The Thing About a Leash

In the park was a man

With a stroller, as well

As a dog on a leash,

Which he tried to compel

 

To begin the trip home,

But the dog wouldn’t budge.

Having neither at hand,

I guess I shouldn’t judge.

 

First the man gave a tug

In a joking-type way

As the dog flopped down flat,

Showing he meant to stay.

 

Then he flipped on his back

With his paws in the air,

Which is when I moved on,

So though I’m unaware

 

Of the outcome, I’d bet

Not a minute more passed

‘Til the leash got a yank

And they went home at last.

Energy Levels

Your energy level’s

Related to age,

Though not everybody

Is on the same page.

 

Most babies and toddlers

Need hours of sleep

And after some playtime,

Fall down in a heap.

 

Yet others run circles

Around those routines

And when sent for a nap

Make the loudest of scenes.

 

Often as you grow up,

Those proclivities stay

And the sleep you require

Will keep holding sway.

 

However, when reaching

Those senior-type years,

Your energy lessens

Or plain disappears.

 

So, just like a baby,

Your pep seems to sap

And, although you may fight it,

You’re needing a nap.

 

The circle of life

Brings us back to the start

Where the young and the old

Aren’t too far apart.

The End of July

The end of July

Means the summer’s half gone, 

Though the season’s activities

Keep going on.

Yet with camps winding down,

School supplies on the shelves,

We must face what’s ahead -

No deceiving ourselves.

I, for one, will not miss

The hot weather and sweat

And, as autumn approaches,

I surely won’t fret.

I look forward to jackets 

And crisp chilly air,

Back to all those routines 

For which we must prepare.

Though I’m jumping the gun -

There’s still August ahead,

Which I fear will not match

How July’s somehow fled.

Closed!

A historical museum

Was the goal we’d set today.

It was open in the afternoon

And nineteen miles away.

Among its artifacts there is

A flag of which it’s said

There is blood from the assassination,

Straight from Lincoln’s head.

The building, called “The Columns”

Is as grand as you’d expect,

With a trove of local treasures 

It’s been set up to protect.

So we climbed the stairs and tried the doors 

But both were tightly locked.

No one answered when we rang the bell,

Our entrance truly blocked.

The website gave no reason

For the building to be closed.

The one in charge had better things

To do, we all supposed.

Instead, we had a lovely lunch;

The Water Wheel Cafe,

With its giant working water wheel,

Came through to save the day.

Rural Roads

Although I’m a city person,

There’s a place I get to stay 

In a lovely rural setting

When I want to get away.

And at times, we’ll head out somewhere

Where a highway doesn’t go,

So we’ll drive along for miles,

Seeing nothing that I know.

There’ll be lots of trees and pastures 

And occasionally farms,

All that emptiness of people

Setting off, in me, alarms.

Yes, the vistas all are pretty

And it’s natural and serene,

Yet I picture something going wrong

With no one on the scene.

I know urban driving’s awful -

Traffic makes your nerves explode,

But you never will get stranded,

Unlike on a rural road.

The Odyssey

It’s rated R, but still we took

Our grandson to the show.

He isn’t quite 13, but he 

Was hankering to go.

He’s up on his mythology

And smarter than a whip,

Plus his dad gave his approval,

Which allowed the scales to tip.

The movie was amazing 

And the violence I’d feared 

Wasn’t more than he could handle,

So my worries disappeared.

What a wonderful experience!

Not much can quite compare 

With a cinematic wonder

Which, with Henry, we can share.

Claws N Paws

There’s an animal park

A half-hour away

Where we went, for the first time,

With Henry today.

I was skeptical, but

It was worth what we paid,

For meandering paths

Lined with trees giving shade,

Led to animals you’d 

Not expect to be there.

There were lions and tigers

And more than one bear.

We saw tortoises, emus

And gators and skinks,

Ponies, monkeys, giraffes 

And chinchillas (no minks).

Varied tropical birds,

Porcupines, foxes, sheep,

Pumas, jaguars and vultures,

With many asleep.

Still, we strolled and enjoyed

Creatures far from each lair,

Likely wondering how

They had ended up there.