Anniversary

My parents wedding anniversary was 18 Oct (I think that is right).  After Mom passed away, we found a poem she had written for her 5th wedding anniversary.  As usual, my father was flying somewhere on a mission so she wrote him the poem.  You can see from the poem where I might have gotten what little talent I have for poems and the same ideas on humor.  I hope some of you like this poem from back in the 40s.

Happy Anniversary   /  Florence Dailey

I’ve studies the angles from hither and yon
And here are the conclusions that I have drawn:
Our marital status is a bit of a mess
It’s rough to admit it, but, honey, confess
If laid end to end was the time you spent flittin’
On trips or in school, or as AO just sittin’
Tain’t Anniversary Five that we honor with glee
Might stand in the books but it isn’t for me
It should be the second or at most the third
Cause I married a man who makes like a bird!
“How to be Single tho’ Married” – Remember?
The book I was writing way back in November?
When I was at Howard and you in BA
(The trip was 5 days; 5 weeks you did stay)
Then there was Rio, Lima and Guat
And mucho mucho mas – in fact, quite a lot
Of places you mentioned that now skip my mind
At Bourinquine the pattern varied little I find
Your trips were still often, the hours home but few
By then we had animals and kids – we had two
Then we came stateside to the damn frozen north
You see the sun ‘cause you go back and go forth
To Texas and Florida, as well as across
The icy Atlantic – on one engine, of course
Now the children are three – a damn Yankee is here
To add to the din and the mess till I fear
I’m mad as a hatter, the place is a fright
And I’m fit to be tied when you come home at night
But don’t get me wrong – change places I’d not
(Tho’ I’ll probably end up as a drunken old sot)
Happy October 18th – and may we have more
I’d like maybe a million, but at least fifty-four
I love you, old goat, and no doubt always will
‘Cause where I’m concerned you sure fill the bill
As in each of my letters – you don’t write – you meanie
I’ll send this as usual – you’ve all my love – Greenie

NOTES:  Howard was in Panama City where my older sister Margie was born.  Bourinquine was the base in Puerto Rico where I was born.  The Damn Yankee refers to my sister Kathy.  Of course my father came back and they had one more child - Jinx (also a Damn Yankee).  My father's plane disappeared when I was four and I never got to know him at all other than letters he wrote to my Mom and stories she told us.