I don't know why my previous entry didn't take poetic form. I've tried to revise it several times. Perhaps in a day or so I can edit it and it will take proper form.

A poem about a special friend

Reunion for First Grade Friends By larry r Linville We started first grade together at a small one room country school. Both at such a tender young age today you’d say each was a fool. In December a bright star shone in the skies each night after dark which the teacher said was the star that over the manger did park. I became very excited but was shocked Joe didn’t believe. I gave a Bible comic book to Donnie Joe for Christmas Eve. A year later my family moved and we each went separate ways. He spent his life as a truck driver and as a preacher I gave God praise. I often wondered if he believed but I figured I’d never know. I didn’t know he met a girl and at her church his faith would grow. I received a message from Joe inviting me to visit him at his room in the hospital where his illness was very grim. We talked about so many things and he gave a special look as he said words that touched my heart telling me he still had that book. I went back to his room today as the old men we were teary eyed. While I spoke words holding water and Donald Joseph was baptized. Sixty three years ago these boys would never have guessed this day could bring such a blessing to both leaving them without words to say. He could have done this years ago but it wouldn’t have been the same for some other humble preacher to speak his special Christian name.

The Lawn Wakes Up
By larry r Linville

The yellow yard woke up today
and tried to decide what to say.
It shouted to the sleepy grass
that winter was about to pass.

Dandelions would seek a head start
along with weeds that we call smart.
Crab grass needed no second call
like other weeds next to the wall.

With a little shower and sun
the sap in trees started to run.
The grass’s envy could be seen
as it began to turn bright green.

The lawn began to feel very good
as the spreader applied plant food
and just like in a barber’s chair
the mower trimmed everything there.

It was just a few weeks ago
that the yard was covered with snow.
Now until the summer is spent
we will enjoy its fragrant scent.

The All Too Real Dream
By larry r Linville.

It must have been a dream
I guess I’ll never know.
It began to appear
Like melting of the snow.
There stood a tall schoolhouse
A splendor in its day.
The children studied hard
Then went outside to play.
They were very happy
And they looked very smart
The great joy of learning
Encompassed every heart.

Then the scene seemed to change
Right in front of me
People in black suits
Wearing a white DC
Began to make changes
Each causing more doom
Throwing out good teachers
And crowing every room
With kids who had no books
Or other equipment
For scientific looks.

They threw out paint brushes
And horns and music stands.
Football games at halftimes
Devoid of marching bands.
So with all their savings
They remodeled mansions
Down at the country club
Where the wealthy prances.
And they built a tall wall
So nobody could see
The product they turned out
Defined as poverty.

And they go to their churches
And proudly ask their god
To take care of the kids
Who act so very odd.
This must have been a dream
Although it seemed so real.
This just couldn’t happen
No matter how we feel.
Not a dream – a nightmare
Recurring every day
Which we watch in horror
Not knowing what to say.

The Farming Gamble
By larry r Linville

My father taught me not to gamble.
He tried to make it very plain.
But he planted seeds in the spring
and gambled that it would rain.

He worked from dawn til after dark
and never traveled very slow
doing all within his power
to help all on the farm to grow.

Gambling’s getting something for nothing
but that’s not a farmer’s lot.
He works on the coldest winter day
and is there when its very hot.

To milk a cow in a barn that is cold
two hours before the sun rises
is a difficult way to begin
a day of hard work and surprises.

When he tries to sell what he’s raised
he has to take what he’s given
and settle for the best he can get
adjusting his method of livin’.

Something for nothing? – I think not
but there’s something down deep inside
that keeps him out there working
filled with a priceless pride.

New House – Old Barn
By larry r linville

When in a car riding down the road
as a young boy with my dad
he pointed out many things to me
which were both good and bad.

It was his way of transferring
his values on to me.
He knew the words were much better
if there were objects I could see.

At a farm with a modern house
and barn that had seen better days
he said they had it all backwards
because a new house never pays.

When one builds a barn and property
they will bring income to the place
then there will be enough money
that a new house one could embrace.

Infrastructure is our country’s barn
and education grows the crops
which build a solid foundation
and prosperity that never stops.

We need to get priorities straight
like those farmers in days of yore
and put the horse ahead of the cart
and find what bring joys galore.