My Cousin's Bird

I found out that my cousin
Had a soft spot in his heart
For a bird that he called Nikki
Who was extremely smart.

He kept him with him always
Close by, near at hand.
But the death was rather sudden
So his funeral was unplanned.

Well, he put him in a jar
And stored him in the trunk
Of his Honda Civic clunker
Along with some old junk.

'Twas really sometime later
That he moved that poor bird's nest
From his trunk to backyard soil
And put that bird to rest!

Yet I cannot help but wonder
What came first, the death or jar?
Did he take him on vacation
And forget him in his car?

...dave 12/18/2005

The Guy in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your father, or mother, or wife,
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the fella to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test,
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You can fool the whole world through the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache, and tears,
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

-anonymous

25th Anniversary by Eric Terry

A half and two decades
And who could predict?
I'm nearly where you were
When this story first began

Now they tell me I'm the both of you
(My pupils draw arcs in my head)
But the truth is
That's the finest compliment.

I hope I'm like Dad,
Standards set on high,
Demanding the most myself can manage,
But less of those around.

Or maybe I mirror Mom,
A hard worker,
Quick-minded, slow-tempered,
Firm, but able to laugh

My childhood was painless:
I never saw a fight
Where words were weapons
In the lingual lunges of so many duels
That never end well.

And scolded tears were forgotten,
Flushed skin returned.
Their lessons, though, I learned forever:
I hold them in heart and head.

So many good memories
Locked in my chest
Like warm sand
Cradled between the toes

Hearing waves breathe
Against the shore,
A violet sunset
Lighting our Sunday picnic

Or tilting our heads back
For the flare of Friday rockets,
Exploding colorfully
Above a bay of swaying masts and sails

We thought it would go on,
But life twisted suddenly,
Sending us into the bustle
To fend for a new existence.

Of course, they lamented our fall:
Our happily ever after, lost.
But of what value was such a finale
Without the chapters before?

So it became an adventure!
Battling circumstance,
Growing stronger, closer.
We couldn't lose.

And who could foresee us now,
Watching the bloom of greens and pinks,
Dusting yellowed windowsills
Of a Southern spring's playful confetti?

Roads tangled among trees and brooks,
Leaves parching in crimson with every autumn.
Something foreign is now home.
How far away we are!

Far, and yet close.
So, though houses come and go,
Our home is constant.

-Eric J.K. Terry
4 April 2005

Pringle's Jingles

There was a fellow named Pringle
Who thought he was carefree and single
He spent lots of time
Crafting poetry and rhyme
And web sites to mingle and jingle

(As a response to a friend's new www.poetrysoup.com web site.)

I watched them tear a building down

I watched them tear a building down;
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a mighty heave and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I said to the foremen, "Are these men as skilled
As the men you'd hire if you had to build?"
He gave a laugh and said, "No indeed!
Just a common laborer is all I need.
And I can wreck in a day of two
What it took the builder a year to do."

And I thought to myself as I went my way,
"Just which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with skill and care
Building others up by the rule and square,
Or am I a wrecker as I walk the town
Content with the labor of tearing down?"

- Unknown

In Which House Do You Live?

"I got two A's," the small boy cried,
His voice was filled with glee.
His father very bluntly asked,
"Why didn't you get three?"

"Mom, I've got the dishes done!"
The girl called from the door.
Here mother very calmly said,
"And did you sweep the floor?"

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away!"
His father asked him, with a shrug,
"Did you clean off the clay?"

The children in the house next door
Seem happy and content.
The same things happened over there,
But this is how it went:

"I got two A's," the small boy cried,
His voice was filled with glee.
His father proudly said, "That's great!
"I'm glad you live with me!"

"Mom, I've got the dishes done!"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother smiled and softly said,
"Each day I love you more."

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away!"
His father answered with much joy,
"You've made my happy day!"

Children deserve a little praise
For tasks they're asked to do.
If they're to lead a happy life,
So much depends on you.

- Unknown

My Buddy Came to Visit

My buddy came to visit
Whom I haven't seen in years
I was in expectation
Of talk and two large beers

I fetched him from the airport
Himself, his wife, and bags
And dashed him to my guest room
To rest and 'chew the rag'

He asked for internet access
And being the gracious host
I gave his notebook access
He then became a ghost

I lost him in his iBook
My visiting buddy Joe
He stayed for 48 hours
And then said “cheerio”

I'm glad he came to visit
And now, of course, he's gone
But it's great times spent together
That keeps our friendship strong

- Dave Terry

There once was a fellow...

There once was a fellow named Ted
Who tried to keep dates in his head
Like screws coming loose
It wasn't much use
So he totes them in here instead.

- Dave Terry
(Given to a friend along with a datebook.)