LIGHTS OUT

AS THE LIGHTS GO OUT

Wandering in the woods

Near the close of day,

Refreshing my mind

From the work-day's drought.

Srrolling along

Away from the fray,

Untangling my thoughts

As the lights go out.

Sundown glows red,

Then fades to gray,

Unraveling the webs

Of my musings and doubt.

Confident, certain,

So I no longer sway,

I'm sure-footed now

As the lights go out.

And now as I near end

My body of clay,

I go toward a new dawn

And a joy-filled shout.

I see opened arms,

For me, that I pray.

I'm welcomed home

Where the lights don't go out!

... written by Netagene, just after midnight, July 4, 2020.

I got the idea from the title of a novel, "When the Light Goes Out", by Larry McMurtry. ... and still with sweet friend, preacher, song leader Mark A. Etheridge's passing on my mind. He also helped start the church in Fayetteville, Georgia. He had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He and his wife moved from Sevierville, TN, to their daughter's in Aurora, CO, in 2019, for Mark to have stem cell surgery. He was 67 years old.

Charmin Scott

My best friend's name is Charmin Scott.

Her dad was once a tree.

Inside were rings

And pulp and dings.

An acorn once was she.

And now my friend, soft Charmin Scott ...

Twined parents were a tree,

Had rings and knots

Then saws and shots ...

So she could hang with me.

By Netagene, in s few minutes on March 28, 2020. This was because of the corona virus pandemic, in which people were stocking up on toilet paper suddenly, so much that stores were running out, and some stores were gouging prices for what they had! "Charmin" and "Scott" are 2 name brands.

I'm posting this on April 4, at which time all of Alabama, and a lot of states, are under strict quarantine, to stop the spread. The virus initially came from China.

OLD FEEBLE GREY MARE

OLD FEEBLE GREY MARE

I'm an old grey mare and I feel feeble,
Like the toy that's called a wobbly weeble.

Feel like I've aged about 20 years
In less than 2 months of worries and tears.

Mousey hair suddenly has some white.
Seems like it happened overnight.

Aging means naps any time of the day.
But now more often. My body is clay.

God is the potter, after all.
Prayers to Him, whatever the call.

Surgery was good. Results were the best.
I'm an old feeble grey mare, but I'm so very blessed.

Written by Netagene, December 22, 2018, about 3½ weeks after having had surgery (November 27) for endometrial cancer. Thankfully Dr. Kerri Bevis and her team got it all. I had planned to say no if chemo or radiation had been suggested.

Sweet boy

This was the 6th year I attended the Truth lectures at the Athens Bible School in north Alabama. Keegan Chaffin is 9 years old, and has Down Syndrome ... yet a couple of years ago, he noticed that I used a walker (old age arthritis!) and always kind of "ran interference" for me when I tried to go to the door. He also tried to hold the big heavy door open for me, even though the door weighed more than him! His dad is preacher Jonathan Chaffin, and Jonathan's dad was also a preacher. Keegan is the youngest of 5. He plans to also be a preacher. His mother Lisa posted a picture of Keegan when he was about 4, standing in the waiting room of a dentist office, with his Bible, preaching! I always call him "brother Keegan" and shake his hand, and thank him.

I Will be Well

Here is the sheet music to the song I co-wrote November, 2018. Tony Kite wrote the words to the chorus. He wrote the melody, and Aneva Peirce wrote the harmony. It is free for you to copy and use.

Song: I WILL be WELL!

I will be well

When I leave the boat.

I will be well

Though I cannot swim.

I will be well

When I touch His coat.

I will be well

When I go to Him.

I will be well

When I lose my wrath.

I will be well

Even when l'm old.

I will be well

When I'm on His path.

I will be well

In the Shepherd's fold.

I will be well

When I am so ill.

I will be well

When I cannot see.

I will be well

When my body's still.

I will be well

For God walks with me.

Chorus:

I will be well

In my Savior's love.

I will be well,

Here or heav'n above.

I will be well,

For He's telling me,

"You will be well, child.

You walked with me."

