Come into My Garden: Volume 1

By Virgil Ballard

Poems written during the "LONG WAIT'

Imagine the all consuming yet innocent young love of a 15 year old boy and a 14 year old girl.Suddenly all contact is lost due to a conspiring grandmother who intercepted and destroyed U. S. mail. 60 years roll by:They each had married and raised large families and they meet again. Time passes. Another six years before they are both widowed and thenn..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 19, 2010
• ISBN: 9781466924031

Virgil Ballard

Virgil Ballard was born in 1927 into a ranching family and spent the first 60 years of his life a horseback and ranching. He later formed a real estate company and is still pursuing that endeavor in 2010.His writings show wisdom, humor and common sense that comes from spending years in the saddle.

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Contents

Mail Call

The Silver Chord

The Damn Alarm

Just An Old Woman

The Strangest Story

A Little White House

The Matriarch

The Sequel

Comfortable

The Second Phase

The Yearning

Grandpa

An Old Man

Prayers

The Letters Stopped

A Cow And Her Calf

My Extra-Ordinary Ordinary Girl

The Outdoor Man

An Old Belt Buckle

A Cowboy On Her Mind

Dad’s Secret

What Has Happened To Men?

Pretend

Is It A Deadend?

A Long Long Trail

Memories Gift

Afflatus

The Cuddlers

The Long Road

To Dream

A Man And His Horse

The Sands Of Time

Two Souls Have Touched

Footprints

The Hand We Were Delt

Prayers For Each Tomorrow

Ice Cold Fingers

Three Wishes Granted

Old Buck Had To Listen

Confused

The Thrill Of Discovery

Tempted

Is It Early Or Late?

Certain Thoughts

The Second Time

A Bundle Of Joy

Summer Love

New Links In An Old Chain

Rainbow Of Colors

The Devil Has His Way

Up Is Better

In Love With My Best Friend

The Harder The Sweeter

The Octogenarians

Heaven

We Are Immortal

The Way I Am

Day Dreams

Ruth

Afterward

The Prettiest Flower

Holy Cow!!

Unknown Mysteries

The Hamburger Tree

The Stars Know

Communing With Nature

The Squeeze

A Secret Place

Is It A Sure Bet?

What Happened

A Toast

The Joy Of Life

The Silent Cry

A Vacant Stare

Help Available

Life On The Edge

What If

A Lonesome Wail

The Bidet

Eager Kisses

Treasures

Remembering When

The Sultan

Captain

The Next Page

Tsunami

Ghost Dancers

Blurred Vision

Wisdom Of The Ages

Hyperclose

Innocence

Cowboys And God

Our Syrup

The Reason Why

Adventure Is Our Prey

You Give Me Pride

Angels

What Is Too Old?

Passion

Who Am I?

The Importance Of Design

What We Never Had

Are We There Yet?

The Power Of A Symbol

The Traveler

Sunshine

The Massage

Beauty Is Life

Before  The  Snow Comes  Next  Year

A Gleam In Her Eye

Overwhelmed

The Alternate View

Souls

That First Step

Ecstasy

The End Of The Rainbow

Hope

Heading West

Wild Flower

The Shower

The Sound Of Her Laughter

The 11th Hour

Cellular Memory

Dreams

Clasping Hands

The Yellow Robe

A Wrinkle In Space

The Flames Of Fire

A Haunting Look

Lets Waltz

My Girl

An Ancient Dream

Mystery In Our History

At The Airport

Reality

Half A Mind

Rrring!

Somedays

Plagued By A Dragon

The Boss

Ah Sunup

Guard Those Thoughts

Behind The Hippocampus

The Aura

I Look To The East

The Great Spirit

Love

There Is Magic

By The River

An Angels Voice

Only One Thing On My Mind

Number One

Glowing Thoughts

A Tortured Mind

Wherever You May Be

The Canyon Wall

The Dance

Three Little Words

The Moving Line

Confidence

Duty

My Prayer

Faith Of A Private Man

How To Prepare

This Thing Called Love

The West Wind

Big Mystery

If Only

Out West

Just Suppose

A Letter To Ruth

Wild Fire

The Date

Brilliant Is Cool

Come Teach Me

To My Girl

The Choicest Peach

Bon Voyage

Before Daylight

The Seeker

A Cute Little Package

When It’s Forty Below

My Office

On Top Of The World

Friends

Imagination I

Imagination II

The Enigma Of Succes

A Second Chance

Guess What

Getting A Fix By Phone

Our Secret

A Loss For Words

Winning The Battle

Johnstun

Christmas Time

The Addict

To Ruth, Who Above All, Inspired Me To Write This Poetry.

Mail Call

I stood in back at mail call

Hoping they might call my name

Other men opened their letters

But for me it was always the same

I tried to hide my feelings

As I shrugged and turned away

I was too macho to show I cared

But the hurt was there to stay

They say hope springs eternal

And I know that to be true

Even when you know its over

And hoping makes you blue

Years passed slowly, 20,40, 50 and more

One day I got a letter though

With her name, there in the corner

As I held it, my old hands trembled so

Then casting my eyes upward

A prayer was in my heart

So bitter sweet my feelings

So many long years apart

Ever so slowly I opened it

Though I could barely see

Tears blurred my eyesight

No longer the macho me

First I turned it over

She signed it love I saw

All reason quickly left me

Old defenses began to thaw

Now I’m sure the people wonder

Why I have a secret smile

God laid his hand upon me

I can call her mine for awhile

The Silver Chord

Remember when you loved me

Before our plans went awry

Remembering when you loved me

Always makes me cry

For many years another held you

I wish it could have been me

You’ve built a lifetime of memories with another

And with another raised a family

Why do I continue this torture?

Why can’t I just let it go

Because the silver chord was never broken

We’re still connected, that I know

I know your life has been happy

And perhaps it’s just as well

That you never shared my heartaches

Never knew the road to hell

But if your life should ever change

Have a look over your shoulder I’ll be waiting in the shadows

The same boy only much older

The Damn Alarm

Her wings were transparent

Like made of cellophane

I heard her tapping as she hovered

Just outside my window pane

She was so very tiny

As fairies are wont to be

She said she had a message

A message just for me

I opened the window and

She lit upon my hand

She was dressed like a princess

It all seemed so grand

She was quite impatient

As she tapped her tiny toe

She said cupid had sent her

And I really aught to go

That my lover had summoned

To meet in a secret spot

She was there to guide me

In case I had forgot

Of course I consented

And she raised her little wand

Then the alarm sounded

Before she could respond

Just An Old Woman

The old woman sat with a shawl on her lap

Eagerly watching every one passing by

She was tied in her chair with a big cotton strap

Watching her, it was hard to keep your eyes dry

The nurses were all busy going to and fro

If any one came close, she reached out to touch

Hoping to talk and always asking to know

Reaching with bony fingers hoping to clutch

Always the same question with a pleading smile

Can you please take me home?

She was so frail, so determined all the while

If any one would listen,can you please take me home?

With snow white hair done up in a bun

She was probably a beauty back in her day

Had she no family? Was there no one?

How long must she ask? How long must she stay?

Her days must pass slowly always asking to go

There is probably only one way she will ever leave

Her hope is a blessing because she doesn’t know

And when she is gone no one will grieve

The Strangest Story

This is the strangest story that I have to tell

If you can’t believe it

Its