Working the Tiara

Work That Tiara, Boy!
GMU's Choice of Homecoming Queen Sparks Campus Divide
Washington Post - Friday, February 20, 2009

The GMU crowd
Was vocal and loud
Last night at the Patriot Center
For the Homecoming Queen
Was like nothing they’d seen
For the Queen it turns out was a gent/her

My son is the Homecoming Queen
Yea – HE is the Homecoming Queen
It was not in our plan – not in our dream
But my son is the Homecoming Queen

The Tiara and Sash fit him fine
He’s been dressing like that for some time
He’d rather wear pumps and designer jeans
My son is the Homecoming Queen

Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of my boy
Since the day he was born, he’s been my pride and joy
He’s the greatest child that you’ve ever seen
My son is the Homecoming Queen

So what if he’s different, a little bit strange
He’s got a big heart that he’ll never change
If you knew my son, you’d know what I mean
My son is the Homecoming Queen

Mdailey
02/20/09

Bad Hair Day

Just to show you a more sensitive side of me. I wrote this to comfort my wife when she had a bad hair day. Plaster from a recent paint job dropped down on her sink. She cleaned it with Scrubbing Bubbles and then went on with her morning ritual. When it came time to use her hair spray, she accidentally grabbed the scrubbing bubbles and sprayed away.

For even more sensitive thoughts, check out my other blog (www.reflections-MD.blogspot.com)


BAD HAIR DAY

You know the day's nothing but trouble
As you clear the sink of plaster rubble
Then you grab the hair spray
And then spray away
With a can labeled as Scrubbing Bubble

So the day didn't start out all that great
Things will get better, just wait
You have scrub-bubbled hairs
And a husband who cares
Why worry the state of your pate

Mdailey
09/29/08

"When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better." Malcolm Forbes

The Belvoir Eagle newspaper came out today and on page A4 there is a 5 by 7 section that contains my poem on America's Greatness. This would have to be considered my first real publication. While it is only a weekly newspaper down here on Fort Belvoir, it makes me feel pretty good to see my name and composition in print. If you have forgotten the poem, here it is reprinted for you.

While driving through the Fort Belvoir gate to work yesterday, someone on the radio was talking about Washington and how America’s greatness was captured in marble and stone. About that time, I encountered a group of young soldiers jogging along the main road on post and thought to myself that America’s greatness was not in marble and stone. When I got to my desk I wrote down this poem.

America’s Greatness

America’s greatness is not marble or stone
But the soldier who’s willing to stand all alone
Out on their post with weapon in hand
Protecting the people of this great land

America’s greatness wears Army Green
Or the clothes of a sailor, Air Force or Marine
Their background is Asian, Hispanic or Black
Mixed or Caucasian they all have your back

And they’ll take their position and they’ll hold their ground
Protecting your life and all those around
For America’s greatness is not marble or stone
But the soldier who’s ready to lay down his own


Mdailey
02/17/09

Get Busy

According to the GovExec magazine or 18 Nov, Merit board links employee engagement and productivity

Get Busy

The Merit Systems Protection Board
Has developed – on their own accord
A theory that morale has soared
Where everyone was busy

The “call in sick” days dwindled down
Employees tend to stick around
And smiles replace the usual frown
When everyone is busy

Productivity seems to rise
When we’re engaged in enterprise
“Why nots” outnumber all the “Whys?”
Where everyone is busy

Air Force, Army, NASA, State
All have high engagement rates
But FDIC and Homeland folk
See engagement as a joke
And their morale was slipping fast
When the Merit System came to ask

The moral is you shouldn’t shirk
But get engaged in office work
Or you’ll be considered quite a jerk
When everyone is busy

Mdailey
11/19/08

The following five agencies have employees that on average feel the most involved in their jobs, as measured by a 2005 Merit Systems Protection Board survey of nearly 37,000 employees at 24 government entities:
1. NASA; 2. State Department; 3. Air Force; 4. Army (I work for the Army); 5. Environmental Protection Agency

The following agencies have the lowest levels of engagement:
1. Homeland Security Department 2. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 3. Transportation Department 4. Education Department 5. Energy Department

Brazilian Wax

According to the Trenton NJ newspaper dated 19 March 2009, NJ Considers Ban on Bare-it-all “Brazilian” Wax.

