Here's a Challenge...

[BooMerengue]

I know theres already a couple challenges going on, but I couldn't resist this one. I saw this article this morning. I just know theres a poem in here somewhere.

How about any style by May 15? Simple enough? And it doesn't have to stick exactly by this article; any testament to the Power of a Lifetime Love will work. I know it's the stuff dreams are made of; who plans on this kind of life when they first say "I do"?

If you're interested, sign in here, ok? Just so we have some kind of idea...

I'm in TN now, and will be in York, PA in a few hours; the first steps towards a brand new life. Wish me luck, y'all!

Boo


Long-Married Couple Die on Same Day

"They always said they wanted to go together," the couple's son said of Leola and Alexander Vance, shown here in an undated family photo. (Morning Sun / AP)

ST. LOUIS, Mich. (April 23) - Alexander J. Vance and his wife, Leola, made a life together for nearly 64 years. This week, they died 14 hours apart at Schnepp's Health Care Center.

Alexander Vance met Leola in Algonac, where Vance was building barges for the military in 1941. He was 20, she was 16.

Leola Vance later told her children that she liked her future husband's personality and the twinkle in his eye. He liked "everything" about her, Phil Vance, the couple's 48-year-old son, told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant for a Saturday story.

They married Dec. 19, 1941 and moved to the Alma area.

Alexander Vance worked for Alma Products for 39 years, retiring as general foreman about 20 years ago, while his wife was a homemaker.

The couple stayed in their home for as long as they could, until Parkinson's disease forced Alexander Vance to move into a nursing home in February.

Earlier this month, Leola Vance, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, began complaining that her head hurt. It later was determined that she had bleeding in her brain. By April 15, her husband also had taken a turn for the worse and both were in a coma in a nursing home.

"It was almost like a race," Phil Vance said. "They always said they wanted to go together and I sometimes think they were telepathically communicating about who would go first. But we were told she might live for several more days."

Alexander Vance died at 9:45 a.m. ET Wednesday. Phil Vance said family members were singing hymns in his mother's room later that night, when she stopped breathing just before midnight.

"'Now you can be together,' I said," recalled Phil Vance, a retired minister who will perform a service at the Dewey Funeral Home in Alma on Monday.

"They had asked me to do the funeral. It's really a great love story."


04-23-05 22:35 EDT

 

[BooMerengue]

I guess this really bombed, huh? Oh well... I thought it was nice. I've never been in love, and the longest relationship I've ever had is maybe a year!

I so envy folks like this.

 

[lindiana]

it is very sweet...
and so often never found...

my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary on October 30, 2004
regrettably, I was too ill to attend
everyone else was there
my sisters and their husbands
my brother and his wife
my nieces and nephews
aunts and uncles and cousins

my daddy died February 15th, 2005
my mom is taking a day at a time

50 years, not a one perfect
but they have five great kids to show for it
seven loving grandchildren
three terrific greatgrandchildren

i am single and will probably stay that way
i have trouble lasting 50 days
can't imagine 50 years
can you?

 

[SeattleRain]

I guess this really bombed, huh? Oh well... I thought it was nice. I've never been in love, and the longest relationship I've ever had is maybe a year!

I so envy folks like this.

I tried to write something nice but kept coming out cynical.

Forever is a long time.

 

[champagne1982]

I added this to the passion thread yesterday, after reading this thread. Boo, I'm interested... this may be the only thing I write for it though.

"Walk with me."
and we'll seek a better world
where even though
death is still a part of living
tears shall be no more.

"Walk with me."
The child within wants to hold
your hand tight in hers
and know that even though
the path is new
the way is not forgotten.

"Walk with me."
and when we've come full circle
rest a while and look
back on all we've seen.
All we've been is hidden
just around the bend.

"Walk with me."
until I can walk no more.
My love, I only ask
that when journey's end
has brought us
to the winter's shore
that you rest with me,
for without you,
I will walk no more.

 

[average gina]

Brought tears to my eyes...

I know people generally hate my style of writing... Well, you will probably hate this one even more because the basic things a poem is not supposed to do is being done here. This is a poem I wrote a long time ago, before I knew better. After reading the article, this came to mind. I am going to show it as is, though I plan on doing some editing eventually.

She tries to recall a time
when he was not in her life.
She does not want to remember, though
for she will soon have fresh memories.
She holds his hand, the only part of her that exists
outside her own body.

