Paying the Price

 

Go your own way,

and I’ll go mine.

There’s a price to be paid.

Lets share what we find.

As for me

I’ve bought the right,

I‘ve bought the right,

I’ve bought the right.

Give me fresh air

to breath.

I need respect paid to me.

I’ve bought the right.

You deserve what you get,

I’ll reap what’s coming to me.

Bought the right, both of us,

don’t you see?

What I need is

to be the best

I can be be.

Allow me the

liberty I seek.

I’ve bought the right.

I’ve paid my dues,

followed the rules

and broke some too.

I deserve what I got,

You got what’s coming to you.

Living the Life, paying the price

is what we’ve got to do.

Don’t you know,

this way and that,

I’ve bought the right,

can’t you see?

Lookie here,

it’s plain to see,

you gotta be you,

I’ve gotta be me.

Bought the right,

bought the right

to fashion the life

that was meant to be.

Ups and downs,

inside and out,

I’ve bought the right,

I’ve bought the right.

I‘ve bought the right,

I’ve bought the right.

Lord knows, I’ve paid the price 

with the entirety my life.

                -30-

Chris Hanch 12-31-2021

Road Trip

In my old age

I still travel

down memory lane

most days

The smooth ride

back and forth

down that

two-lane road

takes me

at a slow and

deliberate speed

to places

familiar to me

to friends

and places most

welcoming to me

You my friend

are waiting there

with open arms

ready to relive

those precious

moments which

have made us

flaws and all

who we turned

out to be

That’s right

without the desert

and mountains

the oceans of

these memories

we never would

have been made

into the

people we turned

out to be

Today I thrive

in my old age

in remembering

as Roy Rogers

still sings

along with me

Happy trails to you

Until we meet again

Happy trails to you

Keep smiling until then...

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 12-30-2021

Biology, Antropology and Photography

It took dust from exploded stars, water,

oxygen, hellfire energy, through five mass

extinctions and four billion years for you

and me, for all humankind to get here.

It has been biologically a long road to hoe,

and who knows how much longer we have

to go?

Originally, we all came from the same place,

each of us uniquely modeled, fashioned from

our inherited and specific DNA.

Scientifically remarkable, almost unbelievable.

Intriguing, our melding, developments and

meanderings anthropologists would say.

By the gods (some will claim), surely scientifically

along with the mysterious twists of fates, we are

here today. As for the future, who on Earth, but

the Earth can say?

Allow me to take your photograph right here

and now. On borrowed time, today is all we

have; come hell, high water and climate change,

tomorrow may be too late.

                                 -30-

Chris Hanch 12-29-2021

 

This One is Meant for You

 

Don’t take it personally,

the dog may have bitten anyone.

The rain came on parade day.

Don’t take it personally,

the short of the stick

had to be picked by someone.

Don’t take it personally,

one in a thousand was

a chance which had to be taken.

Don’t take it personally,

everyone with a need in turn

had to stand in line.

Don’t take it personally,

someone was meant

to lose the game.

Don’t take it personally,

he finds a reason to abuse

everyone he meets.

Don’t take it personally,

it’s natural that pain and immobility

come part and parcel with old age.

Don’t take it personally,

you must have been mistaken.

The label on the package

you opened did not bear

your name. Be mindful

and careful, though.

One day sooner or later,

the inevitable is bound to happen—

And personally, it could be meant for you.

                            -30-

Chris Hanch 12-28-21

What It is or Could Be

 

Life is a mystery.

Yesterday is history.

Stories told between you

and me

are usually fantasies.

realities,

niceties,

or atrocities.

The alphabet begins

with an A and

Twenty six letters later

it ends with a Z.

Similarly,

travesties

and pleasantries

are sometimes

begun tediously

then summarized

linguistically

with brevity

and alacrity.

Presumably

there is the possibility

this could be

one of those.

I suppose intuitively

it shows,

last night I spent

my time alone.

         -30-

Chris Hanch 12-25-2021

Beyond Reasoning

 

A swift sword and the kill.

A thousand years have passed.

A hundred years or so ago

the pistol misfires in Wyoming

and the woman survives.

Someone failed to attend the dance,

and the couple was reduced to one.

That was the year the farmer’s

crop failed.

Wars have come and gone.

Lives are lost; new lives are gained.

A man left the bar in Limerick,

and never made it home.

The 747 made a safe landing.

All the passengers made their way

to their final destinations.

For millennia, no matter the significance,

paths have crossed or have failed to.

One thing follows another.

A breath is taken, the first or the last.

The train is on time or late.

So, what does it matter?

You and I, someone, something,

somewhere in the past, present or

future, with or without reason.

Either we are or they

shall or never shall be.

Perhaps the bee left the hive

and never returned. For lack

of a microgram of pollen

the honey was never made.

                 -30-

Chris Hanch 12-23-2021

The Recipe of Me

 

You’re all caught up, the Facebook

Memories Shared says. They have

no idea that I have so much more

to reveal. But at this time in my life

I’m holding back some delightful

and distasteful memories.

It is at times wise to be enigmatic to

strangers and friends alike. In any

case, many have already made up

their minds as to whom they believe

I am (a saint or sinner).

And for those of you who are devout

believers, only heaven knows. For

some who are more scientifically

biased, I am purely a biological amal-

gam, sort of a hodgepodge stew, an

entree on the Human Race Menu.