New Jersey is drawing the line when it comes to bikini waxing
It seems the Brazilian “bare-it-all” wax has gotten a bit - - - well - - taxing
You see this Brazilian “bare-it-all” wax
Is intended for fronts and not for the backs
To rid the old body of anything curly
And let yourself look a bit younger and girly
But women have gotten unhealthy infections
And are forced to take pills or costly injections
To counter the trauma they had to endure
Insuring their lines were clean and secure
But you see by law, that’s not even allowed
There are parts of the body that should be left proud
And if someone is waxing you back to your youth
It’s a little unseemly – a little uncouth
It is better to leave some parts unattended
Then to get Mother Nature upset and offended
So New Jersey will seal this Brazilian Wax fate
After all they are known as The Garden State

Mdailey
03/23/09

The Can-Can can’t go on!

The Folies Bergere in Las Vegas
A mainstay since late ‘59
The one with the fabulous dresses
They flip up to show their behind
Its’ the one with the towering headdresses
Where they kick up their legs so high
The stereotype of the showgirl
The one where men stare and sigh
They’re calling it quits in Las Vegas
After 29,000 shows
It’s a victim of the recession
And the cost of those fabulous clothes
The legs will no longer be lifted
The headdresses no longer stand proud
The current thing skimpy in Vegas
It seems is the size of the crowd
So for 50 years in Vegas
The Folies Bergere’s gone on strong
But come April 09 in Vegas
The Can-Can can’t go on!


Mdailey
03/23/09

Iowa Earmark

The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that President Obama recently signed includes an earmark of $1.8 million for the Agriculture Department's Swine Odor and Manure Management Research Center in Ames, Iowa, whose "multidisciplinary research teams generate and integrate knowledge for evaluation and development of new management practices that minimize nutrient excretion, malodorous emissions, and the release of pathogens into the environment as well as have a positive impact on livestock health."


Something stinks in Iowa and it’s not just the cows and swine
It’s this earmark for Ames Iowa that quickly comes to mind
When the common man’s life savings are quickly losing ground
With banks and businesses failing and finally closing down
And unemployment statistics are surely on the rise
We are spending millions (1.8) to study some cow pies
Just to minimize excretions and malodorous emissions
And the release of pathogens in the air and the herds healthy conditions
With bail outs in the billions, millions ain’t that much
But to counter Mother Nature through research is out of touch
I’d rather spend the millions (and I guess it’s just my quirk)
Shoring up the businesses and getting folks back to work

You see, I grew up in the mid-west; grandpa worked at the Stockyard Bank
And when I’d go to visit, I’d complain about the ‘stank’
And Grandpa’d put his arm around me and said let tell you Sunny
That smell is what the farmers call the real smell of money
While the smell is still obnoxious I understood just what he meant
The smell was the smell of hard work, and hard work pays the rent
Let’s not worry about excretions and smells that hit our nose
That’s just the way God planned it; that’s just the way it goes
Let Mother Nature handle this as she has throughout our past
And cows and pigs and all livestock passively pass gas

Mdailey
03/23/09

Cowlick in My Eyebrow

I’ve a cowlick in my eyebrow that’s growing clockwise now
It starts out near the edges but extends along my brow
A central hair is growing – about 3 inches long
It isn’t really noticeable unless I comb it wrong
Then it corkscrews perpendicular, straight out for all to see
This cowlick in my eyebrow – till now, unknown to me!

You see I’m growing older and I notice how they stare
Now I know that’s it’s my eyebrow and that 3 inch hair
I feared it was my nostrils and the hair there growing out
Or maybe homegrown ear muffs – what’s that all about?
The hair on top is thinning but the hair on back is not
I guess I’m growing older and my hair has gone to pot.

So you see that new found cowlick is no surprise to me
It’s just another facet of what old age will be
With body parts rebelling, what was turned on now’s turned off
Where once I had some muscle has now turned fat and soft
I won’t let this thing bother me; it’s just a time clock click
To look into the mirror to find an eyebrow grown cowlick

Mdailey
4/29/08

Slut Buzzard

While the spring time makes me think of allergies as I said in my poem this morning, there are the more traditional going ons in this world. Here is a little story of what could be seen from our office windows. I called it Slut Buzzard. If I could write music, this would have been a song!


