Member Poem

Wintertime. 
It’s Peaceful, serene. 
Frigid outside, with a snow-drenched landscape,
Sparkling and pure,
Crystalline majesty, drowning out the pain.
But warm inside and unusually cozy,
Filling the heart with joy,
And instead of the usual, games and toys,
It’s time to explore a puzzle.
Those before were the ones who taught us,
And now we take our place.
Passing down the wonder and amazement
Of the finished puzzle face.

Time to teach, explain, and show
That this is time to grow,
Not to listen, obey, and follow-
Never to conform,
But follow what I say, not what I’ve done,
And have a little fun,
That exists in places no one imagines
Until you take a turn.

The father steals a piece, which is the veteran move
Only to prove again
That learning from others is only helpful
In the end it helps you win.
Eventually the Mother and doubters join in too
When they see what they are missing,
And inside the home, the love grows deeper.
A simple act, and endless treasure,
Passed down from others
And never realized
Until the pieces spread and light up children’s eyes.

And towards the end, the grand finale,
The excitement only grows..
Who will find the last piece?
No one knows..
The race becomes frantic,
Now everyone’s tuned in
Who will it be?  Who will win?
5, 4, 3 pieces left… are there enough left?
Hurry, it’s easy.  Let’s get this done!
2, 1…. WAIT, what the heck?
There’s a piece we can not find!!!!
Where did it go?
Did it fall through a crack?
Was our box incomplete? 
And the search is intense, who will it be
That saves the day and completes it.
The conclusion of this event.

The kids lose hope,
The father smiles and shows
That with his old man strength and uncommon wisdom,
That he has one last gift to present.
The grand finale, the climax, the end..

It’s been in his pocket all along,
The tactic is quite sneaky,
But that’s the way,
It’s supposed to be.
He learned it from love and trickery,
Passed down,
To teach the most valuable lesson
He gives it selflessly, and makes them see,
That a simple puzzle,
On a winter day,

Is genuinely supreme,
otherworldly fantastic,
An unexpected gift, a marvel, a dream,
Truly a sight to be seen..
And as he says, with confident words,
Another repetitive refrain.
And the children listen with more respect
Due to his obvious proof

That he is right, his words legit
When he proudly boasts,

“Old man’s still got it…”