The Shepherd and the Herder
by Charles Bell ~ Salt Lake City, Utah
'Twas many and many years ago,
The shepherd woke up each day
And called and led his little flock
To the pasture by the way.
The shepherd loved his homely sheep,
He knew them all by name.
He always watched and cared for them
And they loved him just the same.
When day was done he led them home
And penned them up each night.
When he at last retired for sleep
He knew they'd be all right.
But now, move on two thousand years,
There's been a great big change;
The sheep are counted by the hundreds
While grazing on the range.
There's no one leading them these days,
They just wander here and there.
The herder sits and watches them
As if he didn't care.
The busy dogs do all the work
Of keeping them in line.
I wonder what the herder does
With all his lonely time?
�,Charles Bell
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without written permission.
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The Fifty-Seventh Valentine
by Charles Bell ~ Salt Lake City, Utah
For fifty-seven years you and I have been together,
We�ve struggled and survived in all kinds of weather.
We�ve had our ups and downs, many joys and some tears,
But I can hardly recall all those fifty-seven years.
Passing time has changed us, and now we�re old and gray,
With lots of aches and pains at the beginning of each day.
We�ve said a lot of loving things and a few that were hateful,
But I choose to dwell on the happy times, and for that I am grateful.
You�ve always stood by me through everything, thick and thin,
And loved me no matter what kind of trouble I was in.
When I was down you raised me up in your ever loving way,
When I was up you calmed me down by something you would say.
The fifty-seventh Valentine Day is coming soon, at last
And fifty-six valentines I�ve given to you in the past.
I have given you candy and other kinds of stuff,
But this year you tell me that you have had enough.
So, how can I say how I love you in a celebrating way,
How very much you mean to me on this very special day?
I know-- I will say, �I love you,� all of the time,
And that, my love, is the reason I am giving you this rhyme.
�2009,Charles Bell
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without written permission.
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The Ballad Of The Old Kitchen Stove
by Charles Bell ~ Salt Lake City, Utah
After many years of heavy use
The door on our kitchen stove came loose.
We�d put it up and it�d come back down
So wife and I took off for town.
To buy another of the modern kind.
We looked and looked and tried to find
Just the one she wanted to make her glad
To get rid of the old one and not be sad.
Fin�ly we found the one she�d pick
And I paid out the money really quick,
�Fore she had a chance to change her mind
And put my wallet in a bigger bind.
We took the stove home and plugged it in
The new stove�s life was about to begin;
But I digress, this tale is about
The fate of the old stove, we were throwing out.
I tied the stove on the trailer with care
To take to the only place I knew where
It was proper to leave it, a local landfill,
But to get there I had go down a steep hill.
The road was rough with potholes, and how!
In some of those holes you could drown a cow.
I was turning around a steep horseshoe curve
Trailer hit a bump and started to swerve.
It tipped right over and the stove came loose.
It rolled down the hill, but there was no use
In trying to catch it, I just watched it go
Till almost to the highway it stopped below.
I drove down the hill as fast as I could
Where the road met the highway the stove stood;
It sagged on a broke leg the door was askance.
When I got there I happened by chance
To see a road sign, a few feet away.
I laughed when I saw what it had to say.
My plans for the stove, they had to change,
For the message was simple, it said, �Open Range.�
�2009,Charles Bell
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without written permission.
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