Slut Buzzard

She turned her back on him
He turned his back then too
They’re not speaking to each other
As lovers often do
“You’re taking me for granted”
“You should keep your big beak shut”
“You’re not the man I wanted”
“You’re just a Buzzard Slut”

Slut Buzzard – Slut Buzzard
They’re filthy and obscene
Doing things you shouldn’t do
Seen through my window screen

She’s big and black and ugly
He’s no handsome prince
They’re doing it on roof tops
My mind’s been bothered since
The crowd’s all standing dumbstruck
Not knowing what to do
It’s burned into my eyes I fear
Two vultures making woo

Slut Buzzard – Slut Buzzard
They’re filthy and obscene
Doing things you shouldn’t do
Seen through my window screen

They gathered all the office
To watch these vultures mate
Calling folks from down the hall
Come quick these guys won’t wait
And like a fool I looked up
It was just a passing glance
Now every time I close my eyes
I see this buzzard dance

Slut Buzzard – Slut Buzzard
They’re filthy and obscene
Doing things you shouldn’t do
Seen through my window screen

Mdailey
04/08/08

Allergies

Today it is the first of spring
The flowers bloom, the robins sing
The butterflies will soon take wing
But on my mind’s another thing
Allergies

Spring – when love is a la carte
And Cupid’s there to do his part
And most folk’s thoughts are of the heart
I know the sneezing soon will start
Allergies!

The flowers, the trees
You sneeze, you wheeze
Your coughing knocks you to your knees
There’s pollen in the slightest breeze
Allergies

Your head, eyes red
In bed, a med
Feeling like the walking dead
Wish that you could die instead
Allergies

Mdailey
03/20/09

Limericks

Growing up, my Mom would trade limericks with me and the style has always been one of my favorites. Some months ago, the Washington Post ran a contest asking for limerick that featured words starting with DA. I entered and actually won some recognition with one of them. You may have to look up some of the words if you do not know their true definition. If you just want to break up your day, these are a lot of fun.


I entered the contest quite gaily
I said to my self – “self don’t fail me”
I can use my own name
In this limerick game
Submitted to you from Mike Dailey

There once was a sheerer who’d gag
When sheering the sheep who would drag
Their rear ends through dung
Until it all clung
Dung matted wool’s know as a dag

There once was a French riot keen
To let royalty know what they mean
They just couldn't wait
To decapitate
The king, the queen and the dauphin

There once was a Roman who’d swagger
Whose enemies thought him a bragger
So they shortened his life
With a short little knife
Now known as the Et-Tu-Bru dagger

There once was a pervert named Randal
Whose problem he thought he could handle
The police had to nab
When he started to dab
While doing a quick little dandle

On TV a recurring theme
In a courtroom the jury will deem
The bad guy was there
By one strand of hair
Or the dactylogram found at the scene

She once had a motherly role
Of fixing my sock’s gaping hole
With a colorful yarn
And needle she’d darn
Until cataracts all took their toll

A ticket I can not afford
And so I have turned to the Lord
Only three inches tall
He watches it all
From his vantage point on my dashboard

There has to be some fire station
Somewhere to be found in this nation
That has a Dachshund
They got from the pound
Instead of the usual Dalmatian

There once was a girl I did court
But the wedding she chose to abort
When I thought myself dandy
She thought me too randy
And jumped up off our davenport

The dahlia’s a flower divine
The daisy a dainty design
They’re both in my dwelling
Because they’re great smelling
Unlike that lawn weed – Dandelion

There once was this fabulous dame
Whose origin made her a Dane
We shared a dance
And a quick dalliance
Now my Danish don’t taste quite the same

A brain freeze can sure make you scream
When eating too fast your ice-cream
I won’t let that faze me
Though the pain will sure daze me
Each time at the old Dairy Queen

It once was a virtual non-starter
And I fear we’ve gotten no smarter
We’re in a big jam
And we can’t build a dam
If they spy the elusive Snail Darter

This next one got honorable mention in the Washington Post Contest

Like a lamb being led to the slaughter
Or a clam in the hands of an otter
I haven’t a chance
When she gives me that glance
Yes, alas I’m a Dad with a daughter

As the sweet smell came into my nose
It tickled my fancy and toes
Reminds me of you
And the sweet morning dew
It’s the fragrance of sweet Damask Rose

I dabble on my windowsill
To grow a great daffodil
But the room is so dank
They all rotted and stank
The experience wasn’t a thrill

If you can’t drink your milk, its lactology
Caused by a problem bactology
But the winner hands down
For those lacking in sound
Are the flying fingers doing dactylology

