The Letter Wearing Oath

Some say it's time to start over.
But without a moment's hesitation
others are saying
that it's time to reveal
your true colors for once,
to admit which side you're on.

We hear some men say
that their hearts are aglow
in rose & green, others cardinal,
others still bordeaux & silver,
yet others cardinal & straw yellow...
& the list goes on.
But do they truly mean
every word that they said
out of the goodness of their hearts?

It's hard to say; I'm not so sure
sometimes if they meant
a single word that they said all along.
True, they might mean well,
their intentions may be good -
saying the right things & such -
but when the day of reckoning
arrives unexpectedly,
when they must decide whom
their first love really is,
it's anyone's guess
just who those lucky ladies are.

That's right: what then? what then?
At that point in time the masks
which they wore shall come off;
the masquerading will soon be over
for those men who paid nothing
but lip service to their favorite colors
of choice...They were doomed
from the start by living a lie,
not sticking to their corner unswervingly.
They can boast of their prowess
with the bottle & with partying
all they want but the ladies
whom they should've been supporting
actively, with dedication
like none other before or since -
they're not interested in how much
one man can drink,
how many friends & connections he can make
or how much he can live life on the weekends.
What matters is this: to so much wear
the letters of their counterparts,
to guard & wear these colors in good faith,
any man with a heart, a conscience to spare
must earn them in all sincerity.

These letters & these colors won't just fall
into one's lap overnight or by default:
courtesy & respect are two things
which are needed just to prove
one is worthy of donning these letters
to begin with. Keep this in mind, duders:
certain letters don't get worn by just anyone
& with good reason so if you can't
truly show love, respect, appreciation
for your favorite ladies chances are
you won't be decked out like their sweethearts.

For those duders who stuck to their guns,
stayed their own unswerving course
in supporting their favorite ladies,
much love & praises be given to them.
They actually got it right: they know
just how much their counterparts' letters
are truly worth not in meaning alone
but also in value so through thick & thin,
come what may, they wear these letters
& colors boldly: It's not for show,
not for special occasions & it most
certainly is not out of convenience
that you see them all suited up;
it is because they wholeheartedly care
that they have the right to reveal their
respective letters in the first place.
It is because they truly believe
when no others seem to care or give
two hoots about their favorite sorority
that you see them dressed up stylishly,
bearing a mark of recognition
that so many other men wished they
could have (but cannot, that chance
being denied a long time ago).
It is something exclusive,
a sign of distinction that makes some men
stand out above all the others
in more ways than one.

And when all is said & done,
such duders will be left standing,
still the pride & joy
of the respective chapters
whom they've taken the time
& made the effort to represent for an eternity.
What's more, their true colors will remain aglow;
look no further than the letters
on their sleeves to find what side
their hearts are truly on when in doubt.

The Handshake

Back to the world our hero goes:
from the first moment he returns
to his familiar confines
he knows that his life
will never be the same:
always on the go, always struggling
to get his work done.

Whether it's the completion
of a transaction or the closing of
some deal, you can just sense
that history is going to be made.
Just one look into his eyes
reveals all: that singleness of purpose
which defines the man himself
takes over there & then,
however relentless it might appear.
But to truly know our hero in person,
you have to witness one other aspect
of his at work
& that is the handshake.

This task is not saved for last
because he wants to create a sense
of anxiety & fear in his clientele
nor is it saved for last
just as ornamentation.
In the same way, it isn't saved
for last because it seems like
the thing to do, to make himself
stand out -
the handshake is a notification
which lets others know
about his dedication to his life's work,
about his honesty on the job
(something which, we must admit,
is in short supply these days).

If that's not enough, such a gesture
lets others know that he is for real,
that he can be counted on
when all other alternatives fail.
So once the deal has been done,
the business at hand completed,
there can be no denying
how committed he is to
every detail of his job description.

There can be no denying that
he is the man of our times,
with a singleness of purpose,
a singleness of heart
which defines all that he does,
for now & always.

Burlington Route

Everywhere west:
this is the motto you lived by
& to this day your ancestors
have stood by your words
without many signs of wavering.
As one of your iron horses
crosses over this district line,
emitting one of its most
vocal laments known to man,
as it weaves & winds its way
over unchartered terrain,
you know that your work
is never done, never fully complete.
Sure, it lives on by another name
but in the end it is all you:
there is no mistaking your mission
from anyone else's.

