Greetings

The problem with dem greeting cards?
It's what they do not say,
With all their chatter ’bout how good it's been;
When all I want on reading them
Is knowing I've been heard –
That life's been good, much better than it seems.

They do not talk of being laid-off,
Or fired (what e'er the cause);
Of broken legs; or cancer; or the flu;
Of moving ’round the country lots,
Uprooting family too;
Of going back to work to face a coup.

Sometimes they talk of dandelions,
Or taking garbage out,
Of picking up one's socks, and clearing snow;
But they don't talk of being ripped off
By one's supposedriends;
Or by one's colleagues kept out of the know.

I guess they think, ‘why bring that up?
It only spoils the day;
Think fun, sunshiny days, delicious treats;’
But then I can't express the thoughts
Which rise up from the mess,
Thus greeting cards do little more than greet.

I'd like to hear one speak of how
You stayed through thick and thin;
You nursed me back to health with Tylenol;
You swallowed worry, fear, and threat;
Smiled sweetly while at work;
Moved graciously; had friendships take a fall.

I could go on – you get the point –
It's ’bout these forty years,
And what this annivers’ry really means.
If they could put this into words
So I could buy their card,
You'd read of love – much deeper than it seems.

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