It’s a receipt I often mangle
The ingredients all twist and tangle
Its my sandwich of choosing
Though the balance I’m losing
My Dagwood’s at such steep an angle

I once thought myself a mere pawn
Like an ornament out on the lawn
Should my entry win
I’d sport a big grin
As the new day started to dawn

My girlfriend’s a beauty – no bull
A sight to behold – an eye full
But to see her all nude
I’m telling you dude
This damsel will really dazzle

There once was a duck out of Disney
Donald’s his name should you quiz me
And that Warner cartoon
Daffy Duck - quite a loon
And both can be found down in Kissimmee

I once called this guy a Dago
His dander was ready to blow
His teeth – they did sparkle
His thoughts – they were darkle
So I quick ran away don’t you know

There once was a man with much dandruff
Whose skin simply shed all this stuff
Thought he’d be smart
Shave his head as a start
But even that wasn’t enough

The Webster’s I used was quite small
The challenge to me – use them all
Not all are PC
But they’re precious to me
It’s the dastardly Empress’ call

Mdailey
08/12/08

Who Wants to be Paul?

You can't legislate poor into freedom
By legislating wealthy to pay
What someone receives for not working
Another must work for all day
The government can't give away something
Without taking it from some other guys
You can't give to Peter without robbing Paul
No matter how hard Congress tries
And when half of the people are thinking
They don't have to work to survive
Because somebody else is out working
And the government always provides
Then the other half gets the idea
That working's not worth it these days
Because somebody else gets the paycheck
And not working is really what pays
And that my friend that is where we are heading
The end of the nation - that's all
You can't multiply wealth by dividing
And nobody wants to be Paul


MDailey
03/19/09

To paraphrase Dr. Adrian Rogers, past president of the Southern Baptist Convention …

ODE to the FLU

I was kneeling there at the porcelain thrown
With my head on the seat, I felt right at Home
When deep from within came a rumbling noise
From the top of my head to the tip of my “boys”
It came with a splash and a wee little voice
Said “to kneel or to sit – man you made the right choice!”

I was proud of myself and the choice I was makin’
Then 3 seconds later – I found I’d mistaken

We have a cold going around the house and it reminded me of this Ode to the Flu I wrote back in flu season. I am sure all of you can relate to the circumstances.

Cows - the New Energy Source

My daughter is taking a class in biology and her husband thought I ought to have something about the biology of animals. I searched through my backlog of poems and came up with these on cows.

Cow Gas

I’m putting my cows all on Beano
With the veggies they eat – oh the gas
Eight hundred plus liters of methane
Each day through each cow it does pass
Either that or get funnels and tubing
To capture the gas when it comes
And convert my gas guzzling auto
So on methane alone will it run

If cows can do it, why can’t I
A tube, a tank, and by and by
I’ll generate enough to fry
A burger on my grill
While it won’t get me very far
Were my gas used to run a car
The world would label me a star
For doing what I will
But if everyone would do their part
To capture each and every fart
That through your system did depart
Global Warming would be a chill

Mdailey
07/11/08

-------
California Cows Start Passing Gas to the Grid

Imagine a vast vat of liquid
Covering 5 football fields
33 feet deep in manure
Think of the energy yields

When big piles are seen
Of manure all green
Most people just see piles of crap
But if truth be told
It's a pile of pure gold
When you siphon off gasses you trap

On a dairy farm in Golden State
Experts on gas sit and wait
They push poop in a hole
Cover it like a bowl
And just let the gas ruminate

With nearly 2 million cows in this far western state
You have to admit the potential is great
Just getting these cows to be hole-potty trained
Will yield a great deal of cow-poop methane

And the methane gas gathered this way
Can be sold to the grid so they say
So the smell's not quite honey
It's the smell of good money
And we've finally made gas passing pay

So that's what this company did
With some cows and a hole with a lid
With a scoop and a scrub
And this gigantic tub
Cows are now passing gas to the Grid

Mdailey
03/05/08

AIG

I’m furious with AIG
Let them declare bankruptcy
I’m about as mad as I can be
I’m furious with AIG

We bailed them out to avoid
Thousands more new unemployed
But the way they spent it – I’m annoyed
I’m furious with AIG

They paid bonuses to CEOs
And other managers they chose
But the “little guy” – not a cent to those
I’m furious with AIG

I say let’s take back all that cash
And fire all their high-paid trash
I know I’m talking something rash
But I’m furious with AIG

Mdailey
03/17/09

all the newsmen today were talking about the bonuses that AIG was paying their high-priced management - the same guys that brought them to the bring of bankruptcy.

