Have A Good One
By larry r Linville

There is a phrase I hate to hear
It seems to stick hard in my ear
After all the business is done
They seem to shout, “have a good one!”

“Have a good one”, I hear them say
“a good what?” I ask – they say “good day.”
Say what you mean and mean what you say
It’s not a “good one” it’s a “good day.”

A “good one” is so inconclusive
And furthermore is so allusive
Why don’t they just say what they mean
And don’t use words which are in between?

If “have a good day” is meant
They should show their real intent
But if they mean have a good cry
They can let their comments pass me by.

“Thank you” used to be good enough
But someone added this other stuff
So, my friend, I bid you adieu
When my business with you is through.

Looking Back At Ministry
Larry r Linville

I look back on my ministry
and think how it could have been better
If I’d known then what I know now
even though I was a go-getter.

I know I gave it all I had
and tried to improve every day.
Each experience helped me grow
and follow God along the way.

New methods have been introduced
and computers have been employed.
We have upbeat music to sing
with the hymns we’ve always enjoyed.

Many old experiences
with fresh approaches from today
provide me with new excitement
converting my work into play.

They say a preacher never retires
and I’ve discovered that is true
even when I don’t serve a church
there is always so much to do.

I must get back to Sunday’s sermon
and make preparations at my best
so I can give inspiration
to the members and any guest.

A Child’s Musings About Flies.
By larry r Linville

Why do flies come in many sizes
Some with big feet and long thighses.
Some have small bodies and tiny eyeses
Each fly is full of big surprises.

Do little flies always stay small
Or after a while do they grow tall?
Are the big flies so much wiser
Or do they spend much time on ‘fertilizer”?

No matter their size, flies are a pest
Certainly not a welcome house guest
Not what we’d want as an insider
Although that would please every spider.

One fly woke up and away he flew
But was replaced by another fly or two.
I slapped at them and they were soon gone
So when I counted I found there were none.

When it’s winter where do they go?
Do they leave to avoid all the snow?
Or do they fly south like they were a bird?
I don’t think so – that’s so absurd.

Long Time – No Poems
By larry r Linville

A good friend complained the other day
I’d done no poems for a while.
“He’s correct”, I said to myself
but how long it’s been I cannot tell.

Was I lacking the discipline
that would make me do the hard work
as I settled back in laziness
trying all my writing to shirk?

I became busy at Easter time
and was tired when it was ended.
So I seemed to take a mental rest
as my poetry was suspended.

During the time things went unnoticed
which would earlier have caught my eye
so I will try to pay attention
and not let those things pass me by.

I'll try again to post a poem and see if it ends up in prose form.

Enduring a Bad Sermon
By larry r linville

What do you do when you’re setting there
as the preacher speaks and you must be fair?
His subject you are ready to hear
but to that topic he isn’t near.

It’s like eating only the pizza crust
and the center leave like it was rust.
When he begins to come near the point
he slips like a bone in a sprained joint.

You feel like you have been on the road
which bypassed the town and never slowed.
The topic he chose sounded real good
but it’s been so long I’ve lost the mood

My calendar I begin to check
I’ve wasted my time but what the heck
I haven’t even made a peep
and I couldn’t even go to sleep.

It makes me wonder what others think
when I preach a sermon that might stink
But I don’t think it could have this smell
Even if it was as bad as hell.

This blog is really messing up. I can't figure it out. I'll keep trying.

Communion Shirt by Larry R Linville I'm looking for a purple shirt. The pattern can be plain. I'll wear it to communion and it won't show a stain. I dip that bread into the cup but when I raise it to my lip a purple drop lands on the chest of my light shirt which isn't hip. Perhaps I should just wear a bib which other people would think strange or have another shirt we me and go to the bathroom and change. What would you do my dear fine friend if this kept happening to you? Maybe I'll try your suggestion or a polka dot shirt will do.