Over hills, valleys, rivers,
cutting across the open prairies,
the journey westward for you
was sometimes a stretch,
sometimes a struggle
but when all was said & done
you answered the call
& delivered like none other.
Your namesakes feel for you
as much as they have
who knows how many good things
to say about your legacy,
the history you made on this route:
no doubt, you have endured
& your work still lives on,
finding ways to continue despite,
in spite of the worst that might
come your way.

As your Zephyrs on the Transcon
crossed the Great River
you knew you were destined
for great things & to this day
your route has taken on
a life of its own,
which no other could compare to.
Of all the iron highways
anyone could travel, yours alone
in the end was worth each mile,
each crossing, each climb
or descent into unchartered territory.
And for that your name
should never be discredited.

In Their Own Words

"If there is no mystery
to these stories we tell,
nothing new
for us to say or hear about
what have we gained?
& what have we lost?"

Daily we hear the unceasing
cacophony of storytellers
at cross purposes with one another,
folks scrambling around just for
a crumb of truth,
something of reality to make their own.

This is the story so far:
one report here, another over there
but the tenor of this tale
- the very truth behind
any given event of note -
remains untold, unheard,
unwritten. Only later,
once the storm clouds break
does the truth finally discover
the front page, but even then
we're hearing nothing but versions
of truth, truth as seen
in different shades & colors.
Everything else is only details,
a frame to hold our story in place.

So the story goes on
without interruption, without conclusion:
tell me then, where can I find
some honesty in your words?
Where can I find sincerity
in your voice?
Most of all, do you have truth?

All we hear are versions,
differing interpretations of honesty,
sincerity, truthfulness.
What more can be said
that hasn't been said already?
In the end, only one take on this story
will win out & that'll be
the one which had facts, information
which was never written down
for us to read.
Then & only then will we know
what we never knew before
& wish we'd known from day one:
more about ourselves,
our expectations, plans & dreams.

Field Music

Today is the day to
get out, see the world -
who knows,
revisit the sounds
& echoes of another time!!
At any rate, it's now time
to step on outdoors
& face the day courageously.

In a matter of time
the sounds & echoes of
our past will return
with a passion:
chants, incantations, cheers -
whatever name you want
to give this music of our hearts -
they're all here in full force,
bursting forth
in joyous celebration.

Undeniable, irresistible:
yet these aren't the only tags
which could best describe this occasion.
This is heartfelt music
which we're listening to,
heartfelt songs we are singing:
sounds & echoes which still speak
volumes from the soul.

Nothing compares
to the beauty created
by who knows how many voices
singing as one,
to relay a message of love,
friendship & so much more.
You just have to be there
to believe every word I'm saying.

And All That Could Have Been

For love
some have left behind their hometowns,
all of their comforts
& it is for love
that they return.
For some, it's the start of something,
they say;
it's time to start anew.

For love
some have fought their daily battles,
struggled against the enemy
& it was for love
that some were defeated.
Only one winner emerged from the frontline
unscathed, unshaken
while the loser could only think
of what might have been.

For love
some went their separate ways,
began life with a clean slate
but it was also for love
that they found hope,
reassurance which only their
significant others could give
out of the goodness of their hearts.

For love
& for no other choice alone
they came back to familiar
neighborhoods, traveled familiar streets,
fought the good fights
which they could win with gusto:
otherwise they would rue
the day when they never
would get a chance to
right their ships, find happiness once more.

Those who won the best things
in life for love
didn't want to make the mistake
of hesitating, stalling for time:
else they'd be like all the others
wondering about all
that could have been.

The Homestretch

With banners held high,
their messages still clear as day
as they hang suspended
from the balconies above,
life will soon resume
its routine of normalcy around here.
Life will once more find
the sparks & luster which it lost
after three months of hibernation.

Life will go on,
picking up where it left off
three months earlier,
when we said our last goodbyes
to this place, to this very scene
or at least swore we did -
if only for a whole season.

Some of us couldn't help
but drop by over the summer:
Even though there was nothing doing
we were still drawn back
to this city like filings to a magnet.
Into its arms we returned
for the time being
but then we got rather homesick
& decided to say our farewells silently.

Now we will soon return:
this time our stay will be indefinite.
A part of us still survives,
keeps on as it does back here.
Soon the start of something greater
is about to begin
& life along these empty streets
will resume its sprightly bounce,
regain its former vibrancy.

Please believe it:
life will soon go on as usual:
with its share of good times,
its crazier moments
& most of it all its occasional randomness.