On the Inside, Looking Out

By Gretchen Huffman

These poems were written not only for women but for all people who have experienced love, pain, longing, joy, loneliness, embarrassment and all the other emotions known to mankind. If you have lived to adulthood (and that age differs with all of us), you have no doubt experienced most or all of these feelings. Some you may have enjoyed; others, not so much. But, if you are like me, you remember most of them. Oddly enough, you may remember the negative ones as much as, or more than, the positive ones. Either way, while you are reading this, we are connected and that alone makes my efforts worthwhile. I wish to thank everyone who influenced me and therefore, provided me with the necessary incentive to rhyme. We are planning a Volume II., So watch for further developments!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514423028

Gretchen Huffman

GRETCHEN FULLERTON HUFFMAN was born in Clinton County, Ohio and her first poem was published in Wee Wisdom, a children’s magazine, when she was just five years old. She calls this collection“ Inside, Looking Out.” Her poetry expresses her thoughts(inside) which she is hoping to send (out) to her readers. She and her husband, Bill, maintained homes in both Ohio and Florida for the past several years. They now reside in Southwestern Ohio, in Hillsboro, where she is active in several organizations. Their son, Mark, was a victim of melanoma cancer in 2013. His older brother, Scott, works in Downtown Manhattan for CBS News. They also have four grandchildren, two great grandchildren and a very special friend, Melody Gilbert.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Gretchen Huffman.

ISBN:  Softcover   978-1-5144-2303-5

            eBook        978-1-5144-2302-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 04/28/2016

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

724541

Contents

On the Inside, Looking Out

A Poet’s Lament

Dry Run

Get a Grip!

Differing Tastes

Eyebungers

Garage Sale Dilemma

Dementia

Facing the End

Boredom

Growing Older

The One

In Willa Stanforth’s Memory

Success Story

Gigi’s Adoption

My Linkage with Melody

Woman’s Best Friend

Bills and Bill

Dream Fulfilled

Out of Touch

Megan

Molly, by Golly

Counting Her Charms

Randy

Devil, be Damned

Pain comes with Love

Real Fans

Baby Bexley

June

Adopted Cat

I’m Fond of Brandy

A Doctor’s Dedication

The Homogenous Class of 1950

A Malady that’s Killing Me

Daytime Television

Grin and Bear It

Long Days, Short Nights

Mirrors Change from Friends to Enemies

Priorities

Reflection

Snowstorms

The Mystery of Life

This bugs Me

Farewell, Dear Readers

About the BOOK

About the AUTHOR

On the Inside, Looking Out

I’m on the inside, looking out.

What I see leaves me confused.

Have I made the most of life,

or was I neglected or abused?

Back in my day, choices were limited—

would I be a teacher or a nurse?

I’d proven myself scholastically,

but I suffered from a gender curse.

Bright men were doctors in those days;

my father was one of those, in fact.

But I never even considered that—

‘though there was nothing that I lacked.

Dad also never made that suggestion,

and, although I loved him dearly,

the options for me, career-wise,

were limited—strictly and clearly.

But my story has a happy ending;

my artistic talents saved the day.

I soon had employers phoning me.

Will you come to work for us, they’d say?

It was surprising how far I went;

I won’t bore you with the details.

But I really sailed into the sunset.

One might say I had wind in my sails.

Now I’m nearing the end of the road.

I have little to regret, that is true.

I went far despite the difficulties,

and I earned all the respect I was due.

A Poet’s Lament

I keep a dictionary close to me

to protect me from a calamity,

such as misspelled words or a meaning wrong,

to spoil my poem, my heart’s own song.

I wish to keep my meaning clear,

so all who read it will think or hear

my plaintive call, from heart to heart,

and take a stance, an active part.

For that’s what poetry is all about—

a link between us, there’s no doubt.

It’s a very tenuous, fragile thread

that lets you peek inside my head.

I hope you’ll honor this tender link,

that lets us share the thoughts I think.

I wish this street would go both ways,

so I could know your