EMAIL

EMAIL

Roger A. Davis
raddad715@hotmail.com

This is my email address
I feel our blog site is a success
I've chosen this day to confide
Deciding to no longer hide

Need to see if you are being reached
A reply I do beseech
Something about esteem
Pat on the back, it would seem

I want to know I write not in vain
Are you sharing my joy and pain?
Self-centered is this appeal
Any reply would fill the bill

A good, bad or an ugly critique
This is what I seek
I have said I do it for God's glory
But I want to hear your story

So get on your pc
And communicate with me
I will reply in a rhyme
In due time

If you send a thumbnail sketched biography
This will bring much glee
And I will write a poem just for thee
Of course, no fee

Please, if not this, just a word or two
I really want hear from you
If no reply, I'll honor that with a sigh
To those who do, no forwarding; I would rather die

KANSAS UNDERGROUND SALT MUSEUM

KANSAS UNDERGROUND SALT MUSEUM

Roger A. Davis

“One of the 8 Wonders of Kansas” printed on your ticket, it’s been dubbed
There, for many years, salt miners’ shoulders rubbed
Pick and shovel and a wooden cart
This was the method of extraction at the start

As the years went by, Carey improved their ways
Hi-loaders and conveyors are in use now days
Dynamite before, now ANFO does the blast
An amazing story of progression from the past

Trams take you on this one-of-a-kind view
With very knowledgeable guides, too
70 miles of mined corridors, amazing ceilings and floors
An exhibit gallery and so much more

Saw the vector monitor from the movie 'Twister'
I wonder what the favorite exhibit was of each visitor
Dr. Vreeland’s lab display was really cool
Also the 'Men in Black' mind eraser tool

40% humidity and 68 degrees
And none of that Kansas southwind breeze
It makes for preservation better than a deep freeze
It keeps the movie and TV industries at ease

Artifacts and movies storage bring a big source of revenue
I met Kelly from Retrieval Records, too
Recently, the old Norelco Shaver commercial sent for an update
The one that sleds the snow; I'm looking forward to its new fate

The streets of Chicago are the biggest users of salt from the Carey Mine
Yet, for Kansas, I think this museum is a brilliant gold mine find
Yes, I would recommend it to those close and far away
A great experience worth more than twice of what you pay

I met staff and visitors and never a negative comment
Even after that tremendous elevator descent
They went the extra mile for this wheelchair patron
Please include a visit in your plans for a field trip or vacation

FROM THE LAND OF COTTON

FROM THE LAND OF COTTON

Roger A. Davis

There once was a box of Q-Tips that belonged to an aged Southern gent
A few of the hygiene tools dug out his ear wax and into the trash away they went
The Q-Tip family had hoped for a less mundane fate
Then the old man died and his 16 year old granddaughter, Kate, inherited his estate
She and her family moved in the next day
Which just happened to be her birthday
A cake was baked but no candles were found
And it was too late and too far to go to town
In the box, 16 Q-Tips lay in a row
And those mundane objects became stars of the show
Ends clipped and dipped in coal oil, the candles underwent transformation
Lit, they topped the cake for Kate’s birthday celebration
Old time days from the Land of Cotton
Look away, look away, and don’t let this story be forgotten

PIPER'S FINE FOODS

PIPER'S FINE FOODS

Roger A. Davis

Charles and Flora begin this grocery rhyme
Three sons followed in time
Steve is now the boss, I think
But if I said that to Mary, I bet she would wink

Their two children have worked in the store
Plus a staff over the years of many more
Gayla is my favorite employee
I’m old friends with her and husband, Denny

Piper’s is a Marquette main stay
They also operate The Valley Cafe
If these businesses weren’t there
Our town would be in an economic nightmare

Steve is known for his delicacy treats
Which include sausage and fine cuts of meats
They supply Swedish food items, too
And they’ll also do special ordering for you

Store-made soup and pizza at a good price
No extra cost for multi-toppings; isn’t that nice
Wednesday boxed fried chicken in the afternoon
But, if you didn’t reserve, you’d better get there soon

For a small store, they have most everything
I call in my order and to the car they bring
Words cannot express my gratitude to Steve and the staff
Especially Gayla, with her smile and laugh

