FRIDAY POETRY DAY: Mother's Day, Then And Now

In the early days of May

The house filled with sounds

Of not so quiet whispers

And joyful giggles

As Mother's Day surprises were planned.

When the big day arrived

They brought handmade cards 

And gifts made at home or school

Presented with smiles and declarations

Of "I love you, Mommy."

Years later, all grown up

With families of their own,

That day in May is nearly forgotten--

Remembered with a quick phone call,

A hastily chosen card, a few words on Facebook.

They don't seem to remember

That the greatest gift they have to give

Is just to give her themselves.

Story Fragment #23: Rick

I awoke with a jolt, looking immediately at my bedside clock. Four o'clock in the morning--really? Who plays music loud enough to wake the dead at that hour?

Slowly orienting myself, I realized the sound was coming through the walls, from the apartment next door. I had heard from other neighbors that Rick, the occupant of that apartment, was something of an eccentric character, but I had yet to get to know him. No time like the present, I supposed.

After throwing on some clothes and picking up my keys, I exited my apartment and knocked, loudly, on Rick's door several times. When he finally opened the door, he blinked several times as though perplexed by my presence.

I introduced myself as his relatively new neighbor, then got right to the heart of the problem. "Would you mind turning down your music? I have to be at work at 8 AM, and I was counting on at least two more hours of sleep."

Again he looked at me with confusion in his eyes. "What time is it, anyway?"

"It's 4 AM," I explained patiently.

"Really? When I get deeply involved in what I'm doing, I lose all track of time and can't even remember if it's day or night."

Character Sketch: Robert

Robert is one of the quirkiest people I know. He can hold entire conversations with himself, voicing both sides. He holds conversations with the family cat as well, as though the cat has responded or understands him. He will begin conversations with people mid-thought, expecting them to understand what should have come prior to his spoken words.

His appearance can also be unusual at times. His gray hair will often be standing on end, going in various directions, much like Christopher Lloyd's character, Doc Brown, in the Back To The Future movie series. When he is the privacy of his own home, his clothing is often mismatched, with some very "interesting" color combinations.

He knows a wealth of trivia facts, particularly about music and movies, and what he doesn't know he can usually find out easily.