Betty Boop!

She made everyone laugh,
She had style, she had class
After her last birthday of ninety-six
She declined rather quick
I'll never forget the night
She asked me if I'd miss her
I responded, "I'll never, ever, forget you!"
Didn't she know she'd forever be
Our Betty Boop!


I never did give her a proper goodbye
So I've been hanging on to her words that night
Several months had passed 
When she came to me in my dream
She cracked a big smile
As her eyes shined a usual gleam
She never did know my name
Though her eyes lit up just the same
She stood up, walked over to me
And squeezed my cheeks
She gave me a big kiss and said I've been missed
I no longer hang on to her words that night
For I know now her soul still shines bright
One day, we will meet again,
Betty Boop, my eternal friend!

Fearless in the Face of Death

I entered her room 
With a swallow and a tear
After hearing the news;
The end of her life is near
The last few moments
To spend with my friend
Wanting to tell her 
She's been heaven sent
She taught me to laugh
At the little things in life
She brought me a smile
On my darkest nights
She was diagnosed legally blind
Before I knew her
Each day I'd enter her room
She guessed who I was
When she guessed my name right,
She won
When she guessed my name wrong,
I won
I'll especially not forget
Our "Who's that girl" game
For when she heard me laugh
She always knew my name

I expected a sad meeting that day
Though when I woke her,
She was just the same
She giggled and said, 
"Am I here yet another day?" 
She went on to say
"Oh well, I guess I have no 
jurisdiction on the matter!"
Then she chuckled
As I broke into laughter

She's a funny gale, this one
She left me thinking of all our fun
I have no doubt she was heaven sent
As she taught me to laugh 
In the face of death!

The Old Reverend

The old Reverend
Was down in the dumps today
He wanted to take his life away
I asked him why he felt so blue
Not only was he tired and worn,
He had heard bad news
His money was gone except
For his social security and pension
Like anyone, this stage of his life
Has come with most apprehension
So I took a moment to remind him who he was
I said, "Now money isn't everything! Isn't that right, Reverend?"
You have a roof over your head, your taken care of and fed
What more could you possibly need?
The old Reverend replied, 
"You, my darling, to remind me of these very things!"  

Humbled By A 102 Year Old Lady

I've been humbled today
A sweet old lady told me to never give up 
As I walked her down the hall
She was angry at herself
For not trying hard enough
She mentioned a woman at 100 years
In better health than her
Funny how at 102 she would be jealous
I told her she was a fighter
She responded, "What am I going to do, give up?"


I grew up a chubby girl and grew into an obese woman of 36
My ankles, my feet, my knees, my back and my hip, 
All limp along this 102 year old lady
I couldn't help to think of the pain I felt
I told her I'd never make it that long
I'd be in a wheel chair, doped up on pain meds
She humbled me and said, 
"What are you going to do, give up and lay in bed?"  

"1-2-3 Don't Drop Me!"

“1-2-3, don’t drop me!”
I’ve heard her say this before
Though not in so many words.
At 101,
Her words are unpredictable
And sometimes not at all
I’ve watched her eyes place a glare my way
Without words she says what she wants to say
She is wise enough to see through my soul,
She tells me I’m hurried, to let time go

When I returned,
I sat next to her and listened patiently
She spoke freely to me
Telling me exactly what her eyes had said before
Though I think she’s forgotten
For she told me
I’m not like the others who rush for the door

She said young people today
Are not interested in history
For if they were
They would listen to her
She recalled a time
When our earth was “loose and free.”
Then I couldn’t stop thinking of her “1-2-3.”
I see the busy world and the busy girls
And I wonder if she’s afraid
We just might drop her
Into our new and busy world

Conversations With a Retired Social Worker

Remembering Simpler Times

She spends much of her time
Gazing out the window to her balcony
Put together with beautiful flowers
And invitations for small animals

She remembers her youth
When life was simple
When hours were spent
Basking in gardens and waiting patiently
For tiny animals to come to her delight
Her eyes light up as she tells me her story
And we both smile

I enjoy listening because
I, too knew a time like that
I, too, have memories of lying on my back
Gazing up at the sun with
Weeds and butterflies to cradle my soul

We have both seen the world
Trample down our simpler days, 
And we both long for a way
To make a change

Saving The World

She holds onto a belief
She can somehow change the world
As she has spent her life making
Improvements in other’s lives
Her heart pounds through her cheeks
When she tells me her story

She told me the moment she
First desired to save the world
When her family moved to
Pamana City after WWII began
She saw children starving
In one area yet a mass amount of gold in another
She wanted to tell the ones with the gold to sell it
And feed the poor little children
And her little soul thought it was just that simple

Holding onto ideas of saving the world
Make an impression on me
And I believe she knows full well
I am young enough to save the world