Musings of a Rhymer

  I know a young truck driver  Makes his living on long haul loads Like a nineteenth-century cowboy  He lives out on the road   His truck is his workplace His apartment is the same In a different place every night Where no one knows his name   His life is so entwined with work It’s a lifestyle, not a job Work and leisure time Are as close as corn and cob   And free time, when he gets it Comes with truck attached  Can’t park that truck just anywhere  So, many opportunities get scratched    He needs some personal time And weekends off now and then Spending all his time in a truck Like being cooped up in a pen   He is dealing with the life Because the money is pretty good But he knows that this lifestyle  Wouldn’t even sell in Hollywood   It’s time to change his profession But trucking is in his blood May he find another job Cross your fingers, knock on wood

Have this app on my phone Records time and distance when I walk Helps me track my progress While leaving me to my thoughts   I’ve been using this app about 10 years On the treadmill, on the ground Has a world of features I don’t use Some of them, I’ve just found   Turns out that I have walked Over a thousand miles per year Not any sort of record But I gave a silent cheer   I went to my wife’s home office  With a fair amount of pride Expecting congrats on my accomplishment  Knew it wasn't something she’d deride   I was shocked by her reaction To my proud, unnecessary fact She said “You are so self-absorbed!” I wanted to take my statement back   She lectured me to stop wasting time And start bettering my life Hidden message being  I should be more like my wife   I silently resolved to do better And think of how things look Use my time more wisely Upgrade my type of book   She subtly dismissed me  With a slight turn of her chair Over h...

I ’m amazed as I get older How time speeds by and slips away  Seems like my weekly trash pickup  Occurs every other day    Paying monthly bills Feels like a weekly chore My six-month dental appointment Seems like I was there the month before   Annual service on my car Is like three months have just gone by Birthdays of family members  Underscore how the time does fly   My thirteen-year-old grandson Yesterday was only two  Three granddaughters off to college Tomorrow they’ll be through   Our kids will be grandparents soon How did that come to be? Is that old codger in the mirror Really, truly me?   The old saying about time flying When you are having fun Ignores its speed at other times Because — always — time does run   Time’s passage seems much slower  When we’re young and cannot wait For a milestone-type event  Coming on some future date    Don’t know exactly when it starts  But somewhere along life’s way...