Four

The number four has prominence

in our society,

It may not be Almighty One

but outshines two and three.

Four presidents on Rushmore:

George, Tom, Ted and Honest Abe.

Four Majors in the golf world:

Masters, Opens, PGA.

Music had some great quartets:

Beatles, Kinks, Coldplay, the Who,

the Stones, Led Zep, CSNY,

And don't forget U2.

Four suits are found in every deck:

Spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts.

Four evangelists wrote the gospels:

Matthew, Luke, John and St. Mark.

A swimming relay has four strokes:

Back, breast stroke, fly and free.

Four spaces on a music chart:

F, A, C and E.

The Rams' Fearsome Foursome,

The Steelers' Steel Curtain,
Vikes' Purple People Eaters,

All four-man D-lines I am certain.

A secondary has four backs,

Four infielders in baseball,

Four seasons comprise every year:

Spring, summer, winter, fall.

I've lived in the Quad Cities,

Four years under the Dome,

Illinois, Iowa, Nodak, Minny,

I've called each one my home.

Today I hit the Big Seven-0,

I look back at my life,

Four-plus decades of wedded bliss

with Mary, my patient wife.

We have been blessed with three great kids:

Gina, Michael, Jill,

They still find time for their old man

even though I'm o'er the hill.

Things 'round here haven't been the same

since two thousand thirteen,

A new day dawned, new roles assumed

for Momma Cuan and me.

How is it possible for these little girls

to send us over the moon?

We've got our own Mount Rushmore Four:

Rosie, Winnie, Lulu, June.

Rosie's an adventurer,

She's always on the go,

The zoo, the mall or T-ball,

She never takes it slow.

Winnie loves the great outdoors,

A Minnesota girl at heart,

You'll find her biking down the street

or swinging in the park.

Tiny dancer Lulu

has a rhythm and a beat,

She runs around and talks a lot,

She's lightning on her feet.

Four month old June's a happy babe,

Always ready with a smile

that can light up any room she's in,

though no teeth for a while.

I've always liked the number four

without reason or rhyme,

I could just as easily picked six,

or seven, eight or nine.

Now four means much more to me

than to most folks, I assume,

I think about them night and day,

Rosie, Winnie, Lulu, June.

Rose Marie & Winnie Jo

DISCLAIMER

I'm afraid that a poet I'm not,

Strained rhymes, broken meter I've got,

But today Rose turns one,

So I thought it'd be fun,

To try and give it a shot.

 

***

 

ROSE MARIE & WINNIE JO

 

Springtime brings the blooming flowers,

Gentle rain that lasts for hours,

Baseball, Easter, pontoons, biking,

Outdoor dining, lakeside hiking.

 

But there are two even better reasons

Why spring's become the best of seasons.

May then April, an eleven month span,

The Dynamic Duo's birthdays, I'm a lucky man.

 

Two petite angels, Rose Marie and Winnie Jo,

Have made their grand entry, I love them so.

Winnie's eyes are crystal blue, Rosie's cocoa brown,

They're the coolest cuddly chicks in any Minnesota town.

 

The Petal lives up on The Hill, The Princess in The Park,

Those precious little babies have a big piece of my heart.

I love to watch them sleeping as they're swaddled nice and snug,

Even better when they're wide awake, I can't resist a hug.

 

They have the cutest toes, the softest skin and pretty smiles,

They might be tiny munchkins but they've created their own styles.

I hope when they grow up they form a friendship and a bond,

That sister act would bring such joy to me and Momma Cuan.

 

I'm sure the time will come when they will have a lot to say,

When they call me "Grandpa Johnny" that will be my favorite day.

I plan to go to all their games, concerts and school plays,

(Just don't ask for Science Fair help, I think we'll be okay.)

 

You can have all the celebrities in People Magazine,

Models, singers, movie stars, and all the beauty queens,

Angelina, Scarlett, Gwyneth, Halle and J Lo,

I'd rather spend my time with Rose Marie and Winnie Jo.