Tis Irish You Are Today

Let me be the first to say
Tis Irish you are today
No matter your background
Your forefather’s way
Tis Irish you are today

And as Irish you are entitled
A toast – so come what may
St. Paddy sure will bless thee
For tis Irish you are today

May your mountains all be hillsides
May your storms be gentle rain
May your days be filled with sunshine
Until we meet again

No matter what this day might bring
You will surely be OK
For you’ll have the luck of the Irish
Tis Irish you are today


Mdailey
03/17/09

Musings

Is anybody reading these? Drop me a line if you are.
Nothing new written today so I thought I would share some musings I have recorded over the last couple of months. The first is a recount of New Year's Eve spent with old friends. The second is a thought that occurred to me as we were on the road to North Carolina and noticed the birds along the way.

New Year’s Eve

It’s New Year’s Eve, the wind is blowing
It’s cold outside but it’s stopped snowing
We’re at the table making toasts
Thanks for the food; thanks to the host
When all at once the lights go out
A power outage, we’ve no doubt
This happened last time we were here
We carry on with New Year’s cheer
With candle light it’s just so charming
The glow of friendship so disarming
And playing cards with dear old friends
The conversation never ends
Stories told and facts leaked out
They’re TMI without a doubt
Like body parts – their names – their functions
Leaving little to assumptions
Cheeks turn red; a lady’s blushing
Hearing what her spouse is gushing
Protests spoken but defeated
Stories shared best not repeated
Like the time, well, you-know-who
Did you-know-what; that story’s true
And what’s-his-name and who’s-it there
Bare far more than they ought to share
With secrets safe; well, within reason
They’re fodder for some friendly teasing
No matter what is said or heard
We won’t repeat a single word
No “ands” or “OR” or thoughts “what ifs”
Friends like these are precious gifts
And friends like these are hard to find
I’m glad I found these friends of mine

Mdailey
01/01/09

New Year’s Side Note:

Our friends who in this house do dwell
Get their water from a well
And when power’s out, they tell us blushing
There can be no toilet flushing
And so we sat with legs crossed tight
In candle light through most the night
So with kidney’s filling by the minute
The guys held out – at cards we win it
And when the lights came on at last
We all hit the bathrooms fast
As visits go, this one I bet
Is one that we won’t soon forget.

Mdailey
01/03/09
=========================
Playfulness

It occurred to me the other day
I’ve never seen a bird at play
The mammals down there on the ground
When young will frolic all around
They tumble, wrestle on the run
Looking like they’re having fun
But little birdies chirp and eat
Always standing on two feet
Their only interest is the food
Nothing that says a playful mood
If birds were never meant to play
I’m sad that they were made that way

And I have yet to see reptiles
Running round with grins and smiles
And despite all my childish wishes
I never have seen playful fishes
So maybe only mammals play
I’m glad that I was made that way


Mdailey
10/18/08

Three Doves

OK - two for Sunday. This was written for my wife and her two sisters at the loss of thier mother. One of the cards at the funeral showed three doves and it inspired me to write this poem for them.

Three Doves

Three doves - the fourth has left them
Three doves fly on alone
Three doves with paths uncertain
The fourth dove has flown home

Home to see the Master who has called her to his door
Home to see her loved ones who have traveled on before
Home to live forever beside that heavenly shore
Home to bathe in His great love for ever more

Three doves will not forget her
Three doves – a family
Three doves will fly together
Until called home to thee

Home to see you Master when called to your front door
Home to be with loved ones who have traveled on before
Home to live forever beside that heavenly shore
Home to bathe in your great love for ever more.

Mdailey
2/10/08

Let the Angels Gather

Since today is Sunday, I thought I would post a more spiritual poem. This was written for the funeral of a good friend.

Let the Angels Gather

I’ve lived in the land of enchantment
With enchantment I’ve had my share
When Gabriel comes a calling
I’ll tell him I’m already there

Listen to the music that the choir sings
When angels gather with the souls they bring

Let the angels gather to welcome her back home
On that day when Gabriel’s horn has blown
Hear the choir singing out that she is not alone

Let the angels gather to bring her soul on through
Lord, when her final time on earth is due
Hear the choir singing out her praises Lord to you.

