Tuesday, April 01, 2008

THE BIG DANCE

THE BIG DANCE

Roger A. Davis

March Madness is one description
Brackets filled out like non-fiction
Yet, only a few will be true stories
Yes, this year, for one head coach and his boys

The dance is Basketball Ballet
At major cities where 64 teams will play
Spin and fly through the air
The ball and the player in pair

After Thursday through Sunday, it is a time of wean
Because those left are called the Sweet Sixteen
Winners of the next games, this is their fate
They are called the Elite Eight

By this time, there may be a Cinderella Team
An underdog living their dream
Yet, this is not usually the case
With one and two seeds setting a grueling pace

The Region Finals next for those with the highest score
Move on to the Alamo for the Final Four
Four number one seeds made it to the ballroom floor
UCLA, UNC, KU AND MEMPHIS, the teams that will arrive
Who is your pick to be the one to survive?

Dedicated to Scott Curry and the Davidson Team

MARCH 10th

MARCH 10th

Roger A. Davis

March 10, 2007
Anniversary date of when Peggy went to heaven
I’m happy for her in that glorious place
But I still struggle through each day I face

I don’t suppose my heart will mend
Until I’m reunited with Peggy, my best friend
Though I get much support from my family and son
Some days, life is not that fun

Overall, I have dealt with this tragedy
With His grace poured out for me
So, in this coming year I’ll be on call
For whatever in His loving will may fall

If you read these words, don’t be sad
Our journey here is just for a tad
Preparation of our character and heart
For when we, too, shall depart

FENCES

FENCES

Roger A. Davis

Barbwire with hedge post
That is what we have around here the most
Also electric fence strung about the winter wheat
Corrals the cattle, as not to stray, allowing them to eat

Chain link fences are used in many ways
I’m sure all of us remember it from school days
Brick, board and concrete
Are also used to be discreet

'Good fences make good neighbors' it has been said
Yet the Range wars left many dead
But, this day and age, it’s probably true
It keeps Joe’s dog off your lawn to poo-poo

In Western Kansas, I saw a feed lot with a utility post
Stacked to keep control of the buffalo host
Now, this might have been fence overkill
But I sure felt safe watching them eat their fill

In Australia, they have kangaroo fence prevention
Miles and miles of it keep them in detention
So, fences are used to keep us in or out
Necessary, you would say, no doubt

INPATIENT OR OUT

INPATIENT OR OUT

Roger A. Davis

At admission desk, wait your turn
Doesn’t matter if you have a third degree burn
Unless you come to the ambulance bay
Then, room 1 thru 4 is where you stay

Nurse gets a history and places a band on your hand
Most times, they ask you to undress; this causes me much distress
Because of my size, I need two gowns - one for each arm
Or any hallway movement sets off the bare buttocks alarm

They hook you to an automatic blood pressure machine
Then these words are spoken, "You will soon be seen"
As you wait, the cuff kicks in really tight
It’s so painful; I wish I had a tongue suppressor or bullet to bite

Is it a test to weed out hypochondriacs, I begin to believe?
Then it stops and I’m so relieved
If a nurse was here after the seventh time
I would falsely confess to the crime

But, since I haven't seen a soul dressed in white or green
I shout out, demanding to be seen
I’ve always been an impatient patient due to medical costs
When the curtain opens, I ask, "Did the doctor get lost?"

"No, but he has ordered blood to be drawn"
I came in at 2:45 AM; get the vampires, it’s almost dawn
Five pokes by three techs is my record sample
My lucky day - one needle was ample

To make a long story shorter at the E.R.
When the doctor showed up, I felt like asking him if he made par
Five minutes, not a second more or less
Diagnosis: Infected leg abscess

Antibiotics prescribed for a three week duration
Another big chunk of change for his next vacation
Now don't get me wrong, healing arts are needed
But "soon" and "just a minute" should be banned from their vocabulary, unless heeded

DISHWASHER

DISHWASHER

Roger A. Davis

I suppose most of you have an automatic one
But I have to do mine by hand to get them done
Hot water and suds in the sink very hot
Then soak forks, knives, spoons and a grungy pot

While the soap does its thing
Run hot water to rinse in second sink
That’s after scouring any dirty ring
Being careful not to fill and brink

The school has a third sink and I use it as a drain
Wash, rinse, drain; sentenced there to remain
Until they’re dry or longer if using paper plates
Because doing dishes is kind of one of my hates

So, after silverware is done and in their rack
Next comes plates in the soapy water I stack
Then bowls and drinking cups
Water filthy, process interrupts

Start over for skillets, pots and pans
By this time, I have dishwater hands
Yet, there is a certain satisfaction
Seeing the kitchenware fill my drain to a 97% and ¾ fraction

BANKS

BANKS

Roger A. Davis

A piggy filled with pennies, nickels and dimes
Now, that was feeling rich in our younger times
Saving bonds later was a fad
A few in the safety deposit box made us glad

I cashed mine in to buy Peggy's wedding ring
Peggy used hers to pay on Josh's tuitioning
Savings were converted to CDs
On maturity, we would purchase big necessities

Now, these transactions involved our banks
Those friendly places where they always say, “Thanks”
Unless you’re at an all night ATM machine
Getting those twenties, ain't it keen?

Over the years, we had loans to pay
That was long ago, I'm happy to say
Now days, many bank by their pc
But that’s just too impersonal for me

I use the drive-up window for deposits and withdrawals
Because I'm a "Thank you, ma'am" and "Howdy, you all"
One of the few places where they know you by name
And seem genuinely glad you came

TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD DO

TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD DO

Roger A. Davis

Stay home if you have the flu
Thirty times each bite you should chew
When given a compliment, say, ‘thank you’
Dim your lights within 500 feet
Don't talk when you eat
Wash your hands before leaving the restroom
If you’re married, be always a faithful groom
Use your turn signals when switching lanes
Be a good listener when others share their joys and pains
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Then this list of ten things should grow to quite a few