for a job. He could make a good, tax-free income just by showing up for four or five hours a day. Hmm … that could be, but how would you know?
Suppose this guy had a family waiting for him to bring home some food. If they even had a home. I think if my family was cold or hungry I would go find a piece of cardboard and make a sign advertising my needs.
I started going for my purse. I had a bill ready for when the next green light lit up. I rolled down my window and held out my hand with the bill showing. He didn’t seem to see me. The traffic was moving, so I just wadded the bill to throw it at him as I called, “Here!” It was then I was able to read his sign. It said, “Free Puppies.”