As The Whistle Blows..

As the train was in the distance
I heard the whistle blow
Escaping the memories
Of trains past....


As a child
Trains were of everyday
Seeing them
Hearing them
Walking the tracks....


Remembering the rails, on hot days
Burning your feet as you tried to walk them
The smell of the rail ties
The wood and oil
Spikes driven in to hold the rails in place
Some laying on the gravel, ties too
A few working their way out....


I remember the gravel spread all around
Agates and jaspers
Glimmering in the sun
Childs hands grabbing them
In the pockets they go....


I remember the Engineers
As the trains would pass
Waving at us
With a smile to boot
The guys in the caboose waving
Giving a laugh or two....


These are the memories of trains
From my childhood past....


As an adult, we rode the rails
From town to town
State to state
From the plains
To the mountains
The oceans too....


Clickity clack of the tracks
The whistle blowing
As cars waited for us to go by
The motion of train cars
Relaxing as things and places go by....


Yes I hear the whistle of a train
The memories it brings back
Maybe today I will reminisce
Go walk those tracks....


Michael Vandyke @C 2020

Sheep

I see the faces
Buried in their dreams
Not wanting to look up
To see the real world, in it's all
I see the skies
The blue
Clouds of white and grey
See the trees
With mountains as their back drops
As they grow
The winds tickle their branches
As they blow
Birds in flight
Motions through the sky
The gentle rains
Gathering rainbows
Here and there
I see the faces
Buried in a dream
Not wanting to look up
They don't even care
Or even to know
As I drive the roads
The streets of the cities too
I see people walking
Nose to the phones
Walking one, two and three
Nobody talking, or looking to see
Drivers talking on phones
Their passengers too
The gathering at places
It's the same zoo
A song comes to mind
"The Year 2525"
It's here people
It has taken control
The sheep are all lead
By the wolf
Who is in control....

Michael Vandyke @C - 2020

Amy

This old box, as you see
Shiny and new...

This old box, I found
Scratched up, dark colors
From finishes that grew old...

This old box
Is older than Grandpa, you know...

As I took it all apart
Laying the pieces all in a row
The sandpaper came out
Taking the old finishes off
Exposing the real beauty of the wood...

Putting the pieces back together
Adding a nice clear finish
All this for you...

Granddaughter of mine
As you cherish this old box
I hope you know
I did this all for you...

Grandpa than
Grandpa now
Grandpa tomorrow
Grandpa, always for you...

Life is what you make
Be it like this box
It's all out there
For you to grab...

Choose wisely
With lots of thought
Your going far
That's what you were taught...

Grandpa is proud
Grandpa is happy
Grandpa will always
Love you...


Michael Vandyke 2020

The Waters of Change...

The journals of your past
Are just memories
Words on paper....

I seen them fall
Into the creek, far below
I watched the pages unfold....

Seeing the ink blemish or disappear
As some of our memories also do
Keep what is good
Wash the others away....

The pages falling
Gliding onto their own paths
Sinking, or taking flight
As from the winds....

The rocks shredding paper
As they float towards the unknown
As some of our memories doing the same....

Choose on what to keep
Let the others go
Close your eyes
Let the waters take you home....


Michael Vandyke C@ 2019

Mike

As the angels touched you
To say, its time to come home
Your at peace now....
No sickness, no pain, no more
May you walk in the glory
Of heaven above....
The sorrow, may it be short
We will live as they say
"The Celebration of Life"....
Remember the good times
Peaceful times, quite times....
May you be rewards with tools
Of gold, silver and jewels
Happiness, content and grace....
As you meet family, friends
The people you loved
That went before you....
Jesus shared you with us
But called you back home
Blessed are we
To have shared our moments
days and years....
Be at peace my brother
My friend
Your in God's hands now
Amen.....


Michael Vandyke @C  2019

Oldtimers Never Leave..

I see the fence
Of rusted steel
Weathered from the sun
The winters past....

The gate
Hanging by the hinge
Blowing slowly
With the winds....

The weeds are high
From years gone by
The tombstones
Showing above
The wildflowers
The prairie grass too....

I walked in
To take a look
Remembering the names I seen...

I see Bob's
Of rusted gray
The writing still crisp
As of the first of days
He was a character
Funny and laxed
Never a better friend
To make you laugh...

As I turn around
I see another...

Phil's I believe
An honest man
As the day was long
To bad to see them
All gone...

Joe was over yonder
Oh what a rascal
He was
Did his days, one day at a time
His life was never a hassle....

Over in the corner
Out of the way
Was Hank
As rusty as an old barbed fence
Crude, as most would say
Not many friends
He just liked it that way
The few he liked
Were friends for life....

I turned to walk back to my trk
Sitting on the road
I looked down
I see a bone
Shoulder bone, flat and whole
Colored from brown, to white
Grey and old....

I picked it up
Cleaned it
Best I could
Put it in a tree
Where it stood
Reminding me
Of the guys I knew
Memories staying
Bones growing old
Never forgetting the stories
That were always told.....



Michael Vandyke @C 2019

Notes From Heaven...

I received a note from heaven
Not of paper or pen
But a sign from loved ones
From now and than....

Don't live your lives in sorrow
This is not what I want to see...

For the memories are just a touch
From the Father's gentle hand
Like the footprints
We see, in the sand...

The gentle touch from a stranger
As they smile
My touch through them
To you...

Did you see a penny
Laying on the ground
Old and worn
Maybe shiny and new
Pick it up and read
"In God we trust"
As I was to you...

These are notes from heaven
They are just for you...

The smell of a flower
Drawing memories
Of before....

Did you listen to the bird
Perched on your fence
Singing it's song
Making you content....

These are notes from heaven
For your eyes to see
Your heart to feel...

Take these signs
With tears of joy
Just little notes
From heaven, to you.....


Michael Vandyke C@ 2019