I wrote the 3 verses on November 14, 2018. On November 16, I got the diagnosis that I had endometrial cancer. I posted the poem on a couple of Facebook walls. On November 18, Anthony Harlen "Tony" Kite, one of the directors of the Texas Normal Singing School, in Abilene, which I'd attended on a full scholarship a few months previously, added the chorus, and wrote a melody. He and another friend-in-person, Aveva Peirce, added the harmonies. I and a couple of other friends changed a couple of notes. I am adding a picture of the sheet music here, and separately. If anyone wants it, please contact me. We sang it at the Huffman church of Christ, Birmingham, Alabama, a few times. It has also been sung by a church in Connecticut and by one in Vermont, that I know of ... and possibly by others.

Tim Stevens led it a few times when he was at Huffman, May 3-5, 2019. He had Romans 15:13 on rhe screen.

Other applicable Bible verses, for each verse of the poem/song: Matthew 14:26-30; 9:20-22 (the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' coat); Proverbs 15:1 and Job 5:2, about being angry; Leviticus 19:32 and Proverbs 16:31 about getting old; Jeremiah 6:16 (walk in the old paths); Psalm 23:5, John 10:14, 1 Peter 5:4; Matthew 10:8 and Luke 7:2; Ecclesiastes 12:3 and Matthew 11:5; John 11, the story of Lazarus; Psalm 23:4

FEAR of FALLING

FEAR OF FALLING as I age
is my number one concern.
I've read of some solutions,
some things that I can learn.

Poor eyesight and poor hearing
oft causes me to trip. 
A fall might quickly then occur.
I'd break a knee or hip.

I'd rather use a walker,
or a cane, or touch a wall.
I'm okay with getting older,
but I sure don't want to fall.

There's a biblical application:
I know I'm saved by grace.
But I'm more spiritually careful
not to fall in my heavenly race.

Written by Netagene, April 1, 2019 ... especially thinking of Bette Wolfgang, Steve's wife. She fell one night and broke her foot. A day later (?), she had fallen and broke her hip. (I think this is correct; I know she fell twice, a few days apart.)

NOT DEAD! OLD AGE and FEEBLE

I may be old
but I am bold.
Don't put me on a cold
slab
Just hold
me. Don't stab
me.
Autopsy not yet
or you'll regret.
I ain't dead yet.

So I am blind
but I am fine.
So I am deaf
but I've not left
my worldly fate.
I'm doin' great.
I compensate,
eat what's on my plate,
and I would date
someone who'll participate
and help me walk
and sing and talk.

Don't write me dead
or I'll have your head!
Autopsy not yet
or you'll regret.
I ain't dead yet.

written by Netagene, in a few minutes on April 20, 2018. Inspired by ZdoggMD, who has a lot of good ones on YouTube. I emailed this poem to Dr. Zubin. He's an actual MD who also writes songs, some with rap in them. Look him up on YouTube, or his website. He's hilarious, and says a lot of things that I like. And all his things are captioned. Maybe he'll do something with my poem. Likely it is incomplete.

The WHEELBARROW

The WHEELBARROW

No more wheelbarrow's-full

Of limbs up to the street.

I'm pleased I got it done,

But wow! I sure am beat!

No more pushing wheelbarrows.

I thought I still was strong.

Even empty, it was heavy.

The driveway seemed so long.

A wheelbarrow is so handy,

Easily used in heat or cold.

But now I've learned my lesson.

I don't like to admit I'm old!

I'm glad I have a wheelbarrow.

Cleared leaf and limb and log.

I should have quit much sooner.

My mind's now in a fog.

No fault of the wheelbarrow,

But I did too much, I know.

I've always been independent.

Hard to admit I'm getting slow.

After using the wheelbarrow in August,

I was really hurting a lot.

Walking, breathing, coughing ...

Now pneumonia's what I've got.

Maybe a gardener will use a wheelbarrow ...

Working at a steady pace.

I'll leave such chores to a strong man.

Maybe there's one at the rehab place.

Maybe a wheelbarrow can be symbolic ...

Tripod base, the godhead three.

And I am carried and supported

From now to eternity.

