Magazine Posts

There was a time, so many years ago, when a change of careers presented itself.
This change was triggered by a series of events.
I was working for a retail establishment and had accepted a position as Operations
Manager, in Los Angeles. We, my wife and two children were living in Redmond.
The children were in junior high. I would fly to Los Angeles on Monday and return on Friday.
Working in Seattle on the subsequent week and then alternate to Los Angeles, etc.
I began looking for houses and found some very nice places but the commute was an hour in the
morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon, if there were no problems. Well there were
always traffic problems.
I had moved many times, as a child and the one part I envied was not going through the
schools, from grade one, through high school, with the same set of friends.
Based upon the time I would be spending travelling to and from work but more importantly
on not wishing to deprive our children the opportunity to fulfill my desire when in school,
I opted to resign from my position. Now, after this long preamble here is where the Office
comes in.

I was hired by a High Tech company in Bellevue, in the Customer Service Department, believe I
was the 49th employee.
This Company was a pioneer, using Ultrasound Technology, developed by the U of W, to develop
equipment for Cardiology and Neo natal scanning. It was a fast moving Company that
had very little Standard Operating Procedures, in written format.
That was one of my assignments to produce a Return document so the Company could
track all the different equipment units in our Customer's facilities.
The other assignment was to develop a Service Contract that could be sold to
our Customers. I worked with an outside, Law Firm and we developed the "boilerplate"
we needed in the document. It was a success and Service Contract Income became
a great source of revenue for the Company.

After work, many of us would adjourn across the street to an establishment with the
name, "The Office". That was a nice thing as if we arrived home late, we could always
truthfully reply when asked, "Where were you?" Why I was at The Office.

It was dark
and was raining,
when she came
through the door.
The beautiful one,
was my Eleanor.

The wonderful smile,
a batting of eyes,
I had seen this before,
the beautiful one,
was my Eleanor.

The magical smile,
shiny black hair
has turned white,
not dark anymore,
the beautiful one
is my Eleanor

Her memory gone,
with much despair.
Eyes without sparkle,
not as before,
still the beautiful one,
is my Eleanor.

I write of tomorrow,
which may not come,
based upon testing you
and any outcome.
I know this now,
at my old age,
what it feels like,
when put in a cage.
Do not go anywhere.
Stay thee at home.
You do not have freedom
and can no longer roam.
Please stay inside,
away from a crowd.
Do what you can.
Don't speak out loud
about this terrible virus
unseen in the cloud.

A Goat, with big horns,
came into our yard.
It was a Male of
a questionable kind,
that was remarkable
with his reddish, black coat
with a luxurious shine.
Whence is your journey?
I asked of he.
I'm off to the City
where I'll soon live free,
to eat Blackberry vines
as my daily fare
While looking for others
with the same beautiful hair.

Frost again,
Sunny but cold.
This kind of weather
has gotten quite old.

I hate to say this.
This leadership spell,
is your responsibility
and you wear it not well.

I sat on the hillside
with the Valley below,
checking the tree line,
whence the wind did blow.
I was downwind,
wind blowing towards me,
as I watched for movement,
within the shadows of trees.
I felt a quiver,
in the back of my knees;
was this the one
I had been waiting for?
Or just the wind playing tricks
with the limbs and shadows, for kicks.
The wind shifted on me
and was now at my back
as a huge Deer
with a big rack,
thundered away, like dust in the breeze
immediately after, I let out a sneeze.
It's alright I yelled at the Deer,
I'll be looking for you again,
Next year.

Across this country, past the Great Divide,
through fields of grain, along the side
of rivers running high and wide,
we must fight a virus threatening life
of every parent's child, husband and wife.
Stay inside away from the shrinking crowd;
pray to Heaven, quietly or out loud.
Pray our government will come through for us,
pray for all, In God We Trust.

Alone am I now
but then I see
there is someone
here, living with me.
She has no memory
of this life we lived.
A mind that now
without thoughts to give.

You're like a child
who is being trained.
The problem is when
your lessons aren't retained.
I love you for what you are
the best thing for me, by far.

I remember lessons
from my old man;
When using a Crescent wrench,
use the palm of your hand,
for when the wrench slips
as it often will do,
you spare barking your knuckles.
Which I have done quite a few
times in this long life.

Alone on a hillside on a Fall day,
hoping a deer might come my way.
I sat with my back to a large tree,
when the Sun rose, shining on me.
I struggled hard to stay awake
but not on this day, a nap I did take.
I'm not sure of just how
long I slept by that big tree.
When I awoke an animal was looking at me.
Rubbing my eyes, using the back of my hand,
thinking, at last it was the promised land.
No such luck and I'm unsure of how;
I was looking into the eyes of dairy cow.