Her eyes then fail to focus as her mind blinds her present sight
with a vision
of a most beautiful past
of a man drawn from creation:
apt challenger of her mind
proud protector of her heart
loving comforter of her body
soothing reliever of her spirit...
Of a storied lifetime
low on trials and tribulations
high on love and living
each year of their lives together
A testament:
of the power
of the grace
of the growth
of the beauty
of the magnificence
of two lives becoming one era
of love

Only the sudden sounds
of fresh tears flowing
new sadness growing
increased pain sowing
override the motion picture past
in her view to the present
and a simple though profound energy
brings her clarity.

A smile secretly fills her heart for the sweet fib he told...
he is with her beyond until death do us part.
Sadness flows through her veins for the others
and a surging relief of knowing that
For now, what was outside is inside
For now, her half is whole
For now, two souls are one
within her.

 

[wildsweetone]

I'm in Boo. I've just banged something on the keyboard this morning. I'm not sure it comes anywhere near what you'd like but I'll keep working on it and see how it turns out.

 

[Guest]

Count me in too, Boo.

 

[WickedEve]

I'm in TN now, and will be in York, PA in a few hours; the first steps towards a brand new life. Wish me luck, y'all!

Boo

Good luck!

As far as the lifetime love challenge, I'm bitter and bitchy about love, and I like it that way.

 

[Reltne]

1x1

I won't try 'cause I know I can't beat this:

one's not half two. It's two are halves of one:

one's not half two. It's two are halves of one:
which halves reintegrating,shall occur
no death and any quantity;but than
all numerable mosts the actual more

minds ignorant of stern miraculous
this every truth-beware of heartless them
(given the scalpel,they dissect a kiss;
or,sold the reason,they undream a dream)

one is the song which fiends and angels sing:
all murdering lies by mortals told make two.
Let liars wilt,repaying life they're loaned;
we(by a gift called dying born)must grow

deep in dark least ourselves remembering
love only rides his year.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All lose,whole find

by E.E. Cummings

 

[BooMerengue]

Glad you guys are in; never having known this kind of love except in watching it in others I have no idea what I'll write.

Eve! Then write about being bitchy about love! I dare ya!

And Ryb? I truly believe you can out write ee cunnings... blindfolded!

Gina? Who hates your style of writing? I don't and never heard anyone else say they did. But your style of slamming yourself just in case someone else might and so you beat them to it? Yeah, baby! I hate that!

 

[BooMerengue]

Okay... a revision. Here's another story I found interesting.

Just Who Found Back Yard Treasure?
Box Full With Gold and Silver Certificates Valued at $75,000
By JAY LINDSAY, AP


BOSTON (April 27) - Simple luck helped Tim Crebase and two friends find a stash of cash buried in his yard. Splitting up the money without damaging their friendship may take more skill.

It was a rainy day that prevented Crebase and friends Barry Billcliff and Matt Ingham go to their roofing job, so they began digging around his Methuen yard to dig up a shrub whose roots were creeping into a nearby set of stairs.

About a foot down, Crebase said, he hit some soft wood. More digging cracked open a can and he saw the cash.

After grabbing it, Crebase said he ran screaming to show Billcliff and Ingham, and they helped him uncover about eight remaining cans. The total stash was about 1,800 bills dating between 1899 and 1929 and piles of gold and silver certificates. Exactly who buried it at the home in Methuen, about 30 miles north of Boston - and why - is unknown.

But Crebase and Billcliff disagree about who controls the treasure, estimated to be worth as much as $75,000.

Crebase, 24, says he's the one who made the find and has the final say about the money, though he'll do what's best for everyone.

''I'm the one who found it,'' Crebase said. ''Without my decision, nothing's going to happen.''

But Billcliff, 27, said that's not true.

''If one penny is spent, we all have to agree on its use,'' he told The Associated Press in a separate interview on Wednesday. ''The truth was, I handed him the shovel, I told him where to start digging.''

Despite the dispute over who controls the money, the friends appear to agree on what they should do with at part of it: putting some of it into Ingham's rock band, called Till We Die. Both say the band, which Crebase described as ''aggressive rock,'' can make it big with some help.

''Once they get big, they're going to take care of me,'' Crebase said.

A message left at a listing for Ingham in New Hampshire was not immediately returned.

The day of the find, the men brought the money to Village Coin Shop in nearby Plaistow, N.H., where owner Domenic Mangano closed down early after he saw the quality of the notes.