Written by Netagene, with love, September 17, 2017, as if Eunice Davis, age 93, was speaking. This is actually what happened. She pushed 3+ loads of limbs, etc., from the far back of her lot, up through the grass and driveway, to the street, for trash pickup. Her lot is steep and slopes down. The limbs had fallen during a storm, then had been rained on. They were heavy ... and heavier because of being damp. She hurt so badly she could barely move a couple of days later, especially her right leg, such that she was unable to drive. That gradually improved some so that she was back to driving some. Then a few days later, she started running a fever and was coughing, so she went to the doctor. He had her immediately check herself into the hospital. That was Friday, September 8. A few days later, she was moved to SICU ... then back to a regular room ... and on ... to a nursing home for rehab ...

OLD LADY

Old Lady with a walking cane
Learned it wasn't much help at all.
Old Lady walking down a slope
Was really afraid she might fall.

Old Lady found it wasn't too bad
To uphill walk a slope.
Old Lady, taking a step at a time
Trudged on, holding onto hope.

Old Lady finally admits that, yeah,
She knows she's getting old.
Old Lady's going to stop taking chances,
To quit trying to be so bold.

Old Lady has some smarts, for sure,
Decides to use her brain.
Old Lady had already bought other things
Because falling would be a pain.

Old Lady bought stuff a few years ago,
While she had money to spend.
Old Lady knew prices only go up.
She knew her years might soon end.

Old Lady now uses a walker,
An ugly aluminum frame.
Old Lady decorates it pretty.
"Ugly" is not her game.

Old Lady has help for sight and sound,
And now for walking, too.
Old Lady's still alive and goes and goes
And sings and tells God, "thank you!"

 ~ By Netagene, in about 10 minutes Thursday, June 16, 2016. I think it's finished. Could be better if I'd taken more time. (I still might reword some.) Yes, I'm using a walker more and more frequently. I haven't decorated it yet but I'm trying to come up with something real soon. I used to decorate my long white cane.

LIGHT in YOUR EYES

LIGHT in YOUR EYES

My friend, you've always been so calm,
A help in many ways.
I know YOU often go through trials,
Some low and gloomy days.
I don't know how you carry on.
You've heard your share of sighs.
It's sweet that others see the love
Light shining in your eyes.

You always do so many things,
Diverse and everywhere.
I pray you'll stop and care for YOU,
Let others do their share.
I know you must be spread so thin.
You go when you hear cries --
Some laughter, too, and I can see
Light shining in your eyes.

But lately, friend, your steps seem strained,
Distracted, maybe blue,
Pressing toward a better land
When this short life is through
I'm with you there as I grow old
And loose these earthly ties.
It's fine as slow it slips away
Light fading from our eyes.

There comes a time to pass the torch.
It's hard to lay it down.
Sweet sadness, memories, letting go,
Forced smile to hide your frown.
I'm grateful for the things you do.
We all know how time flies.
God bless you for what all you do with
Light shining in your eyes.

~ by Netagene, May 22, 2016. I can think of more than one person this fits, but I got the idea and initial thought from something Mrs. Davis said a few days previously. The preacher where we worship recently has had shingles and bronchitis, in addition to diabetes and heart problems. He also fell a couple of months ago working in his backyard garden. He IS spread thin, and tries to go every time anyone calls, in addition to preaching 2 sermons and teaching 2 (sometimes 3) Bible classes every week. Lately he has really looked tired. Mrs. D said that it looked like the "light had gone out of his eyes". For years he's been highly involved with the FC Alabama camp. I told him at lunch one day last year, when he was talking about camp, that maybe it was time he "passed the torch". I could tell he wasn't happy with that. This year, he isn't even going to the camp, so in that, he HAS passed the torch.

I Can't Hear! I Can't Hear!

I can't hear! I can't hear!
I can tell there's a sound but it's not clear.
It might be words or a hum or a sigh.
Maybe it's sweet. Maybe it's a cry.

It's more distorted if it gets loud.
Think of the noise of an excited crowd.
My ears can't grasp a certain range.
A tone higher or lower -- can you make that change?

Sometimes I may ask you to repeat.
Put yourself in my "ears". Please be sweet.
Don't say, "doesn't matter" or "never mind".
That's very rude. That's really unkind.

I don't want pity and I hate to rant.
Maybe now YOU can hear -- but what if one day, you can't?

By Netagene, in a few minutes, March 2, 2016. I emailed this to several who had articles published in the current magazine issue of the Hearing Loss Association of America. One professor at Gallaudet University wrote back, asking my permission to print and use it there. I also emailed it to the SayWhatClub's listserv, and posted it on the HLAA Facebook wall, the SWC Facebook wall, and my own Facebook wall. I got a LOT of "likes", plus requests to use it in various meetings.

