Tony Beckwith
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No Strings Attached

4/17/2021

 

My favorite gifts
come with no strings attached
No favors expected
No backs to be scratched
And this, I believe, is what love is

For otherwise
what have we done
but substituted one for one?
And there is little room to grow
when bound by rules
of quid pro quo

One day perhaps I'll live to see
mysterious doors at last unlatched
And I will learn to give myself
without a single string attached
For that, I believe, is what love is


The Simple Things

3/15/2021

 

I came to pick you up one day
in a long black limousine
Thinking you'd be flattered
to be treated like a queen
But you told me that was not your style,
the simple things would do
And you'd rather ride a bicycle
if it was made for two

I said "Let's travel round the world
and stay at grand hotels!"
Thinking that a plan like that
would cast all kinds of spells
But you were frankly unimpressed
and gently told me why
You'd rather stay at home with me
and watch the world go by

So then I brought a diamond ring
and a double strand of pearls
Thinking they would woo you
as they do so many girls
But you told me what you really liked
was how I made you laugh
And both of us are smiling
in our wedding photograph


New Year 2020

1/5/2021

 

I'm proud of my family, my neighbors and friends:
the circles to which I belong
Throughout this pandemic the ties that bind us
remained unrelentingly strong

We all rallied round as best we could
when push truly came to shove
We kept on loving the ones we care for
and caring for the ones we love

Tonight we'll plunge into unknown waters
unsure if we'll sink or float
But I trust that our families, our friends, and our neighbors
will be there if we need a boat

Thanksgiving in the Time of Covid

11/30/2020

 

I and many just like me
remember how things used to be
When you and I and everyone
would meet as we have always done
To celebrate with those we know
traditions started long ago

Then came the virus in the night
wreaking havoc left and right
"Mercy, mercy!" people cry
as they see their loved ones die
Hoping that a new vaccine
will mean the end of quarantine

Though being with friends and family
is what Thanksgiving means to me
We're wary of the danger zone
and choose to spend this day alone
We shall, of course, propose a toast
to all that we revere the most
Then challenge fate and make a vow
to meet again a year from now

Only Just Begun

8/14/2020

 

In our covid-stricken world
we live in partial isolation
resisting the temptation
to do as we've always done

As we try to come to terms
with our novel circumstances
we dream of things like summer dances
and roaming 'round the city just for fun

Myriad daily bulletins
show scary numbers rising
so it's not at all surprising
that we don't believe the war's already won

We're going to have to find
a safe and comfortable routine
for our time in quarantine
that I think perhaps has only just begun


What Am I Missing?

7/15/2020

 

What am I missing in this new life we lead?
What can I do without?
What do I need?

I'm missing the kissing and the fond embraces
But not the loud and crowded places
I don't miss rush hour or long check-out lines
or having to primp and get dressed to the nines

There aren't many things I genuinely pine for
Not much I'm willing to stand in line for
To be more specific I ask myself this:
what do I actually honestly miss?

Perhaps an espresso at a favorite café
or dining with friends who have something to say
Being free to do whatever I please
and go where I like with the greatest of ease
Movies and galleries on hot afternoons
Family birthdays with cake and balloons

Keeping away from the children is tough
Six feet apart is just not close enough
I worry the little ones don't understand
why they can't hold their great-uncle's hand

The cruelest constraint till the pandemic ends
is social distance from family and friends

A Change of Plans

6/21/2020

 

There are some stubborn citizens
with short attention spans
Who don't appear to notice that
there's been a change of plans

They want to dine in restaurants
and socialize in bars
Their children crave amusement parks
and rides in bumper cars

They want to go to stadiums
to mingle with the crowd
Yet see no need to wear a mask
and swear they won't be cowed

But lately I've been noticing
how much the crowds have thinned
As some of us are blown away
by the illest kind of wind

These boundaries are stifling
and none of us are fans
Of course we want our lifestyle back
but there's been a change of plans


You Never Can Tell

5/7/2020

 
It’s been a crazy April and it isn’t going to change in May
The damn pandemic is looking like it’s here to stay
We’re not going outside till all the pestilence has blown away
When this mess is over there’s going to be some hell to pay
                              
I count my blessings daily as I’m sure that you count yours
I don’t mind that I have to do my share of all the household chores
We order food online and it’s delivered by the local stores
It’s not bad if you can handle simple living in the great indoors  
                            
The mighty market’s crashed and the economy’s not doing too well
Our future looked so rosy till the virus came and broke the spell
Now we’re amazed to see how everything has gone to hell
"C’est la vie" say the old folks, "it goes to show you never can tell"

With thanks to Chuck Berry


Honestly, Who Knows?

