I have a new delightful friend,
I'm almost in awe of her.
When we first met I was impressed,
By her bizarre behavior.

That day I had a date with friends,
We met to have some lunch.
Mae had come along with them,
All in all ... a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented,
We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups;
Except for Mae who circumvented,
And said, "Ice Cream, please. Two scoops."

I was not sure my ears heard right,
And the others were aghast;
"Along with heated apple pie,"
Mae smiled, completely unabashed.

We tried to act quite nonchalant,
As if people did this all the time;
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.

I could not take my eyes off Mae,
As her pie ala-mode went down;
The other ladies showed dismay,
They ate their lunches, and they frowned.

Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Mae;
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
She ordered a parfait.

I smiled when her dish I viewed,
And she asked if she amused me;
I answered, "Yes, you do,
And you also do confuse me."

"How come you order rich desserts
When I feel I must be sensible?"
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
"I am tasting all that's possible."

"I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I should;
But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on something good."

"This year I realized I was old,"
She grinned, "I've not been this old before;
So, before I die, I've got to try,
Those things for years I have ignored."

"I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
And too many books I have not read;
There's more fudge sundaes to woof down,
And kites to be flown overhead."

"There are many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes;
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and cokes."

"I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray upon my face;
Sit in a country church once more,
And thank God for His grace."

"I want peanut butter every day,
Spread on my morning toast;
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
To the folks I love the most."

"I've not cried at all the movies yet,
Nor walked in the morning rain;
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again."

"So, if I choose to have dessert,
Instead of having dinner;
If I should die before nightfall,
You'd have to say I died a winner."

"That I missed out on nothing,
That I had my heart's desire;
That I had that final chocolate mousse,
Before my life expired."

With that, I called the waitress over,
"I've changed my mind, it seems;"
I said, "I want what she is having,
Only add some more whipped-cream!"

~By Virginia (Ginny) Ellis ©2000 ~
Used with permission
Visit Ginny's site at: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Creek/7984/Index.html