''I thought I was in a dream looking at this stuff,'' said Mangano, who estimated the value of the find at between $50,000 to $75,000.

Much of the worth comes from diverse collection of obsolete national notes. Mangano said that in the early 20th century, banks were allowed to print currency with their own names on it. Once the federal government ended the practice, those notes became collector's items.

Crebase said he's planning to keep plenty of the proceeds for himself, adding he'll buy a car, clothes and save some of it. He said he plans to give some to Billcliff and the home's owner, Kevin Kozak, though he said he doesn't know how much yet. Billcliff said the money will be divided on a more collaborative, ''as needed'' basis.

Besides splitting up the cash, the find has come with other difficulties, including calls from people threatening to dig up the property, as well as strangers wandering through the yard, looking for more, Crebase said.

But in the weeks since the find, the yard was scanned with equipment that detects objects and nothing was found.

Crebase said he wanted to be sure his new wealth doesn't cause new rifts.

''I'd rather burn the money than cause problems between me and my friends,'' Crebase said.


AP-NY-04-27-05 18:51 EDT

If you don't like the Love Everlasting story, then how about this one? How did that money get there? Who stashed it? Why?

Or, better yet, just pick out a Human Interest Story of your choice and write a poem about it!

Post your poem and the story here just like we did the poem/story Challenge last year.

But please... NO politics or Religion stuff. Just nice stories about nice people- and some imaginative poetry about how these folks got in these stories.

Sound good?

 

[wildsweetone]

Sufferin' suckertash Boo!

A Revision?!

That's a complete Rewrite!

Women. Sheesh.

And I really liked my other one too.

*pouting*


...maybe I'll post both

 

[BooMerengue]

I'm sorry, WSO! We have til May 15, so I wasn't sure if anyone had really written something or not. By adding this new info, I thought I might make it more agreeable and therefore get more entries. Even the hardest of hearts has at least one Human Interest story that they like.

Just keep what you got, baby. It'll be superb, I'm sure!

 

[wildsweetone]

*wiping perspiring brow with back of hand and sighing*

You are a hard taskmaster Mistress Boo. But a kind one.

Have a great day, dear.

 

[Guest]

Hours Apart

The years have walked us home
together always.
So many things shared, given, taken,
so much built up,
worn down to the nub.
Laughter was the glue that held us
tear-washed and chastened
we never slept on angry words
but wept and held
onto the truth of our love
to bridge the rift.
“I love you”
often flippantly tossed away,
was meaningful to us,
spoken with eyes locked in love.
It was the most natural thing
to leave together,
forever.

 

[Guest]

A reminder nudge


~bump~

 

[wildsweetone]

Oh?! we are not waiting until the 15th?

I'll go hunt mine out.

 

[wildsweetone]

I wrote this after I had read a poem that bogusbrig sent me. I found utter freedom in allowing myself to play about with font size and colour and would have used spacing a lot differently if I'd had the knowledge of how to scatter words all over the page on the pc.

 

[Guest]

Oh?! we are not waiting until the 15th?

I'll go hunt mine out.

I just assumed 15th was the deadline. I was just reminding everyone. No pressure.

 

[average gina]

...Gina? Who hates your style of writing? I don't and never heard anyone else say they did. But your style of slamming yourself just in case someone else might and so you beat them to it? Yeah, baby! I hate that!

It's just easier for me... this way I don't have to trip when people don't say anything about it and if anyone does, I've bruised myself enough for the stings.

 

[average gina]

What happened with this challenge, anyway...

 

[Zanzibar]

I've been gone for quite a while, but just saw this challenge and will be submitting something here about the initial article. Something in it moves me to write, and it will be good to get the juices flowing again.

 

[BooMerengue]

Oh, hell! I turned on the computer today and a drop down reminder of this Challenge popped up! I've been sooo busy with my Sis I totally forgot this one! Damn...

Well, y'all post what you have and I'll try to come up with something. I had one started but it's on a hard drive in TN. Maybe I can remember...

fuuuuuuuck!!!

 

[Guest]

Oh, hell! I turned on the computer today and a drop down reminder of this Challenge popped up! I've been sooo busy with my Sis I totally forgot this one! Damn...

Well, y'all post what you have and I'll try to come up with something. I had one started but it's on a hard drive in TN. Maybe I can remember...

fuuuuuuuck!!!

Ssshhhh...... Challenges are supposed to be fun, Boo. Go get a cuppa tea.