MEMORIES and OLD IRON

Memories like rusty old iron that was cast
In some small sandy hole that I thought surely would last –
Brought to the front of my mind now and then,
Polished so I vaguely see them again.

Cracks in my memories like pits in the iron –
Missing some scenes like a field that is barren.
Like seasoning on skillet, a faint image shows through –
Someone from long years, some notes I once knew.

A shine that now beams to my memory, now dim –
I see in my mind's eye – was that really him?
My father, my brother – oh where have you gone?
My sister, my mother – some notes of a song ...

Though iron lasts a long time, it changes its look.
My mind from my body has also forsook ...
Corrosion has come to that iron in the sand.
I'm changing, too, for a far better land.

My thinking is slipping – sometimes loses track,
Like that trusty iron skillet, I'm beginning to crack.
Forgetting my own name, don't know who you are –
But I do know that Heaven's no longer so far!

But now it's today. I'm not sure what to do.
The rust in that skillet's now covered my view.
My mind simply tricks me with things only I see.
I know that I'm fading but God's arms reach for me.

- by Netagene Kirkpatrick, December 21, 2014 -

The Preacher Says

Ecclesiastes says there's a time for all things.

3:2 says a time to be born and to die.

Chapter 12 tells what will happen as onward we age.

Can't stop it no matter how hard we may try.

Personally, I'm not sick, but I'm falling apart,

just as wise Solomon said,

but I still plug along and do what I can,

until ''this ol' house'' of mine is dead.

My ''windows'' became bad in 2003,

but I still have some usable sight.

And I need aids for my ears, but I still can hear some,

But I often enjoy the quiet.

A congenital problem I have with my feet

has become worse, but I can still walk.

And a real old grinder recently had to come out,

but I can still eat and can talk.

So what that I'm slower, don't see or hear well,

and my speech is no longer real clear.

I'm still above ground and I'm mostly OK.

I guess God's got things for me yet to do here.

God gave His Son and I know I am saved.

I'm waiting for my Heavenly rest!

So even though I have problems - and don't we all! -

here on earth, O how richly I'm blest.

- by Netagene, written in about an hour this afternoon, Tuesday, May 15, 2013, while sitting on my porch. The word: "Ecclesiastes" is the Greek word for "gatherer", "teacher", or "preacher".

Food Poem

CARBS and CAFFEINE

I like beef and potatoes,
chicken and pasta, too.
I've learned what foods that I can eat
to stay awake, or to sleep the night through.

Caffeine is a stimulant.
It really gets me wired.
I wish there was an ''off'' switch.
Can't stop though my body is tired.

I fade in a carbohydrate coma,
thanks to some good ol' mac' and cheese.
Just a bowlful, and I'd fall over
From a weather or a real light breeze.

Most of the time I am careful
of what and when I eat through the day,
but some foods are so very tempting 
That it's hard to turn them away.

So no carbs for me in the morning ...
No caffeine for me after lunch.

I've learned what foods I can eat when

I want to doze or when I need a punch.

And here where I am living -

in the good ol' U.S. of A.,

I have more than my share of good things.

I am so very blessed today.

- by Netagene Kirkpatrick, March 10 & 11, 2013.

All my poems, etc., part 2

If you are coming to this late, and seeing a lot of things that I call Facebook Poems, there is a reason/excuse. About mid-June, I hadn't posted anything anywhere, nor texted anyone, and I don't like to talk on the phone ... so I decided that, when I can, which is almost every day unless the internet is down or I am out of town and do not have access, that one of the first times I'll do each day is write something - usually a poem - on Facebook. I label it simply "Facebook poems", though they cover a lot of subjects. I am labeling THIS note with all the labels I have used. That way, if you click on some label/subject that you think you might find interesting, everything I've labeled as such will show up on this blog. Thanks for reading what I write. I hope that you get a smile, or a laugh, or some encouragement, or that they make you think, etc. Feel free to comment on things I write, too. Thanks. (I am having to post this twice so as to show all the labels that I've made!)

I was accused of LYING!!!

Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it isn't there..

I posted the following on my Facebook page, but think it might be of interest here.

