Dear Mom

You know, times change

And lives evolve.

And you ride the pony that is yours

You taught me that.

And all of your children are out there

Playing hardball with their lives.

Really, that is how you taught us it should be.

Drawing lines

Living our own truth,

With heart, with integrity,

With strength,

And honor.

Knowing it or not,

You taught us:

Live with honor.

If you look,

You will see we did learn.

Honor.

Did you ever expect less?

Now, you are wondering what happened.

You do forget things, and your hands do shake,

And sometimes what and who you see,

Are not what, and who

you remember.

Sometimes you wonder what happened to the amazingly wide world

You knew

As a young woman.

It is the pony you ride,

She is the same tricky filly

You have been sitting on all of these years.

She has learned a few new tricks, but

All in all, she is still your pony,

With a few new tricks.

Did you ever expect less?

Yes, the sunset is near,

And yes, you have no idea of what is next,

But, damn, it has been a good ride,

And your children are doing fine.

And they love you.

Less could never be an option.

Fred
The Boatman
So Simple Things
Tattoos
A Bear, A Fawn, An Otter
Fat Men and Boats
Flowers
Letters
Christopher
A Funny Thing
Home
The Edge of the Moon
The Rod and the Ripple
Darlin’
He did Write
Aye Lass
Down from the Mountains
Silent Thought
Each Note
He Wished He Knew
But He Grew
Road Stories
Darling Daughter (continued)
Old Dogs New tricks
Dramatic Lives
Christopher Columbus, and Julius
Dawn Stretches
Sean and Megan
Dearest Beauty
Words
Dragons, Dancing
The Wild and Wooly Dog
About Dragons
Big Dog Gone Running
Autumn Waits
Sunday Afternoon
You Can Write Words
Lions in the Dawn
If I Listened to the Moon
Gifts and Purposes
First Kiss
They Were
Carp
Hipness
Old Pictures
To Stand Free
Candles and Flames
Dear Mom
The Moon is Floating
Artists can run Hot