More Short Stories and Poems

By Stephen W. Dillon

This book was written for my mother, Louann Goodnight Dillon. It is another collection of poems and short stories from different parts of my life so far.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796042771

Book preview

MORE

SHORT STORIES

AND POEMS

STEPHEN W. DILLON

Copyright © 2019 by Stephen W. Dillon.

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.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/31/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

Getting Started

The You That Could Be

CHAPTER 2

Poems

Late Afternoon Light Show

Yellow Chairs

Shark’s Tooth

The Shadow

I Was A Branch

Snowflakes

Super Blue Blood Moon

Snowbound

The Great American Solar Eclipse

Thinking About Dad On Father’s Day

Camp Chesterfield Seminary Week

My Hide-A-Way

Noise

Retirement

It’s Not Gone (Yet)

Going Home

CHAPTER 3

Growing Up

Christmas On Lingle Avenue

Snakes

Indiana Beach

Guns

Yellow Chairs

Frozen Custard

Ping Pong

The Beatles

Flying

The Beard

CHAPTER 4

Life In General

Dead Chipmunk

Farmers’ Market

Hammock

Feather

⁵⁰th High School Reunion

The View

Safety Deposit Box

Early Morning Hike

A Farewell To Ernie Collins

CHAPTER 5

America

Native American

A Great America

Voting

CHAPTER 6

Trump

What Is The Definition Of A Crazy Person?

What Should We Do About Trump?

Acknowledgment

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED

THE YOU THAT COULD BE

YOU AWAKEN WITH A QUIET MIND, KNOWING THAT YOUR

DAY WILL GO SMOOTHLY AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS

WILL BE IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.

YOU MEDITATE AND EXPERIENCE GREAT CLARITY OF MIND AND FEEL RESTED AND AT

PEACE.

YOU TASTE YOUR BREAKFAST AND KNOW THAT IT IS GOOD

FUEL FOR YOUR BODY.

YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE.

YOU SHOWER AND DRESS AND LIKE

WHAT AND WHO YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR.

YOU EXPRESS LOVE TO YOURSELF.

YOU OPEN THE FRONT DOOR AND FACE A MAGNIFICENT WORLD THAT SUPPORTS YOU.

A NEW ADVENTURE AWAITS.

YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE GROWING.

YOUR SPIRIT BECOMES STRONGER EVERYDAY.

YOU FEEL DEEPLY ABOUT FAMILY, FRIENDS, CHILDREN, ANIMALS, AND THE PLANET.

YOU CHALLENGE YOUR MIND EVERY DAY.

YOU WALK AND EXERCISE, DRINK PURE WATER, AND FEEL GOOD.

YOU ENTERTAIN AND ENLIGHTEN YOURSELF WITH GOOD MOVIES,

BOOKS, AND STIMULATING CONVERSATION.

YOU HOLD YOUR INTEGRITY DEAR.

YOU DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL

AND KEEP YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE SIMPLE, HONEST, AND LOVING

SO THAT OTHERS MAY FOLLOW YOUR EXAMPLE.

YOU VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME AND YOUR SKILLS

HELPING OTHERS LESS FORTUNATE THAN YOU.

YOUR ROLE MODELS ARE OF THE HIGHEST STANDARDS: BUDDHA,

JESUS, MOTHER TERESA, MAHATMA GANDHI, THE DALAI LAMA.

YOU TRUST YOUR HIGHER SELF.

YOUR INTUITION IS ALWAYS ACCURATE. YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY AND WHAT TO DO.

YOU KNOW THAT ADVERSITY, SUFFERING,

AND DEATH ARE PART OF THE WHOLE OF LIFE.

YOU DO NOT JUDGE OR CONDEMN

WHEN OTHERS ATTACK. YOU SEE ONLY A CALL FOR UNDERSTANDING.

YOU LOVE THE MYSTERY OF LIFE.

MIRACLES ARE EVERYDAY OCCURRENCES.

THE PLAN IS UNFOLDING, AND YOU ARE A PART OF THE BIG PICTURE.

YOU KNOW THAT LOVE IS THE ANSWER TO ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

THIS IS THE TRUTH OF WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

EVERYTHING ELSE IS AN ILLUSION.

YOU ARE LOVE.

By Dan Millstein

Visions for Prisons

CHAPTER 2

POEMS

LATE AFTERNOON LIGHT SHOW

I was sitting quietly with the dogs

on the deck this afternoon, when

I suddenly saw a piece

of light zip up into the air

and then run down in a slowly moving

line and disappear, only

to return again and do the same dance

with different rhythms, up and down

in the air, over and over, glistening and flashing

the bright white light on the invisible spider’s web.

YELLOW CHAIRS

I smiled when I first saw them.

Bright, dazzling yellow like the sun.

Just made you happy to sit in them.

Comfortable, and lots of fun.

We got them from Dillon Hardware, of course.

Like everything else in the house.

Eight pieces all together in 1962.

Down to four now, time has run its course.

The bright yellow and white stripes looked like a sunbeam,

with sturdy white painted aluminum frames.

I was a pilot flying my plane, or driving the Indy 500.

We could all climb on and play lots of games.

I sit in one now

and remember the past.

And how I cleaned them each week

so they would last.

And last they have,

although time has shown

that bright metal surface

of scratched-off paint,

and the dark areas where mold

has grown.

I can’t imagine a time

without my chairs.

And all those memories

of bygone years.

I still smile when

I see them.

Bright, still yellow

like the sun.

Just makes me happy

to sit in them.

Still comfortable, and lots of fun.

SHARK’S TOOTH

Where do you think it is?

The shark that lost its tooth.

I don’t want to give it back.

I