Two days ago, when a friend and I went to a local drug store to get our flu shots, a stranger accused me of lying!

My good friend and I were seated, waiting our turn, and were filling out some papers. A man came over and sat down next to me. He noticed my long white cane, then said, "I KNOW you are not blind. I saw you walk into the store, and walk around as good as the other lady, and fill out some papers".

At least he knew what my cane signified, but I DID have to explain that a person does not have to be totally blind to be legally blind. I explained that I became legally blind 9 years ago this month, and told him about what usable sight I have (good usable sight in one eye, but only straight ahead, no depth perception and almost no peripheral sight), plus the fact that over the years, I've learned to compensate. Hopefully he believed my explanation, which was of course true. I wouldn't know the man again.

I'm sure that Molly C. Corum, Lee Ann Brooks, and a few other of my friends have had similar comments once in awhile though I know I have more usable sight than they have. And Charlotte and Ken Osbourn live alone, and sometimes keep their grandson.

 

Molly is early 60s, retired, is a 4^th generation Floridian and lives in Tampa. I didn’t know her when I lived in Tampa. She has Usher's Syndrome. a hereditary problem that over the years causes both blindness and deafness. She still has a good bit of usable sight but, like me, does have to rely on a long white cane. Without her cochlear implants, she is totally deaf now. We met at the national convention of the Hearing Loss Association of American last June when it was in Providence, RI.

Lee Ann is about 50 and is almost totally blind, due to birth problems caused by Rh blood incompatibility. The doctor thought she'd be deaf, blind, and mentally retarded. She has her master's degree and works full time as a councilor here in Birmingham with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. She wasn't my councilor, but became a friend.

Charlotte and Ken have been married almost 40 years. They both were born totally blind due to having been premature. They met at the Alabama School for the blind in Talladega. They live in Irondale (a suburb of Birmingham). They have 3 daughters, all fully sighted. Ken is the current president of the local chapter of the American Council of the Blind, and is also state prez. He has worked in radio and TV all his life, mostly voice-overs, some locally, some nationally.

Molly, Lee Ann, and Charlotte all commented on what I wrote, as did Cheree and Sandy, friends of mine who both who are fully sighted. 

INCONVENIENCED

I'm handicapped, so says the law -
Legally blind and wear hearing aids.
I sometimes stagger when I walk ...
"Three times, I'm out" - yeah, sometimes afraid.

Sometimes my body may need some help.
Thanks for helping me when I call.
To me, I'm inconvenienced.
My physical body isn't me at all.

Everybody's physical house will eventually age,
But I'm fine. God breathed my soul.
And one day in Heaven, I'll return to Him -
Eternally, forever, whole!

~ written by Netagene in a few minutes real, real early July 3, 2012 ~

Hearing Loss Associaton of America puzzle

Search Word Puzzle for

Hearing Loss Association of America, 2011

Words that are underlined in the story all are in the grid. They

go horizontally, vertically, diagonally, backward, and forward. All but

three of the left-over letters spell out the name of our nation’s capital.

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In this NEW AGE, the ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY is amazing, and more so for people who do not HEAR well or are LATE DEAFENED. When ROCKY STONE started SHHH (now HLA of America), doubtless he never dreamed of a COCHLEAR IMPLANT or stenographers who do REAL TIME typing that is projected on a screen as someone speaks! We no longer have a bulky box that HANGS around our neck. Old hearing AIDS were ANALOG and mostly just amplified everything, thus were only more NOISE to our EARS. A DIGITAL DEVICE can be programmed for specific sounds by a knowledge-able AUDIOLOGIST! The AUDIO on a TV can be kept low because that medium, and others, now use CLOSED CAPTIONING. A LOOP or an FM system can be installed almost anywhere. It is good that people still learn and use American Sign LANGUAGE and FINGER SPELLING. TEXT messaging and EMAIL have made COMMUNICATION so much easier for us, but those things can fail. Many people use SPEECH READING without realizing it. TINNITUS and NERVE DAMAGE are still problems. We may not sing well, but watch us DANCE! There are now so many ways to ACCOMMODATE people whose ears do not work well. Life is GOOD! We truly live in the BEST of TIMES! How SWEET it is!

- by Netagene, June 3. 2011 -