Poetry from the Heart

By J. L. Bircher

Step-Children
Living with your own children can sometimes be tough.
Bring in a couple of step-children and tough becomes rough.
Reasons for the entrance of step-children vary,
Remember the road for them is just as scary.

Yes, there are more hungry mouths to feed,
And the cost of groceries has doubled to fill the need.
But, those step-children used to have rooms of their own,
Where now they must share a room and find no time alone.
Arguments are more frequent over which TV shows are groovy,
Offer to make bowls of popcorn and sit as a family for a movie.
Game night is always a help if the children are young,
Or read books together as with that, no one is wrong.

Making it work with step-children around
Will be worth it in the end, or so it has been found.
Some tell you to give up and some tell you to stick it out.
Whatever you do, dont let them see you pout.

The next time you begin to feel sorry for yourself,
Look where you placed that step-childs award on a shelf.
Remember the smile you received when you placed it there,
And how your heart melted as you began to care.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514410837

J. L. Bircher

"A Radical Sacrifice" is being published on the heels of "Strategy Murders" simply because Jean enjoys writing and being creative. Since her husband retired, he has become an avid golfer which gives Jean private time to concentrate on making her characters come alive for her readers. The time she spends with her husband when at home involves watching movies while sharing a "large" bowl of popcorn. They also enjoy camping, but leave their two dogs and two cats at home in the care of a "sitter". Evenings spent in front of a wood fire provides the time for Jean and her husband to share and communicate as they believe this is what keeps their marriage healthy and loving. Currently they are planning an eighteen-day cruise in October that will include spending time enjoying the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. Much of the time will be spent on the ocean and Jean hopes to begin her next book in the series she has created.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by J. L. Bircher.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5144-1084-4

                eBook           978-1-5144-1083-7

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: 09/24/2015

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Contents

The Children

I. A Future Football Player

II. A Mother-in-law’s Heart

III. A Child’s Smile

IV. I Didn’t Want a Daughter

V. Step-Children

VI. I Loved and Love My Sons; However…

VII. My First Granddaughter

VIII. We Have a New Baby on the Way

Spiritual

I. A White Dove

II. Communion

III. Death Is Not the End

IV. Praying

V. Singing

Canine Lovers

I. Canines Are Like Babies

II. Dogs Without a Home

III. Lexi

IV. Puppies

Human Nature

I. Firemen

II. Getting Old is the Pits

III. Mirror Images

IV. Remote Controls

V. The Flame of a Candle

VI. The Police Dispatchers

VII. Time…

VIII. Waiting For Car Repair Service

IX. When Life Throws Us a Curve

Miscellaneous

I. A Husband Helps Around the House

II. A Piece of Paper Gets No Respect

III. Computers in General

IV. Euchre? What The Heck is Euchre?

V. Makeup

VI. Office Clutter

Notes

The Children

A Future Football Player

There doesn’t have to be a special name.

But the gender must be a male for this game.

All Daddy’s hope their newborn sons, one day,

Will share the couch and watch them play.

There once was a mommy in labor,

Giants playing Cowboys was the flavor.

The game goes into overtime for a point.

Mommy doesn’t see a doctor in the joint!

Soon her doctor comes into the room.

He checks her out and says, Be back soon.

He saw she was comfortable with the epidural.

A C-section will be it; she will endure and not hurl.

The game finally ends and the Cowboys win.

Her doctor comes in and says, Now we begin!

As she is wheeled onto the operating room floor,

She knew her baby had to wait for that final score.

After she was home with her Dallas Cowboy baby,

She sent a letter to the league and wrote that maybe

Their future quarterback had to wait to be born,

Until in overtime you beat the Giants, now forlorn.

A few weeks later a package arrived.

It was from the Dallas Cowboys and she looked inside.

There was a letter thanking her for being a fan,

And all sorts of pens and such with the Cowboy brand.

Her son is now 33 years old and still