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BITES OF LIFE by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

8/4/2007

Sep 8, 1994

The old man in the corner stares through the window
And remembers better days.
The waitress laughs like a young girl
And tries to forget her eyes with crow lines
While I sit here looking over the menu of my times.

It has been a long time since breakfast,
Chock full of buddies dipped in the old swimmin' hole,
Secret clubs with passwords and cowboy heroes,
Dreams of what the future will be
Topped with the sweet syrup of meadow flowers and first love.

Lunch, too, is long since past
And I no longer soar on the caffeine rush of youthful pride
Sustained by hard work that stuck to the ribs and
Dessert of sweet romance garnished with two children
And their giggles, toys and noise.

Refrain
Have you enjoyed the bites of life that you've had?
Do you look forward to the juicy bits to come?
Or has your bread been stale with no sweetness
And your coffee bitter as gall?
Then it's time to read the menu and make different choices
Before you have no meals left at all!

I've just finished dinner and feeling satisfied
With the richness of labor's sweet fruits.
The children are Grade A and the job's well done.
I'm just looking forward to after dinner fun
And the freshness of life's mints.

But I also look ahead and I'm concerned
About that Midnight snack.
Not sure if I will even get it or be able
To chew it and keep it down,
But sure hope it will last through that long, long fast!

Refrain

We have to receive life like a meal
And take it one bite at a time.
We can wolf it down and take it for granted
Or savor each bite as if it will be our last
Knowing either way we will digest it for eternity.

Refrain and fade.

THE DIFFERENCE by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

8/4/2007

Sep 23, 1994

If there were no God, what would you do
That would be any different or so very new?
You would still need clothes upon your back
And feel hunger, if food you did lack.

It would be cold in the winter and warm in the sun.
You would still work hard and long for rest and fun.
You would hate your enemy and care for your friend
And look for a love that would never end.

Your life would change very little, to say the least,
But you would be no better off, though better than a beast.
You would still have the fear of getting old,
But at death there would be no gates of gold.

There would be nothing, but what you have here
And you would face the grave in despair and fear.
Thanks be to Glory, that there is a God above
With a place beyond the grave and eternal love!

ONLY HE KNOWS by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

8/4/2007

2/28/07

Do we really make a difference I reckon we’ll never know
Until we stand right there before Him in that heavenly glow.
When things have no reason and certainly have no rhyme
Paul exhorted us to judge nothing before the time.

Sometimes we seem to be progressing passing every test
Yet we may find we were growing when we had no peace or rest.
The days that seemed so glowing and our crowns had great shine
May be days when the spirit was weak but the flesh was doing fine.

That wonderful sermon or project that made everyone ooh and ah
May have revealed itself in Heaven as something drab and blah.
The thing we cast off as small like a kind word to one feeling so old
May be the very thing that will add a jewel to our crown of gold.

We too often seek a grand entrance upon a glorious quest
When just some little tiny thing done in faith He would have called blest.
So whether you feel strong or the burden and worry grows
Remember the true value of those days only He knows.

SO MUCH FOR A PLAN by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

8/4/2007

March 22, 2004

Took the truck for a quick brake check.
That’s when my day turned into a wreck.
It wasn’t the brakes that caused my alarm.
It turned out to be a broken right idler arm.

I turned it over to the mechanic’s powers
Then tried to figure out how to kill 4½ hours.
Stuck in a neighborhood with nothing to do
I figured I’d write out a verse or two.

I dropped into Peggy Sue’s Diner.
In the area the cuisine is no finer.
I hid in a corner to escape the smoke
Though my lungs probably thought that was a joke.

The service was good and the prices fair.
Now and then I would receive a slight stare.
My fellow customers saw that I had finished my bite
And maybe worried about what I did write.

They needed not to worry about what flowed from my hand.
It was just my way of saying, “So much for a plan!”
Sigh, a smoker just sat one table away.
Guess I’ll find another spot to waste my day.

Shazam! Shazam! by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Please move to Mayberry and marry me
And make sweet love under the old oak tree.
We'll name our sons Goober and Opie,
If you'll jist say, "Okie dokie!"

We'll get a coon dog and name him Rover
Every Sunday we'll have Sheriff Andy over.
We'll move next door to Deputy Fife.
We'll have a grand old country life!

REFRAIN

I once had city slicker style
But you turned me into Gomer Pyle.
Golly! Shazam! Shazam!
How I sure do love you, M'am!

We'll eat Aunt Bea's fresh apple pies
And swear how the time surely flies
Shellin' those green peas by the peck.
Sittin' in the sun gittin' an old red neck

We'll raise us six strong, healthy boys
By givin them chores instead of fancy toys.
We'll have a little girl or maybe two
Pretty as a picture jist like you. REFRAIN

Honey, I'm serious, I ain't spinnin' no yarn.
Let's get some education out behind the barn.
When the kids settle down and outten the light
We'll make hot country love on a cold winter night.