Let the angels gather to guide her on the way
Lord, when you see her on her final day
Hear the choir singing out the moment that we pray

I’ve lived in the land of enchantment
With enchantment I’ve had my share
When Gabriel comes a calling
I’ll tell him I’m already there

A Little Hill in Arlington

nothing new written today but I will post one I recently wrote on the way into work. it was one of those times when out of no where the thoughts started coming and I just had to write something.


A Little Hill in Arlington

There’s a little hill in Arlington
Where no bodies are interred
Yet crosses dot the hillside
And Taps are sometimes heard

Unlike the Unknown Soldier
With “unknowns” in the ground
This little hill in Arlington
Is for soldiers never found

I grew up without a father
He was gone when I was four
Flying for the Air Force
Back in the Korean War

His plane was ore’ the Azores
When communications ceased
The search went on for days and days
They never found a piece

My mother raised four children
Each day she learned to cope
She said until a body’s found
We’d never give up hope

The years went by just waiting
And my mother, bless her soul
Held on until her very end
To a grieving widow’s role

For fifty years we children
Had no resting place for Dad
No gravesite and no marker
No closure ever had

Then on little hill in Arlington
Where no bodies are interred
We raised a simple white cross
Dad’s Taps were finally heard

My big sister got the folded flag
And we all shed the tears
That had been bottled up inside us
For all those fifty years

Now Dad, he has a resting place
With other fallen sons
On a quiet little hillside
Right here in Arlington

Mdailey
01/27/09

I read a short article in NextGov.Com today titled -

What Does Transparency Look Like

Obama has made Transparency
A “touchstone” (his word) for his staff
But transparency is hard to envision
Try it yourself for a laugh

mdailey
03/13/09

I am a firm believer in optisim and this article in today's paper only confirms by conviction.

Optimism is key to longevity

Researchers at University of Pittsburgh found that optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists which only give pessimists one more reason to grumble. In a study that followed more than 100,000 women ages 50 and over since 1994. Women who were optimistic — those who expect good rather than bad things to happen — were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause than pessimists and 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease.

Optimism

A pessimist should always be happy
If wrong, then they think that things are alright
If right, they got what they expected
And with that, they can sleep well at night

My wife is in no way an optimist
She says she’s a realist at heart
And optimists are just Polly-Annas
With no value they can impart

But I look at the world through rose glasses
And I’m happy most of the time
And when bad things around me just passes
I am glad they were not on my mind

So maybe I am Polly Anna
And maybe rose glasses distort
But maybe I’ll live a bit longer
At least that’s what studies report

Mdailey
03/13/09

Robert A. Heinlein: “Don’t ever become a pessimist … a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events.”

President Barack Obama will issue regulations on March 13 detailing how states can spend their stimulus money, Vice President Joe Biden said at Thursday's Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation Conference in Washington. Biden told state officials at the event that not all legal spending will be acceptable under the stimulus rules.

Stimulus Rules

The president's stimulus package
Has caveats in it galore
Sure they want states to spend all their money
They just want to know what its for
It doesn't matter if spending is legal
This isn't about legalese
It's about the economy build-up
Not doing just what they please
Joe Biden is watching the spending
He says there'll be no swimming pools
And the Congressmen are all in agreement
They don't want to be taken for fools
In six months the states will be graded
On how they have spent all this dough
If they spent it on things not that needed
The next time they ask, they'll hear NO!

mdailey
03/13/09

We just got through with suicide training here at the office the other day and I jotted down a few lines.

Suicide Prevention

It no longer is debated
Its success is over rated
Its’ rewards are oft negated
By the pain it puts you through
If you’re thinking you might do it
When you really get down to it
If successful then you blew it
So it’s really up to you

Don’t keep it all inside you
The moment you decide to
There are those willing to guide you
Don’t give in to despair
Get a buddy, talk about it
You can’t get by without it
There’s ways out don’t you doubt it
The help is always there

Mdailey
02/18/09

Here is another one I wrote the other day that I have not shared with anyone yet. There was a TV movie they talked about on the radio that had to do with escorting fallen sholders back home and it made me think about the family on the other end. For some reason I wrote it from a small child's view.

