Sun Lakes Writers’ Group – June 2025

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.”