REFRAIN

We'll move next door to Deputy Fife
We'll have a grand old country life!
When the kids settle down and outten the light
We'll make hot country love on a cold winter night.

6/26/95

West Texas Heaven by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

I found the peace that I was needin'
In the West Texas town called Eden.
A little further down the road in old San Angelo,
The views prepared me for that heavenly glow.

God loves Texas and tucks it in bed at night
With a soft blanket of clouds. Oh, what a sight!
I've got wide-open spaces where I can roam
Just like the vastness of that eternal home.

CHORUS
Texas must be a lot like glory
Where I'll be singin' the old, old story.
Where God finger paints in the big blue sky
And the soul passes over never more to die.

A man can settle down in a place like Ranger.
Away from the big city noise and danger.
There's no way a man can be more free
Except for when he kneels at Calvary.

Sinner, friend you may never ride the plains with me,
But turn and gaze right now upon that old rugged tree.
Call upon Jesus to save you then you'll know
Heaven's where you'll land when thrown from life's rodeo.

CHORUS

May 19, 1995

Why Rhyme? by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Some ask me why I rhyme
My original verse all the time,
When there are many critics out there
That disdain such literary ware.

Guess it is because I am a common man
And so, I write with a common hand.
I write for those plain folks down home
That if there were no rhyme would see no poem.

Some write poetry esoteric and dark
And care not where on the page words park.
They do what they do and that is fine.
I can only write in a style that's mine.

Many poets that stood the test of time
Wrote in iambic pentameter and rhyme.
In our time, this is considered conventional or lyrical.
Of course, this is subjective and not empirical.

I'd rather not argue over styles.
Such undue stress can cause you piles.
I'd much rather take the time
To compose some pithy verse in rhyme.

April 11, 1996

Dusty Trails by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

He lived the life of a cowboy
Now he's just too old to ride.
The years have taken away his joy
And now they're beating on his pride.

He loved the Rodeo
And for those days his heart pines
As he sits staring on the front porch
As if looking for Heavenly signs.

His face is worn and wrinkled
Like the Stetson hat he wears.
There are lines on his face
For each of his worldly cares.

There's no young person to listen
To the stories that must be told.
Lord, it's Hell for a spirit so free
To be trapped in a body so old.

He once was a hero
That men told of in their tales
Now those days are just memories
Of good horses and dusty trails.

He mouths his harmonica
And plays a mournful song.
The young cowpuncher in his soul
Never knew days so long.

Then one night as he listens
To that old lonely whip-poor-will,
The trail comes to an end
And his cowboy heart lies still.

His pardners gather around and yell
As the Parson bows his head to pray.
They let loose a volley because they know
That today the cowboy just rides away.

Jul 18,1994

Johnny Reb by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

He struggles across the field
In his suit of butternut gray.
He's already wounded twice
But that won't keep him from the fray.

They call him Johnny Reb
And that's what he's proud to be.
He'll gladly give up his life
To keep his pride and liberty.

He stumbled and he fell
Yet rose again to climb the hill.
The courage within his heart
Is more abundant than the blood he'll spill.

He lets loose one last rebel yell
And falls upon his hated foe.
Another ball takes his life
But he won't go alone to that home of the soul.

Just like his rebel spirit
That rises to live again on high,
The South will rise once more
Because its spirit will never die.

Jul 26, 1994

Photo Album by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

I've got an eighteen-hole picture frame.
None of the photos show any pain or shame.
Looking there at my first forty years,
You'd think I never shed any tears.

On the walls only good memories you will find.
We keep the bad pictures in our mind.
We have all the albums we can get.
We hope they will help us to forget.

Yet while we gaze at those winning smiles,
In our minds we remember the long, hard miles.
For every victory that was so sweet,
We remember the bitter tears of defeat.

Verse 2

So we hang those pictures of bygone years
And wipe the glass with our kisses and tears.
We're mounting hopes that we are on the way
To a better, brighter, clearer day.

Remember the Heaven and remember the Hell.
Take some more pictures all is well.
Thanks to technology, they'll never be able to trace
The tracks of pain on your weary face.

Verse 2

Sep 10, 1994

Old Men Need Love, Too by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

He sits on the park bench dreaming of yesterday
And the love they shared before she passed away.
In his mind, he is still only twenty-two,
But his body won't act like it used to do.

The pigeons are now his only friends.
His money is gone before his month ends.
The payment for his bills he sometimes forgets to send,
But his love for her has no end.

He care for her cat that he cussed when she was here.
As he feeds it, he murmurs and sheds a lonely tear.
Every night he climbs those old creaky stairs.
No one listens, visits, or even cares.

Time passes quickly and you, too, will soon be there
Dealing with false teeth, lumbago, and thinning hair,
How do you treat them? Look in the mirror for a clue.
Just like you, old men need love, too.

