Well it’s a question

Do you speak French?

Early on there were some hardened educators

That were of the opinion

Latin would be my strong suit

Well hopefully they didn’t bet the bank on that

In subsequent years there seemed to be a need

To learn Spanish or German

In no particular order

But both attempts

Resulting in disorder

Then though

A retired educator

Was of the opinion

That two aged

Septuagenarians

Would fare well

Learning a new language

To stimulate their mental aptitude

And whatever else

An online course was chosen of course

Books are too intimate

And she would always

Be looking over my shoulder

In all fairness to me

My compatriot and competitor

Studied French four years in high school

Granted cobwebs lingered

Interesting point

There is now an assigned time

For the study period

Not sure why

But dinner at the same time

Is more difficult to arrange

Than a set time to learn French

Wonder if there will be a tape made

Of the first dinner in which French

Is the primary language

My suspicion it might

Be our most hilarious meal

Well let’s be honest

We’ve got nothing to lose

FXC 9/28/19

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5 AM in the darkness

Of A Gatlinburg morning

Rushing creek provides

Nature’s orchestra

Solitude slips in

As a soft summer breeze

Heralds a cooler day

Jumbled thoughts slowly

Begin to make sense

No phones, TV

Just the creek and me

To solve the problems of the world

But always so difficult

To recreate this moment

When I leave

Gatlinburg

FXC 9/14/19

Copyright

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This Day

To long to remember all the details

Of that seemingly hastily arranged day

Yes 17 might have been a bit young

For a young lady to be proposed to

And yet no logic would discourage the young man

Girlfriend just did not suffice to describe the desired relationship

New to dating he totally understood competition

Would be fierce

No time to be hesitant and noncommittal

Wine, dine and plead your case

That all that was right in the world

Was in her waiting to be set free

Waiting would just postpone the dream

Now fifty years later to the day

As the mind sometimes struggles with details

The TV is turned off

No endless social media

Alone for a moment

Still does not seem like

There is enough time

For a moment alone

Grandchildren have gone home for the day

Dinner for two again

How perfect

Dinner for two

With you Julie Becker

FXC 9/13/19

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Gotta to love youth

Pure bluster and ignorance

Infinite wisdom and no experience

Until the night sky lights up

With the moment you have been waiting for

But did not expect

The love of your life

New adjectives enters one’s vocabulary

“Clueless” is the primary one

And now the mirror has prominent purpose

“Why didn’t I brush my hair?”

But no amount of logic blocks

Our headlong rush

Into the grooming process of a relationship

Remember, “Jump?” “How high?”

The dance of love is so serious

We want to get it so right

But we are so ill prepared

How do you pass a test on relationship?

Is it the money that is earned?

The year of the car?

Size of the house?

After fifty years

Which is a fair sample

There does not seem to be a benchmark

A grade on the marriage certificate

But at the end of the day

A long day

A simple “pass-fail”

Will suffice

With a well worn smile

FXC 9/7/19

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