Daddy’s Coming Home

My Daddy’s coming home, he promised Mom and me
He told us not to worry; he was safe as he could be
He’ll wear his vest and helmet and stay out of the crowd
My Daddy’s in the Army and he serves his country proud
It’s just another tour he said like the ones before
My Daddy’s coming home some day but today he is at war

We didn’t hear from Daddy, though he said he’d call each day
My Mommy said don’t worry but let’s kneel down and pray
We thank God for our Daddy and to keep him safe and warm
Like he did the last time and back in Desert Storm
We tell God that we love him and that all we’re praying for
Is Daddy coming someday but today he is at war

We haven’t heard from Daddy; it seems for quite a while
We still kneel down and pray for him but Mommy’s lost her smile
Friends keep coming over and they pray with her too
My Mommy looks so tired and sad; I don’t know what to do
Today my Mom was crying when she hung up the phone
She said that was the Army and their sending Daddy home

I said let’s pray for Daddy and knelt down by her side
She didn’t help me with the words; she just knelt down and cried
I knew something had happened but I was scared to ask
I asked God to take over; he handles all those tasks
Then I got this funny feeling, my Daddy’s not alone
He’s with some fallen soldiers and God’s bringing them back home

My Daddy’s going home today like he promised Mom and me
Home to be with Jesus for all eternity

Mdailey
02/23/09

I wrote two more poems today. One based on a story the Command Chaplin told and one based on Bernie Madoff's plea in court today. As you can see politics and religion are two things that usually catch my attention.

What Are YOU doing?

The other day out walking, I came upon this site
A building was just going up; workers left and right
I couldn’t see a drawing of what it was to be
I thought I’d ask a builder, I asked the same of three

What are you doing, I asked of builder one
“I’m carrying mortar, there’s so much to be done”
What are you doing, I asked builder two
“I’m earning 4 dollars and working all day through”
What are you doing, I asked builder three
He paused and he pointed and he said “Can’t you see
I’m building a cathedral that will reach up to the skys
It’s as plain as it can be if you look through my eyes”

And that got me to thinking, how do we define our worth
And what it is we’re doing on our time here on earth
Do we define our purpose by the burden on our back;
Or the money in our paycheck or our countless bric-a-brac?
Or do we define our purpose; the who’s, the what’s, the why’s
By the vision in our hearts and the way we live our lives?
Each one of them is valid but only one of them alas
Adds meaning to the future, the present and the past

Mdailey
03/12/09

I heard this story from our command chaplain and I thought I would put it down in rhyme.
==========================================================
Why I Copped A Plea

Hello, I Bernie Madoff and I’m in court you see
Not to explain just what I did, but just to cop a plea
I want to say that I am sorry for all the folks I fleeced
But it’s not like I fondled your daughter, or son – I am not a priest
I simply took advantage of folks with all their greed
Who wanted easy money and my plan to succeed
But just between the few of us, I think deep down they knew
That all that I was offering was too good to be true
They would give me thousands for millions in return
And tell themselves it’s all OK, it’s money that they earned
And me, yea I made money I wouldn’t lie to you
Billions? Maybe billions – I guess that part is true
But where is all that money – who helped me in my scheme
And will I pay back all that dough – oh yea, in your dream
That’s why I am in court today and copping to this plea
That way there is no trial, no more questions asked of me
Sure I’ll go to prison – I might be there all my life
But I’ll leave a wealthy family and a very wealthy wife
I’ll miss my penthouse dwellings and all my art collection
But I’ll be safe and warm inside this house of crime correction
For I heard through the grapevine that the word out on the street
Is that Bernie and his maker are going soon to meet
And someone with a brand new gun who once was fleeced by me
Wants to introduce us – and thus I copped this plea.

Mdailey
03/12/09

First Blog

This is my very first attempt at a blog. I am an amateur poet - the old school kind that uses rhythm and rhyme in my poetry. I write when something moves me; sometimes that means several poems a day or one or two poems in a week. I will publish a lot of my poems from this past year and those that I write from here on out on this site. If you like any thing you read, please share the website with friends. I love to get feedback on what I write.

Mike

Amateur Poet

I’m just an amateur poet
I write down things that I think
Some people think I’m insightful
Some people think that I stink
I’ve never had formal training
I’d probably flunk if I did
I just write what I see all around me
And I write to harass and to kid
I don’t take myself all that serious
And my poetry’s often uncouth
But in every poem that I write out
There is always a small grain of truth
It may not be from your perspective
It may not be just how you feel
But to see things from some other angle
Helps to determine what’s real
So I may be an amateur poet
And write with a tongue-in-cheek wink
But I hope that when you read my poems
It leads you to pause some and think

Mdailey
02/19/09