I am a sweet and sour oddity, somewhat

peculiar to the taste, some may claim.

I assure you, however, I am not nor

ever shall be “all caught up.” There

are still some delectable and detestable

subtleties brewing in me.

                            -30-

Chris Hanch 12-21-21

Losses and Gains

 

You do what is needed—

a shower each day,

dress accordingly

for work and play.

To the job on time,

occasionally late.

Cut the grass

and weekly shop

on Saturday.

Go to church

on Sunday,

kneel, bless yourself,

sing and pray.

You exercise, eat right,

pay the bills on time.

You fasten your seat belt,

drive the speed limit,

obey the rules of the road.

You drink in moderation

and swear only when alone.

You follow your routine,

and for the most part

have it made.

Day after day passes

much the same.

And mundane as that

may seem at times,

the way it goes for you

is pretty much okay.

Surely there were

losses and gains

along the way.

Marriage, kids,

family and friends.

But for all it’s worth,

you have managed

to make it none-the-less

to retirement.

You sit alone now

with only your memories

and the aches and pain

of old age.

Congratulations!

You look up at night

and the stars in the

heavens seem to

remain unchanged

It is then the

univarsal

wonderment

of it all hits you—

What the hell?

Light years,

you tell yourself.

At 186,000 miles

per second,

it takes light years.

                    -30-

Chris Hanch 12-18-2021

High Wind Warning Today

 

High wind warning today,

they say. A chance of being

blown away. And I for one

am hoping to be wind-blown

in the right direction.

Where, you may ask, might I

wish to go? There are four

directions, you know, within

the azimuth parameter of 360

degrees from which to choose.

Let the meteorological and geo-

metric rule the day. I never was

very adept at the sciences anyway.

Somewhere warm and sunny, I’d

say.

High wind warning today.

In more simplistic layman

terms, battening the hatches

and hunkering down is wise

just in case.

                    -30-

Chris Hanch 12-14-2021

She an I and Old Age

 

Nearly seventy-five and still alive.

Well, nearly alive, not the man I

used to be.

No more travel, no

more partying, no women or booze.

Aches and pain, arthritic frame,

scatted thoughts to wrack the brain.

No more plans for the future. Each

day, one at a time, that’s what’s

left. No regrets, I’ve done more

than most in my time.

Have had my small dog for going

on eight years. She can sometimes

be a pesky little beast. Barks a lot

at any noise she hears inside and

out of the apartment where we

live.

She watches TV with me, and

goers crazy, yapping at every

animal she sees. Can’t break

her of it; that’s the way she’s

always been.

She has been through a lot

of physical changes with me,

yet sees me no differently

than she did the first day

we got together. That’s the

beauty of having a dog as

a constant and faithful

companion.

She accepts me for who I am

no matter what. My lap has

always afforded her a safe

and comfortable place to rest.

She’d have that and me no other

way.

I do know to keep the remote

handy. When those terrible cats,

dogs and horses appear on

TV, a quick reflexive switch

of the station and her barking

subsides. We know each other

well, she and I.

And I’d have to say, I’m still

pretty quick on the button

for a crippled old guy.

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 12-13-2021

Light and Life

 

In the blinking of an eye

light and life passing by

indeed a wondrous and

inspiring sight

Wish I may, wish I might

clearly yet another awesome

blinking of such delight

                 -30-

Chris Hanch 12-12-2021

A Poem Sometimes

 

A poem can be short surely

A poem can be long

A poem can rhyme or not

A poem can be sun like a song

Colorful as stained glass

sweet as a glass of sassafras

or a pitiful pain in the ass

A poem is a poem right or wrong

                        -30-

Chris Hanch 12-11-2021

 

Something About Photography

Back in the 1860s, Mathew Brady focused his

photography on famous people and historical events.

In the 20^th Century, Ansel Adams had his eye

on the American West and landscape photography.

Annie Leibovitz, contemporary American photographer,

is best known for her dramatic celebrity portraits.

As I see it in photography, nature has no choice

but to present itself with unabashed truthful honestly.

Portraits of people present a unique challenge. One must be

at the ready for that precise instance to capture the unique

and diverse essence of each individual. For me, whether

posed or spontaneously in action and appearance, everyone

becomes a natural wonder, a personified celebrity.

                                      -30-

Chris Hanch 12-0-2021

On a Scale from One to Ten

I have some time before I most go.

Where is it I must be, you may

wonder? I have one of those I-pad

meetings with my physical therapist

from the VA.

She will ask me how I am doing

and on a scale from one to ten,

what is my pain level right now?

Oh, I’m managing, I’ll respond.

About a three, but it’s early and

more than likely I’ll be around a

seven or eight at the end of the day.

How in hell would I know.? It’s

all just a stupid number’s game

anyway.

Contact me around eight, nine or

ten this evening and I’ll tell you

again, I’m still managing. That’s

the best I can expect these old

and decrepit days.

I will say, though, given age and

condition, my “Wise Guy” and

“Smart Ass” functions are

working quite well. I can usually

attain a perfect ten most days

with those, you know.

Seems to get better or worse

with age, depending on how

you look at it. Thanks for asking

anyway.

                       -30-

Chris Hanch 12-9-2021