2/9/2020

 


We’re trying to be more flexible
whatever we arrange
For nothing’s really set in stone
and everything can change

A telegram might go astray
A card could be declined
The promise made by so-and-so
may simply slip her mind

An unexpected pair of queens
will beat a pair of jacks
A password on a post-it note
can slip between the cracks

The wind can drop
The sails can droop
The boat can run aground
The peg supplied with some square holes
may actually be round

The fickleness of fate contrives
to keep us on our toes
We like to think we’re in control
but honestly, who knows?

tony beckwith 2020

Happy New Year

1/4/2020

 

Some like the jungle
Some like the beach
Some like to break the rules
Some like to preach

Some prefer the status quo
Some like revolutions
Some enjoy a free-for-all
Some like institutions

Everyone's on board the train
about to leave the station
Last chance to confirm the route
and final destination

Last chance to give some thought
to what we ought to pack
For we're off to meet the future
and we're never coming back
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    Index

    All
    007
    2017
    A Birthday
    A Box Of Photographs
    A Brick In The Wall
    Absent Friends
    A Change Of Plans
    A Hundred Years Of Fulvio
    A Moment In Time
    A Moment Of Silence
    An Admiral's Fleet
    An Election Reflection
    A New Way Of Giving
    An Ordinary Man
    A Nursery Rhyme For Naia
    A PC Christmas
    A Question Of Age
    Ask Me Why
    At Last!
    At The Beach
    At The Museum
    Autobio-poema
    A Windy Day
    Be Kind
    Bird In A Cage
    Birthday Review
    Breathing Out And In
    Brigitte Bardot
    Cause And Effect
    Chau Donald
    Chicago
    Christmas Poem
    Civil Discourse
    CollarBone Blues
    Common Sense
    Cousins
    Dear Elaine
    Dear Father Christmas
    December In San Miguel
    Donald
    Do Not Disturb
    Edwin's Santa Hat
    Elaine
    Email Attachments
    Empires
    Exit Strategy
    Fall/winter
    Family
    Fare Thee Well
    For A Sad Friend
    For Jack
    Fulvio!
    Generation Gap
    Geoffrey Edbrooke RIP
    Going With The Flow
    Happy Birthday
    Happy Gruyere
    Happy New Year 2015
    Happy New Year 2019
    Happy Valentine's Day
    Hard Choices
    Hawaiian Rain
    High School Reunion Trilogy
    Hold On Snoopy
    Home
    Honestly Who Knows
    I Couldn't Get By Without You
    I Fell For You
    If This Were A Movie
    In A Raindrop
    In Memory Of John Haack
    In The Limbo Zone
    In Your Shoes
    I Reach Into The Pool
    It All Starts With Letters
    I Think Of You
    Kids
    La Tristeza De Naia
    Light And Shadows
    Like A Foreign Film
    Like A Wolf On The Fold
    Looking At Older Relatives
    Lullaby
    Mad Broccoli Disease
    Make Soup
    Mardie's Farewell
    María!
    Mary Hobart
    Me Acuerdo
    Mendoza
    Midsummer Dream
    Morning Noon And Night
    Mozart
    Multitasking
    Mums The Word
    Music
    My Candle
    My Day Is Done
    My Email Address Book
    My Fallen Heroes
    My Family Tree
    My Favorites
    My School Reunion
    My Train Of Thought
    My Wildest Dreams
    Nameless Dread
    New Orleans
    New Year 2020
    New Year's Eve
    New Years Eve 2013
    New Year's Eve 2018
    New Year's Resolution
    Next Time
    Northern Winter
    No Strings Attached
    No Time
    Obama And The Queen
    Ode To The Road
    Old Friends
    On A Pendulum
    On A Sidewalk Jostling
    Once Upon A Time
    One Thing Leads To Another
    Only Just Begun
    Our New President
    Panama Hat
    Partly Cloudy Skies
    Pink Flamingos
    Please And Thank You
    Pockets / Bolsillos
    Poverty
    Rich
    Road Trip To Mexico
    Ros Campbell
    Rosendo
    Santa Claus
    Seasons Come And Seasons Go
    Silver Linings
    Some Just Like To Complain
    Some Like To Complain
    Something On Your Mind
    Song Of Santa's Reindeer
    Sorry
    Sports Day
    Sunflowers In My Room
    Teachers
    Tell Me A Story
    Thanksgiving 2006
    Thanksgiving 2009
    Thanksgiving 2014
    Thanksgiving 2015
    Thanksgiving 2016
    Thanksgiving 2017
    Thanksgiving 2018
    Thanksgiving 2019
    Thanksgiving 2021
    Thanksgiving In The Time Of Covid
    The Age Of Communication
    The Alley
    The All-You-Can-Stomach Buffet
    The Andes
    The Annual Checkup
    The Crack Of Dawn
    The Dance
    The Earth Is Round
    The Fourth Of July
    The Glacier And The Shooting Star
    The Good Green Earth
    The Immigration Issue
    The Lottery Ticket
    The Manger
    The Meltdown
    The Morning Paper
    The Newly Enlightened
    The Ocean Never Sleeps
    The Perks Of The Office
    The Rain
    The Sands Of Time
    The Simple Things
    The So-Called News
    The Spark Of Happiness
    The Squirrel
    The Sugar Plum Fairy
    The War On Poverty
    The Wedding Of Garrett And Laura
    Tonio
    Tony's Law Of Levity
    Too Much Stuff
    Torch Lake
    Turn Back The Clock
    Twenty-Two Valentines
    Un Alfajor Argentino
    Unplugged
    Un Yo-yo Uruguayo
    Up There
    Valentine's Day
    Valentine Video
    Viral Videos
    Weh-Weh And The Children
    What Am I Missing?
    What Are You Doing?
    What Fruit Can Grow?
    What If ?
    What Is Love?
    What's The Hurry?
    What Will I Have Planted?
    When You And I Were Young
    Whimsy
    Who Is Truly Spared
    Words On A Page
    World Cup 2010
    You Never
    You Never Can Tell
    Young And Pretty

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