I WILL BE FOLLOWING YOU, MY DEAR

I got the news

& I’m sorry I was not there

that final day

you closed your eyes.

When we met,

time lasted forever

did we care what time it was?

time tricked us

time slowly took our life energy

exchanging our time together

for money, more money, always

for more money

& we separated

not on purpose

just because work took us

different directions —

every few years we would

cross paths

I think it was meant to be &

I think God was trying to

get us together again

but money’s VOICE

became louder than God’s voice

and we would kiss & hug & plan

to get together . . .

then

months &

years passed.

Last year I saw a Christmas card

you sent

and I stopped

& wrote a long letter

on parchment paper

saying soon

we will get together

to spend our last days

together.

A friend of ours

wrote to me and said

you were thrilled

to read my letter

and planned to write back

as soon as she felt better

I waited . . .

days passed

weeks passed

then

your eyes closed a final time.

Our friend wrote again:

I needed to write to you

your address was on her envelope

I know she hoped for a future

together.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Another time, another place

your arms will reach

for each other

& you will

finally become one.

__________________________

By Jim Wortham, May 1, 2023

I WAITED TOO LONG TO SHARE THIS

it seems like

it was going to be a long time

(if ever)

so

i never shared it . . .

HOWEVER, i may have a limited time

left

according to doctors

(TIME TRAVELS TOO FAST

AND I’M CAUGHT NOT KNOWING

WHAT OR HOW TO SAY THIS)

how do i share the news?

i don’t know

about

the weeks or months

i have left

i wish i told you

in the beginning

i’m not sure

when i won’t

awaken again

goodnight dear

goodnight God

(Jim Wortham, April 18, 2023)

Note: Some of my poems relate

to friends and relatives. They are

not always about me. / / /

I left my heart in bowling green, kentucky

shouldn’t

i have forgotten?

by now?

you borrowed a piece

of my heart —

we were

finishing college

we had one year to go

you left that summer

for a job at a national park

U never returned / / /

i’m here

waiting

still waiting

forever waiting

for your return

please return

to Bowling Green

with the piece of my heart

we

can

begin

where we left off

(Jim Wortham, April 8, 2023)

Am I Happy, Unhappy or Feeling Numb?

these days

it’s difficult to put an emotion

on my feelings

my health has taken a turn

doctors don’t have answers

my food is my friend — like

sardines (I cut the tails off before eating)

i select different types of crackers

making sardines tastier / / /

Mornings —

two cups of coffee with

creamer

while swallowing meds & vitamins

i see “balance of nature” vitamins

on tv advertising — the ads

almost guarantee one will feel

30 years younger or more —

guess what ?

no such luck

i’ve gone back

to cheaper vitamins i buy online

i also eat cheese — lots of cheese

with pickled boiled eggs

with a tad bit of black pepper

& hot sauce

makes for a good meal / / /

i’m trying to lose a few pounds

i’m told to exercise but i think

that’s a dirty word, isn’t it?

ok, i will walk, yes . . .

i’ll walk from the parking lot

to

where i shop at a store

yesterday i had energy —

enough to go to “dollar tree”

i bought cleaning supplies

i won’t bother you with the kinds or brands

i have a friend who brings me goodies

various kind of adult drinks in bottles

& diet drinks (name brand drinks)

he’s a good man

a really good man to be so kind to me

a long time ago i stopped buying

bottled water — is drinking tap water

from the water company so bad ?

my days are spent

reading books

sometimes watching TV

(but not much anymore)

i can’t seem to find any good things

to watch these days

books are my pleasure

oh, how i remember so many years ago

when i wrote and published

love poetry books

& traveled throughout the states

giving poetry readings at universities

& afterwards, being treated to wine & cheese

& other goodies to eat

by the facility

with students asking to talk

and hang around with me

yes, those were the good days

when book sales allowed me to

buy cars and a cabin beside a pond

and dine wherever my friends

wanted to eat

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >

i’ll write more later

thanks for visiting me today

______________________

(Jim Wortham, December 14, 2022)

Published on WordPress —

http://www.JimWorthamPoet.com

Time . . . you are rushing me — TOO FAST!

years pass

i can’t stop them

i look up the ages

when my friends passed

i’m not there

yet

but time won’t stop

i beg time to slow down

but it only rushes

some reason

i think i won’t be here

for long ///

after contracting the covid virus

long term covid set in

i have no energy

i sit

most of the time

not wanting to eat

not wanting to leave home

not wanting to

call anyone on the phone

the covid may be the cause

as i am in the high risk group

let’s see if

i make it one more year

maybe i’ll keep a journal

just put a few lines a day–

i have the energy for 2 lines / / /

i read slowly these days

i’ve stopped writing

poetry & prose

i doubt if anyone

reads this

(Jim Wortham, December 12, 2022

Depression is knocking on my door for a place to live

it’s december

cold

depression keeps knocking

saying

“your parents are dead

your brother is dead

friends are dying —

let me be your friend now”

depression tells me

“get ready for your

time of departure

it could be anytime”

i try not to let

depression come in

but

this year is different

depression keeps knocking

at my door

day and night

(Jim Wortham, December 11, 2022)

I did not know you wanted to date me

if I had known

i would have

called & we would enjoy

laughter, kisses and

days filled with fun

i never knew you

thought of me

i thought

your beauty was for other guys

like sports players

guys with fancy cars

i had low self esteem

still do

i wish i had known

you sometimes looked

at me and sent mental thoughts

for me to call

for an evening out

(Jim Wortham, December 9, 2022)

Autumn is gone– life is almost complete

It’s time

i move on

my colors have fallen

like the leaves

long term covid

had stripped me

i have

stopped eating

can’t sleep

no energy

doctors don’t know

any

answers ///

i lose weight

i sleep late

and of course

don’t care about

about politics

it never matters–

the promises are broken

###################

the last few leaves

are falling today

soon

my energy will

be no more

it’s unusual to feel

losing the race

even those who

know me —

i feel

i turned off

they snap at me

if i say something

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

the good book

says there is a

time for everything

now

i know what

everything means

i think winter is coming

and as snow

melts

it will be my

time to

melt

___________________________

(by Jim Wortham, November 6, 2022)

Thanks for the dance

i went to dances in high school

i danced

with anyone who said “yes”

i went to local schools

(girls at other schools

did not know

how shy i was during that time)

then college happened —

i never found

the perfect partner

then after college

i visited

dance clubs

& country clubs

with dance nights

to meet someone

anyone

to date —

time passes

and tonight i’m thinking about

all who i danced with —

i didn’t show

enough appreciation

for the lovely dances

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

now is better than never

if you and i danced

once upon a time

thank you,

thank you,

thank you!

+ + + +

and if

we meet again

“may i have another dance?”

and if we have never danced

and you see me

please

ask me for a dance

i promise to

thank you for your dance

(Jim Wortham, September 26, 2022)

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