Closing this with an overdue apology
For the years of being an out-of-town spender of our money
Yet, you were gracious when I started to buy
You’ve gone the extra mile; it’s truly made me cry

MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

Roger A. Davis

This is not one of those secret clubs
The world goes around us; we’re the hubs
The focal point is the center of activity
This is true for my friend Chez and me

Trying to think of a name for our organization
Like minds may join across the nation
Egos that are mutually pampered and praised
Esteems that are already exceedingly raised

We have nemeses out there, it is said
Fighting us from getting a big head
In my circle of culprits are my editor and my brother
But not my loving mother

Name I suggested: COOTS WHO TOOT
With negative connotations, this one was rejected
TOOT OUR OWN HORNS
This one may be selected

Patting each other on the back
Abundance of this, never in lack
It is just enjoying each other’s company
To tell stories and bragging constantly

For some of us, it goes against our upbring
In families, there is usually one guilty sibling
But if there are two
Do not be at odds; join us, too

MENSA is a society of the high IQ
Our club wouldn’t be right for you
We are not about being smart and bright
It is reciprocal relations, so don’t get uptight

Another society name I suggest
PEOPLE WHO TELL EACH OTHER THEY ARE THE BEST
A long name, I know, but what the heck
Because we are not missing any cards from our deck

This is a poem of sarcasm, teasing and humor
Yet, my acquaintances would say it is more truth than rumor
I’m a ham on the stage of life
Pretty well a loose cannon since the loss of my wife

Join our society and suggest a name

SAVED FOR A REASON

SAVED FOR A REASON

Roger A. Davis

We all have seen the signs ‘Jesus Saves’
Been there, done that in waves
Not once, many times
We aren’t just talking at death in these rhymes

Had pneumonia in my first year
Death was a fear
Childhood diseases, too
But no bubonic flu

Totaled five cars before 22
Alcohol was the cause
Then a 30 year pause
Had turned to Jesus for birth anew

Once lost two back tires on a truck heading up I-35
Snow and ice, scares galore, yet all I did survive
Motorcycle spills, more than you can count on one hand
I still didn’t join the heavenly band

Through all my falls and spills
I never broke a bone
Guardian angels: I must not travel alone
A satanic attack in 1976 gave me 1 ½ years of chills

By getting into God’s Holy Book
He freed me from Satan’s hook
I witnessed His loving care at many a place
Of His mercy, compassion and grace

The workplace has held much death-defying traps
For ten years, I drank toxic waste water out of the taps
They were tested and the wells were never used again
No long term harm, nothing; I must have a friend

Tales like undiagnosed mental illness for so long
But my past readers know this sad song
Then there is my life threatening weight
Over 575 lbs is the going rate

Why do I share all this misfortune and shame?
We all are saved for a reason
Yes, we reap what we sow, this is not lame
But I think I was allowed to live for ‘Teason’

We’re talking ‘Teasoning’
Definitions:
1. To make fun of playfully
2. To annoy or pester
3. To urge persistently

There are definitions more derogatory
And, yes, I’ve done most of them, too
But I like to think these three are what I’m saved to do
And I hope I’ve been a fisher of men to you

Casting words of His creation as heavenly bait
Teasing you to recognize Him in all your fate
To go completely for Him - hook, line and sinker
Oh yes, forgive me for being such an annoying stinker

WIDOWER'S HOUSEWORK

WIDOWER'S HOUSEWORK

Roger A. Davis

If you hardly ever have a guest
You can just let dust and debris rest
There is no chance to pass the White Glove Test

Paper plates and plastic cups are used every day
Cleaning them is just to toss away
Fast food, napkins, spoons and forks, a cost-saving way

If silverware is used to eat
I usually wait to wash until it’s a paramount feat
Leaving me with dishwasher hands and physically beat

I have two vacuum cleaners that remain still
Picking up with my reacher is what ends up at the landfill
Occasionally, a broom and dustpan fill the bill

I wash my clothes and body the most
Not wanting to offend those who are my host
But if I’m homebound, I can’t boast

I've saved cooking for the last chore
Preparing food for one, I bet most eat more
Or for some, the opposite; dining alone can be a bore

So we eat watching TV
Pounds gained becomes easy
No exercise because we get sleepy
Isn’t it alarming how bad habits form deeply?