PAD 14 Ekphrastic

Hanging Out

You know when couples

just hang out,

talking about a little bit of everything?

When we first met,

we didn’t do that much.

Instead, I was seeking God

and you were ready to preach.

A year into our relationship,

we actually had a normal conversation

about pickles. When I met you

I thought I had met another apostle Paul.

But I learned you’re just like the rest of us,

or maybe a bit crazier.

Now, we can talk about everything

from the Second Coming to cottage cheese.

And just hang out.

PAD Day 13 Memories

Some of the Faces

We’ve had a strange life together.

Many moves. Many faces. Two kids.

When our daughter was born in Craig, Co

three days after Christmas,

the 16 below dropped to 40 the next few weeks.

Some nights we had to keep her in bed with us.

One time when she had jaundice,

you laid her on your tummy in the sunshine,

you in your long johns and her in her diaper.

I called you captain underwear and super kid.

I had never seen your eyes so full

of love, pride, and tenderness.

When our son was born in Cortez, CO

three days after Easter,

we lived on sixteen acres and your mom

visited, telling me to quit being selfish

for keeping the baby to myself.

He was eight days past due.

Because there were so many Nathans,

when the doctor said he just named his baby Nathan,

I decided Nathaniel would be his middle name.

I told you not to leave until the baby had a name.

We made it to the Es and named him Eli.

Later, his sister came running into the hospital room,

“Mommy, Mommy I rode the alligator!”

Then there was the day we got Lacy

Twisted, blind, mute. There was nothing

like the feeling of holding her.

I remember seeing you in church holding her

and I knew you felt it, too.

You were heroic when it came

to the problems we encountered with her.

Then there was Dennis who everyone

fell in love with. Playing peekaboo at bedtime.

We laughed when he called you Buzzard

and everyone else knothead or bonehead.

We didn’t realize he had cancer.

He died only after having him six months.

And then came Vanassa

whose smile lights up a cave

She’s got you wrapped around her finger.

And every time you brush her teeth,

I hear her delightful belly laugh.

And Justin, our forty-one year old toddler.

How he loves when you hug him

and tease him, and act like a clown.

Yes, we have had many memories,

over the past 38 years since we met.

Good ones and bad ones,

but the ones I remember most

are the way you treat people,

especially the “least of these.”

And I savor your strong shoulders and hugs.

PAD 12 After

After Your Sanity Returned

I thought we had it made,

but I didn’t know how skittish

sanity can be.

When you went off

and let that other person replace you,

I felt widowed--over and over again--

until I realized that you’d come back

if I’d just wait it out and treat the stranger

like an annoying relative

who’d come for a short stay.

Eventually the visitor understood

he was wearing out his welcome

and you returned for good. 

PAD 11 animal

Subjects of Discussion

You put up with our animals

through the years, cats;

Whitey, Mouser, Casper,

Rip, Fred, Frisky, Ginger,

Geordi, Data, among others,

Ditto the parrot, Nanny the goat,

Amber the half Saint Bernard.

You tolerated Snickers,

our Calico cat, for sixteen years

even though she claimed me

as her own and would hiss

when you tried to kiss me.

No more pets, the kids are grown,

but we have our dynamic duo

who need our care.

Someday, after all of these years,

when it’s just us two again,

will we have enough to talk about

without cats, kids and clients?

Let’s not forget Ecclesiastes 4:12,

a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 

PAD 10 technology

Technology

You used to be up on technology.

We were the first in our church

to have an answering machine.

People use to call us just

to hear it and leave a message.

Some of those sounded strange.

You were quick to computerize

and to get online. You’re still

my go-to guy when I need a techie.

But you drew the line at cell phones.

You dug your heels in and won’t budge.

No cell phones. So I have a little flip one

in case of emergencies while I travel.

Sometimes I wish we’d join

the twenty-first century,

but I guess we’re not Smart enough.

PAD 9 Mistakes

We’ve Made Mistakes

We’ve made mistakes throughout the years

We’d hash them out in angry tones

Exacerbate them with our fears

We’ve made mistakes

The consequence the heart bemoans

The Lord remakes our prayers and tears

And turns mistakes to stepping stones

He listens with attentive ears

And resurrects the dead man’s bones

The hope we have, God engineers

Through our mistakes

PAD 8 Submerged

Up for Air

“I’ve never been depressed,”

you said that first summer.

I thought that a marvelous thing.

I had struggled with the blues

most of my high school years.

Some time into our marriage,

came winds, rains, and waves.

You submerged into the depths.

They say don’t let a drowning man

grab you, that’s true.

We both dwelt beneath the surface

praying someone would see air bubbles.

They did, but no one

could teach us to swim.

We developed gills,

until we could tread water.

Now, after all this time,

we occasionally doggy paddle,

but more often than not

we get along

swimmingly.