Sep 12, 1994

Cowboy Up! by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Be very careful what you say or do
Or some committee will be coming after you.
I'm tired of folks whining like a hungry pup.
Come on America, it's time to Cowboy Up!

Our ancestors came to a rough, untamed land
And faced their hardships like a woman and a man.
We once matured into gentlemen and ladies.
Now, we're raising spoiled, crying babies.

When times got rough, we took it on the chin.
Now, we want someone to blame and a lawyer who can win.
Groups abound so we are quickly defended
When we lack back bone and are so easily offended!

When a rider's been thrown and he starts to feel down.
His pardners say, "Cowboy Up!" to bring him back around.
There are too many lazy folks rattling their cup.
Come on, America, it's time to Cowboy Up!

We surely have our problems and we so easily sin,
But nothing will change unless we all chip in.
One day there will be no table at which you can sup
Unless Americans quit their cryin' and COWBOY UP!

Oct 1, 1994

Football Love by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Honey, you get so angry at me
When I'm glued to that old TV.
Dahlin', I swear to God above
That I have more than a football love.

You wonder if what I say is true.
Honey, just like that old 'Bama pride
Rolls on with that Crimson Tide
So my love will always flow for you.

I love you from the very depths of my soul.
Those old Clemson Tigers you can't hold
And all my love for you cannot be told.
To be ever in your arms is my only goal.

I'll do more than just fuss and cuss.
Like those Ole Miss Rebels,
I'll grind anything to pebbles
That tries to put an end to us.

So hold me and make that touchdown run.
We'll be taking our love into overtime.
Like a Georgia Bull Dog we'll cross that line
Into the end zone of passion sublime.

Oct 9, 1994

Forever Young by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Looking out from weary, aged eyes
Into a mirror to the soul that never dies.
He analyzes the face so haggard and mean
With the awed curiosity of the internal teen.

He gazes at the pate so shiny and bare
And remembers the locks that once flowed there.
There is a macabre toothless grin
Where once perfect pearly whites had been.

The back and muscles that many a burden did take
Now are bowed and weakly quiver and shake.
Inside the spirit, so vibrant and free,
Screams, "Oh my God, can this really be me?"

He hangs his head and fights back the tears
Then laughs at the cruelty of the passing years.
He remembers the women he loved and the songs he sung.
Though eighty years old, in his mind he's forever young.

Oct 22, 1994

On Critics by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Gee, poem,
You're looking pretty good
to me.

Yep,
Look just like what I was told
You should.

But,
Others would sneer and tear you
Apart
And say you're not a poem
At all.

Heck,
Who are they anyway?
Live on, poem, you are a product of
The heart,
The soul.
You are me.

Nov 26, 1994

Vengeance by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

She'll spit in my eye
The day I die
And from her gun
I will not run.
When rage comes upon her
I'll die without honor.

5/10/96

He Has Fallen by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Young Marine Bobby lies still.
His war is over, yet he
Lives in honor in our hearts.

(In honor of Cpl. Robert P. Warns, II of Waukesha, WI, who finished his duty 8 Nov 04 in Iraq) SEMPER FI!!!!

1/29/05

One White Rose by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

On the day that he wed,
He gave her one white rose.
She placed it by their bed
Where, they laid in passion's throes.

When she bore their first child
He gave her one white rose.
It was pure and it was wild
Just the way that their love grows.

Before he said goodbye,
He gave her one white rose
And, he told her not to cry
For his love is where she goes.

Before she parted from his grave,
She gave him one white rose.
His memory was all she could save
From the hundreds of crosses in hundreds of rows.

May 24, 1972

Captain John West 1-2-70 by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Inscription
On a copper band.
The name of a brother
In enemy land.

I know nothing
About you or your kin
Nor anything about in which
Part of Hell you have been.

I jockey a truck
Not far from my home,
While you bravely face
Your ordeal alone.

While thousands of miles separate us
And to others you are only a name,
I feel a bond of brotherhood
Between us just the same.

For my mind and heart
Shall not rest till the day
You are returned to your loved ones
And this band is stowed away.

May 25, 1972

UNLESS by Dr Ronald Eugene Shultz

6/2/2007

Life is nothing but grabbing for dollars.
There is no God or Hell or so say the scholars.
A gasp, a giggle, a gurgle, a grave,
That is all there is unless Jesus will save.

I must sing, dance, and definitely get high,
Since this is it, there is no by and by.
If I lie, steal, and cheat I will do rather well.
There is just one rub, what if there is a Hell?

I have studied Rousseau, Kant, and Descartes, you see,
So what is this crucified Saviour to me?
I have got money to burn and fine wine to quaff,
But, what if this resurrection thing is not a laugh?

I have followed Buddha, Confucious, and done yoga awhile,
But being a repentant sinner is just not my style!
After all, a gasp, a giggle, a gurgle, a grave
That is all there is unless Jesus does save.

May 5, 1983