I have a new delightful friend,
I'm almost in awe of
her.
When we first met I
was impressed,
By her bizarre
behavior.
That day I had a date with
friends,
We met to have some
lunch.
Mae had come along
with them,
All in all - a
pleasant bunch.

When the menus were
presented,
We ordered salads,
sandwiches, and soups.
Except for Mae who
circumvented,
And said, "Ice cream,
please. Two scoops."
I was not sure my ears heard
right,
And the others were
aghast.
"Along with heated
apple pie,"
Mae smiled,
completely unabashed.
We tried to act quite
nonchalant,
As if people did this
all the time.
But when our orders
were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.

I could not take my
eyes off Mae,
As her pie ala-mode
went down.
The other ladies
showed dismay,
They ate their
lunches, and they frowned.
Well, the next time I went out
to eat,
I called and invited
Mae.
My lunch contained
white tuna meat,
She ordered a
parfait.
I smiled when her dish I
viewed,
She asked if she
amused me.
I answered, "Yes, you
do,
And you also do
confuse me."

"How come you order
rich desserts
When I feel I must be
sensible?"
She laughed and said,
with wanton mirth,
"I am tasting all
that's possible."
"I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I
should.
But life's so short,
my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on
something good."
"This year I realized I was
old,"
She grinned, "I've
not been this old before.
So, before I die,
I've got to try,
Those things for
years I have ignored.

"I've not smelled all
the flowers yet,
And too many books I
have not read.
There're more fudge
sundaes to woof down,
And kites to be flown
overhead."
"There're many malls I have not
shopped,
I've not laughed at
all the jokes.
I've missed a lot of
Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and
cokes."
"I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray
upon my face.
Sit in a country
church once more,
And thank God for His
grace."

"I want peanut butter
every day,
Spread on my morning
toast,
I want un-timed long
distance calls,
To the folks I love
the most."
"I've not cried at all the
movies yet,
Nor walked in the
morning rain.
I need to feel wind
in my hair,
I want to fall in
love again."
"So, if I choose to have
dessert,
Instead of having
dinner,
If I should die
before nightfall,
You'd have to say I
died a winner."
"That I missed out on nothing,
That I had my heart's
desire.
That I had that final
chocolate mousse,
Before my life
expired."
  
With that, I called
the waitress over,
"I've changed my
mind, it seems."
I said, "I want what
she is having,
Only add some more
whipped cream."
Virginia (Ginny)
Ellis
Copyright, 2000

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