Where's Jim?
Seated at V & M,
.... regulars everywhere,
.... I wait.
Did Jim remember?
We really hadn’t confirmed.
A line of youngsters
.... pass by,
.... all with ties
.... and freshly starched shirts.
One lone, smartly dressed female
.... is among the testosterone.
All eyes follow the youthful procession.
What is this
.... at laid-back V & M?
Where’s Jim?
So much of life
.... is about waiting,
.... whether patient or impatient.
Still no Jim
Wait! Is that him?
Comments: A rather lighthearted poem about my friend Jim with whom I have breakfast weekly. He didn't show due to a mix up in dates. I found out later that the young people in dress attire were on their way to a funeral for one of their friends. The poem also speaks about how much of life involves waiting.
Synthesize
I am seated in the familiarity of V & M
.... with its normal morning crowd.
The chatter and banter
.... common to my ears.
Ann, seeing my arrival,
.... brings my teapot of piping hot water.
Though Europe is thousands
.... of miles away,
.... the memories remain
.... ever present.
Much also can be said
.... for returning home,
.... the sameness,
.... the comfort–the common.
Yet, much can be said
.... for the ambiance of Europe–
.... its cafes with tables that bear no timecard;
.... where rich, dark coffee flows
.... and memorable Danish
.... are served with real whipped cream.
A place whose history dwarfs
.... our young country’s.
.... where strange words
.... roll effortlessly off foreign tongues.
Much can be said
.... for the uncommon
.... the differences
.... new situations that stretch the personage.
The familiar and the unfamiliar
.... serve as the catalyst
.... that synthesize who we become;
.... each complements the other.
Comments: Every time I travel to foreign lands I realize that despite the differences in cultures we are one human family who had better learn to live together on this planet or we will cease to live.
