The horseshoe

Photo by Laura Stanley on Pexels.com

A young boy was playing in the yard

Digging for buried treasure

Thinking he had struck gold

Unearthing a rusty old horseshoe

He took it inside to cleaned it up

His father helped him oil it

He spent hours playing with it

Throwing it towards a stake in the ground

At night the horseshoe slept by his bed

He picked it up if he had a bad dream

Falling asleep while holding tight

His horseshoe never left his side

He carried it to school in his bag

Placing it on his desk in class

Holding it during his exams

Carrying it to his graduation

He took it on his first date

Introducing it to his girl

She could feel the energy of the horseshoe

As they both held it on their first kiss

The horseshoe came to their wedding

Decorated with white ribbons

Watching over them at the ceremony

They held it proudly for all the photographs

When he got the call from the hospital

He raced there with his horseshoe

Just in time to meet a new arrival

He held his baby son close to his horseshoe

He taught his son to play horseshoe games

Put the horseshoe by his bed when he was sick

Held the horseshoe when his son graduated

He fell ill in his senior years

The horseshoe stayed at his bedside

He held it when he passed away

People gathered at the graveside

Sad faces saying their last goodbyes

The casket was lowered into the hole

His wife was clutching the horseshoe

When she got home she told her son to bury it in his yard

Until his own son was old enough to dig for treasure

Birthday wish

it was his twelfth birthday

his parents threw a party

family and friends attended

there was food a plenty

he opened his presents

party games followed 

music and dancing

lots of laughter and fun

tit was time for the birthday cake

candles spelled out his age

everybody gathered around

as the candles were lit

the happy birthday song

was sung by all

he looked around the room

young smiling faces lit up by candle light

it was time to make his birthday wish

he closed his eyes tightly

I am tired of being a boy he thought

I wish I was a fully grown man

he blew out the candles

cheers rang out

he held his eyes closed longer

repeating his wish to himself

as he opened his eyes

the candles were still smoking

but the numbers had changed

it now said forty two

he looked around the room

all his young friends were gone

older faces he did not know

this was not a dream

he saw a boy across the room

who looked exactly like himself

the boy hugged him and said

happy birthday dad

The battle of Culloden Moor

As a boy I stood on Culloden Moor  

2000 kilted warriors perished there

My father by my side

A pilgrimage to his Scottish homeland

A rugged raw place

Scotland’s saddest day in 1746

I watched my father shed a tear

Not understanding why

Standing on the grave sites 

It made no sense to me then

Just a bunch of tombstones

My father gave me a history lesson

The last pitch battle on British soil

Scottish highlands fell to English rule

Wearing tartan was subsequently outlawed

Scottish culture was being crushed

Scotsmen remained proud

Their glorious highland landscape

Owned by distant Englishmen 

Never relinquished its stark beauty

Scotland was poor in the 1940’s

My father came south seeking work

Settling near Liverpool 

Shipbuilding supported jobs

Three children later

He remained a proud Scot

taking me to his birthplace

And to that lonely moor

My father has long since left us

I have explored Scotland with vigor 

Walking, fishing, whisky drinking

Inheriting my father’s yearning

I fell in love with the highlands

Proud to wear my clan kilt today

Now I understand why my father cried

Culture survives persecution

You should never go back expecting things to be exactly the same

A few years ago

I visited the town in England that I left 25 years ago

the place where I raised my children

I remember them playing in a vibrant neighborhood

curiosity led me to drive by the house I used to own 

it was a not how I remembered it

it used to be a thriving community

the once pristine senior citizens residence was boarded up

there were no young children playing in the street

a landscaped common area was neglected and overgrown

many of the homes were showing signs of neglect

there was an air of decay and despair 

curiosity led me to drive by the local pub

I had spent many happy times there

socializing with friends and celebrating events

it had changed a lot

graffiti adorned every boarded up window and the roof was crumbling

I learned that the business failed many years ago

the local factory that employed most of the town had long since closed

unemployment had taken its toll on the community

nothing was like I remembered

and I had no idea it would change so much when I left there

but I was looking back through rose tinted glasses

and my memories were distorted by the pain of a broken relationship

you should never go back expecting things to be exactly the same

things change with time and go through cycles of regrowth

I have since learned that the site of the old factory has been redeveloped for residential use

