SECOND CUP

I crossed town today for breakfast
At the campus center for continuing ed
And ended up, instead, inside my head

The place — abuzz
Ag Extension busying the halls
With planning meetings for the fall

And there I was
Appropriately dressed — in plaid and brown
Milling, greeting, hurrying on to a plenary
Stimulated by the conversations — from my memory?
How to improve getting things done


Dennis!  Your breakfast!
Let these young move on


For 40 years I admired my colleagues in ag  
Holding in high regard
Their earnest discipline — in my mind, perfectly niched
Applying their dreams and substantial wits
To improve the rural communities they never quite left
 
Life on the farm, never my forte’
Nevertheless, the academy welcomed me
We shared years and careers
Several universities
Studying the issues that distinguished
Living and working outside cities


DRK
2/22/16

 

ON BEING WRONG

 

Am I to deny

Her the opportunity

Her spot in the sun?

 

There are, it turns out

Others more up on this one

I will try again

 

DRK

7/22/2021

 NOT QUITE STILL LIFE

Across the room a potted plant,
petals pressed against the window,
looks in at me,
drawing attention to the maple tree.
Its leaves acknowledge the breeze
stirring two rocking chairs
which flank the potted scene.

DRK
7/21/16

 HAPPY FATHERS' DAY

Daddy's daughter's treat
Mommy, I just woke daddy
Told him to sleep in

DRK
6/8/16

 

TOM

 

An elegy

From parts of our past

 

You said he was sick 

And you were there, Marlene 

Taking care

My imagination limits me

 

O-o-h

 

I did not see him suffer

Waste away, I guess

That dynamic vibrant guy I will always remember

 

With over a half century of connections ripped away

Can your pain be fathomed?

Not by me

Ten times +++ the 5 ½ years I lost in 1967

+++ the kids and grandkids, all that life wearied

 

O-o-h

 

It’s too early to talk about new beginnings

Too early for hope

It is still about the loss

Let your grieving flow

 

My whole being groans for you

 

Tom is here

In my heart

As he has been 

Since the day we freshmen walked up five flights of stairs

Lugging golf clubs

Up Benet Hall

 

 

 

 

For four years we exchanged

Golf for the love of learning

Thanks to Tom I learned to study

And a great deal more

The camaraderie of college life

 

And my admiration for his career and family

Well done

 

Always here

In my heart

 

Dennis Keefe

April 7, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WORDS FAIL ME

As they did everyone else

It became far too chemical a thing

For talk to intervene

Corralled in self, and the struggle to survive

Love, the gift, edged out

By her need to receive

An impatient world hurried her through our plodding ways

People, palliatives,

Who knows what there was?

The guys, the highs,

The lows, doses, sizes

Cut short her time with us

Now the future, an eternal unsaid, unheard.

In the end she chose a private out

No thought to who would do the rig-a-ma-roll

And put her where her kids could go.

She impressed me with her survivability

Until the tragedy

The one we feared

Her end, at home in bed

We like to think life has no end.

Magic on the other side will help her find

a demon free place with the rest denied among our kind.

But rest may elude her even there

A loving God may busy her

One on one

Challenge her

With a world of work undone.

DRK

10/11/11

7/12/20

LEGACY

Wake-up coffee

And

We’ve got mail!

Somebody sent us

A word puzzle

With family clues

HAPPY ANNIVESARY!!

December 21

Golden!

            How did they do that?

Outside, Aaron

Staking up yard signs

Boldly announcing to passers-by

“Happy Fiftieth, Dennis and Carole”

            His own idea

            Or a three-sib conspiracy?

The neighbors, prompted,

Stopped by

With “Hellos!” and “Congratulations!”

           

That evening

Dressing for dinner

What?

In our yard!

Luminaria!!

            I counted seventy-three

Each with a lighted candle

Sneakery with industry

            Thanks to Aaron and his daughter, Emily

At dinner with friends

And their champagne

A server’s alert --

Save room for dessert!

            Marya called it in from Chicago

At evening’s end

Tired, we tried to put to bed

Ourselves and our memories

From this special day

But the next morning

A sunrise surprise

Church friends who, unlike us

Had read the morning paper

Brought our attention to

            Our picture and anniversary story

            Who did that?

We looked pretty good in our finery

From Louisa and Mike’s wedding last year

The luminaria, which delighted

Were removed the next day

De-lighted

And our life goes on

But with a persistent grin

Confirming again

The blessings

Of our legacy

Hail to these three

And those in the future

They choose to regale

DRK

1/30/2019