Life of Kelly

"Life of Kelly"

This poem is written for my dear friend Kelly. She has been kind enough to read my stories and share her thoughts with me. For that I am truly grateful. Although we have never met face to face, she has shared part of her life and her soul through a letter she wrote to me. This poem is greatly inspired by that letter. Much of what is written here are her words, her thoughts, and her feelings. In general, much of this poem is her life. Therefore, I dedicate this poem to Kelly. I may have arranged the words, but the meaning and the life within this poem is hers.

Kelly, I want to thank you for sharing it with me. You have inspired me in more ways than one. Be Blessed.

To show you a small example of how large her heart is, when I sent her the poem and asked for her permission to post it, she said yes. Then she asked me to change the dedication; these are her words for the dedication:"I would rather that you find a way to dedicate it to all those dear military men and women away from home doing their jobs; they need to remember all the sweet things in life are still here waiting patiently for their return home."
Always faithful,
Apple
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"Life of Kelly"

There are still a few adventures I would like to have.
I don't know if or when I'll get there.
For now and the foreseeable future, it is me and my white shepherd, Farrah.
She is my best friend and I am hers.
An old farm house is where we call home.
Acres and acres of turf farm lie next to us.
Behind us nothing but wetlands;
Land unable to be developed and I see this as a blessing.
Some things should never change; some things are meant to remain the same.

Two bald eagles come to sit in my cedar tree.
Barn owls come to hunt the fields around me.
Deer promenade through the back yard as if in a parade and graze in the pasture occasionally.
Thirty different kinds of wild birds migrate to my land,
and hundreds of frogs are croaking out in the back pasture.
All of the signs are present; Spring is coming early.

I have a hummingbird that flies right in my back door every Spring;
he lets me know he has decided it is past time for me to put out a feeder for him.
Last Spring, two barn swallows followed me into the house;
curious to know what I was doing in here.
The barn swallows just sat on my ceiling fan for about an hour,
watching as my fingers spoke to my keyboard and my thoughts of them came across my computer screen.
Thoughts became complete ideas.
Ideas became poetic prose.
My fingers didn't stop until the picture in my mind was now as vivid in black and white.
As their story was completed, they left on their own.
I tell myself, they just wanted to know a little more about me.

My friends do not end with them.
I am surrounded by them and by nature.
Even when I cannot see them, I know they are present all around me.
I hear their calls to me and to each other.
The pack of coyotes in the back pastures, make an appearance sometimes.
I hear their howls long before I see their forms against the dusky glow of the sunset.
They don't choose to come right out into the back yard.
Farrah reminds them that this is her territory.
They seem to respect that.
I just get to see them passing like it should be, like nature meant it to be.

The turf farm next to me brings along more of nature's miracles for me to enjoy.
As the irrigation pipes are rolled out during the Spring and Summer, a new song is played nightly.
It is a very calming, lovely song that plays as the water feeds and brings the new growth to life.
I have a free concert every night.
As a slight breeze blows across the fields at night, the irrigation wheels sound like harp music!
It is a peaceful bliss that comes over me at the sound.
A bliss that tells me, there is nothing more beautiful than the simple joys we so often overlook.
A peaceful bliss that whispers to me, enjoy the here and now.

I take heed to the warning.
Time is not infinite for any of us.
Time is precious and should not be taken for granted or wasted.
Nature is my friend as are the people I choose to share it with.

I have a few friends in the area, here.
People who are part of my life and share in my world.
Most of who are young.
I am not, not any longer.
Couples with children.
I am not, not any longer.
I have been there and done that.
Three times to be honest.
None of those loves as permanent or as long lasting as my love for my Farrah,
the love of my farm, my land, or the nature that surrounds me.
But all served a purpose and led me to whom and where I am today.

My young friends all work long hours in the day, to support their families.
I see them mostly in the summer time.
I have huge back yard parties.
I get to play with other peoples little children.
I listen to Mexican music and eat carne asada with them.
I enjoy my time with them and the time we share.
I have no children of my own.
The children play soccer, pick blackberries, and color pictures in my house.
They use my crayons and ride my tiny tractor around the yard.
They are beautiful in their innocence; not unlike the nature that is everywhere we turn.

Farrah has her friends here also.
A couple of the toddlers like to feed Farrah her dinner as a treat.
They think she is wonderful.
She is very patient and gentle with them.
They love her and she loves them.
The acceptance of children and animals is a constant in my life.
I love every minute of it.
I appreciate their gift.

I am older now.
Hopefully, a little wiser.
Life has changed for me and I must adapt.
No longer are the days of my youth;
days where concerns for my health did not occupy my mind.
Today, things are different.
Not bad, just different.
I have no business driving at night any longer.
My eyes seem to fail me.
It gets a bit tricky now and then.
I keep wanting to be awake all night; to sleep all day.
It has impaired my social life in some ways;
but it has helped me become a more creative human being, too.

If it weren't for the life I've lived,
the things I've experienced,
the ups and downs of my every day,
Things may be different today.
I don't think I would like that though.
I am happy in my world, in my today.
The nature that surrounds me,
the people who I share it with,
the animals who share it with me,
These are all things I love and would never change.