new housing has attracted young families

children once again play in the streets

the town lives on

You should never go back

A few years ago

I visited the town in England that I left 25 years ago

the place where I raised my children

I remember them playing in a vibrant neighborhood

curiosity led me to drive by the house I used to own 

it was a big mistake

it used to be a thriving community

the once pristine senior citizens residence was boarded up

there were no young children playing in the street

a landscaped common area was neglected and overgrown

many of the homes were showing signs of neglect

there was an air of decay and despair 

curiosity led me to drive by the local pub

I had spent many happy times there

socializing with friends and celebrating events

that was another big mistake

graffiti adorned every boarded up window and the roof was crumbling

I learned that the business failed many years ago

the local factory that employed most of the town had long since closed

unemployment had taken its toll on the community

nothing was like I remembered

and I had no idea it would change so much when I left there

better to keep the memories of times gone by

than to shatter them with images of the present

I felt fortunate to have escaped the decay

but sad to have witnessed the ravages of time during my absence

you should never go back

the leaf in a notebook

the leaf was deep orange in color

one of many in a magnificent display

signaling the end of summer

the leaf clung on as long as it could

drained of nutrients

no longer fed by the tree

its days of photosynthesis were over

a strong gust of wind rattled the tree

the leaf detached from the branch

no longer part of the tree

it was a free agent

gently floating in the breeze

falling softly to the forrest floor

joining the thick carpet of discarded leaves

awaiting the arrival of microbes and fungi 

decomposition was its lonely fate

a young girl walked through the forrest

she picked up the leaf and took it home

placed it between the pages of a note book

she wrote the date and place where it came from

the notebook was put away and forgotten about

many years later the little girl was a grown woman

she came across her notebook

with the preserved leaf

smiling at the note she had written

she went out in search of the tree

matching the leaf shape

she stood next to the tree

whispering thank you 

for the happy memories you gave me

the leaf went back into the notebook

a few years later she took her daughter to see the tree

she gave her the notebook and leaf

suggesting she visit the tree from time to time

to reflect on all the memories she had collected

many years passed and the tree stood proud

the leaves on the tree were all a bright golden color

a young girl walked through the forrest with her mother

opening the notebook next to the tree

the mother handed the notebook to her daughter

explaining that her great grandmother first found this leaf

the tree looked down and smiled

Changing reflections

He looked over the side of the boat

Catching his reflection on the surface of the lake

He saw the face of a young boy

He put his hand in the water to break the image

Many years later on the same lake

Hanging over the side catching his reflection

He saw the face of a fine young man

He put his hand in the water to break the image

Many years later on the same lake

Hanging over the side catching his reflection

He saw the faces of a father and his young son

He put his hand in the water to break the image

Many years later on the same lake

Hanging over the side catching his reflection

He saw the faces of a older man and his grandson

He put his hand in the water to break the image

Many years later on the same lake

Hanging over the side catching his reflection

He saw the face of an elderly man

He put his hand in the water to break the image

As his hand touched the water

Another hand reached up to grasp his

Pulling him into the lake

He sank into the murky depths

The boat went out over the lake

A man and his son threw flowers into the water

The young boy leaned over the side

I miss you grandpa he whispered

Many years later on the same lake

Hanging over the side to catch his reflection

The young man saw the face of his grandfather saying

I will always be with you

Cold beer memories

it was a hot summer

he had been working outside all day

but finally got home tired and weary

time to relax and unwind

he slowly opened the fridge door

fully stacked with cold beer

reached for his favorite

gazed at the label like a long lost friend

the ice cold bottle melted the sweat from his hand

he unscrewed the top like champ

that whooshing sound was music to his ears

wakening his anticipating taste buds

as he lifted the bottle to drink

he caught the sweet smell of the beer

his brain instantly recognized that aroma

old memories flashed across his mind

as the bottle met his lips

he thought of sweet kisses from his first love

the cold beer flooded his mouth

cooling his baked neck from within

he sank half the bottle in one go

slumping into a porch chair

catching a breath of the hot humid air

his closing eyes raised the theatre curtain in his mind

seeing again the birth of his first child

watching him playing outside

teaching him to ride a bike

taking him on fishing trips

more thoughts of his young son flooded his mind

he could hear his running footsteps approaching

the theatre curtain in his mind closed as he opened his eyes

the young boy beamed I missed you grandpa