The Old Man

The old man was sitting there, watching children play.
A solemn look was on his face, he went there every day.
He liked to watch the people there, most young and full of life.
He thought of his one true love, who never was his wife.
He was no longer young, his life had passed him by,
He could not run and jump, a tear fell from his eye.
He thought of the things he’d done, the places he did go.
He had no right to be this sad, but sorrow he did know.
He had lived a long good life, he had fought and lost and won,
He had his share of problems, he had his share of fun.
But the one thing on his mind, that fate would not let be,
Was the woman that he loved, who to him was never free.
He didn’t know why he loved her, so many years he’d cared,
He only regretted that even now, their lives could not be shared.
Life had given him everything, except this dreamed about need,
He had friends and money, but with love he’d never succeed.
His sorrow had gotten the best of him, his hope had faded through years,
The hardest thing he had to do, was to hold back all the tears.
The children had stopped their playing, they were wondering why’s the
old man crying,
He hoped they never felt the pain, of a lost love never dying.

The old man got up off the bench, and wiped the tears away,
His memories had hold of him, on this warm, sunshiny day.
He left the park and went straight home, not stopping anywhere,
He didn’t have much time, before she would be there.
The old woman looked in the mirror, and gave herself a smile,
She was going to see a friend, she hadn’t seen for awhile.
Her children were all grown up, they could make it on their own,
She wanted to get back in touch with feelings she had known.
The old man rushed around the house, putting everything in place,
He wondered what she looked like now, remembering her pretty face.
It had been so many years, since he had felt like he should,
How could knowing he would see her make him feel this good?
The old woman thought of time gone by, how hard she’d had to strive,
To raise the children that she loved, to eat and to survive.
She thought of what she could have had, if she’d wanted to,
But her heart never loved this man like he wanted her to do.
The old man opened up the door, and asked her to come in,
She reached up and hugged him, causing him to grin.
They sat down and talked about all the years gone by,
Reliving the laughter and the tears, not having to ask why.
They were sitting there remembering, old woman and old man,
Reliving their lives again, the only way they can.
Speaking words of memories, of things they had done,
Of little lies and whispered cries, but also of fun.
After quite some time, the conservation died,
He sat there and looked at her, remembering those eyes.
She asked him if he was alright. He said, I guess so;
He wanted to say he felt the same, as he did those years ago.
But in his mind he was afraid for his feelings to show through,
He looked at her and forced a smile, though pain is what he knew.
She knew what he was feeling, since she’d walked in the door,
Only now she understood it like she never had before.
She was looking at a man who, through the good and bad,
Loved her all this time like no one ever had.
He spoke to her with honesty, no quiver in his voice,
Words coming from his heart, as if he had no choice.
He told her he was sorry, for saying all these things,
As he reached down in his pocket, and handed her the ring.
The tears came from her eyes, she reached out and took his hand,
They were sitting there remembering, old woman and old man.

The old man just looked at her with a question in his eyes,
Asking her for her love, for the rest of their lives.
She looked down at the ring, as she wiped the tears away,
Not wanting to tell him, what she knew she had to say.
She put the ring back in the box, and put it in his hand,
Trying to find the words, to make him understand.
She knew his heart was shattered, his hope was there no more,
But she could not let him go on like she’d always done before.
She made him look her in the eyes, and with sadness in her voice,
Told him her side of it, wishing she had a choice.
You know I’ve always loved you, in fact I’ve told you so,
Loved you as my best friend, since all those years ago.
Sometimes when I was down, you were the only one who cared,
And no matter what I did, I knew you would be there.
To me, you’ve been a blessing and, from time to time, a curse;
Not feeling the way you want me to makes me feel even worse.
I’m flattered that you want me to share your life with you,
But I cannot live a lie, or turn something old to new.
The old woman got up to leave, on the cheek gave him a kiss,
She told him she was sorry that things turned out like this.
The old man watched her walk away, not saying anything,
He knew he’d never see her again, as he looked down at the ring.

The old man closed the door and slowly turned around.
He walked over to the table, in a daze he sat down.
The ring he was holding, the one for her he did get,
He laid gently on the table, trying once more to forget.
He thought of her walking away, even after all these years,
He wondered why she did that, holding back the tears.
Then a thought came to him, he had never thought before,
He had always shown her friendship, but he’d shown her nothing more.
He had told her that he loved her, many times he’d told her so,
But he had never proved it, like a woman needs to know.
He had never sent her flowers, or gently held her hand,
He didn’t let her feel his love, so she couldn’t understand.
He had always talked to her about women that he knew,
Asking her opinion of what he should do.
To her he was just a friend, now he knew that she was right,
Because thats all he’d ever been, for her love he did not fight.
The old man looked at the ring, first one for her he’d bought.
He smiled inside at himself, understanding what he had thought.
All those years of feeling bad, of sorrow without a try,
Sometimes it takes a lifetime to answer the question why.

The old woman sat quietly, thinking of one thing,
The look on the old man’s face when she gave him back the ring.
She thought of what he meant to her, her friend for all these years;
He was the only man she ever knew that for her shed his tears.
She thought of all the times when she didn’t know what to do,
How she could just talk to him, and somehow make it through.
She remembered when they first met, how shy he was back then,
A country boy of seventeen with such an innocent grin.
She remembered he'd never made a pass, held her hand or given her a kiss,
She had thought he didn’t like her, as her eyes began to mist.
He graduated and moved away, joined the service to see the world;
She fell in love with someone else and married, still a girl.
He came home for their wedding, at the church sat in the back row;
As she was waiting to walk down the aisle, he got up to go.
For a few years she didn’t see him, they lived so far apart,
She didn’t know till later on that she had broken his heart.
She heard the knock on the door, and her train of thought was gone.
She took the package from the boy, and again was left there alone.
She opened it very carefully, without breaking the ribbon or thread,
She smiled as she picked up the roses, six yellow and six red.

The old woman took the roses and put them in a vase;
She smelled them as she put them down in a special place.
The colors of the flowers she knew the meaning of,
Yellow was for friendship, the red was there for love.
She went to throw the box away and inside found a note,
Words from the old man’s heart, very neatly wrote.
He said, You know I’ve loved you always through the years,
But you were with someone else, and I was left with tears.
You’ve lived your life from man to man, not choosing very well,
Looking for your heaven, but seeing a living hell.
I’ve had other women in my life, but they would never do,
I couldn’t love them like I should, I could only think of you.
Now I see the mistakes I’ve made, I could have had my day,
But instead of fighting for your love, I turned and walked away.
Today I have put the gloves on, get ready for the fight of your life,
This time you will not wear me down, one day you will be my wife.
The old woman smiled a knowing smile, she knew the old man was right,
You can’t go back and change a thing, but the future was looking bright.
In her heart she felt a new feeling, a love hidden deep within,
She knew it had always been there, as she looked at the roses again.

The old man called her on the phone, and asked her for a date;
She thanked him for the flowers, then told him, don’t be late.
He hurried to get ready, feeling nervous quite a bit,
This would be a special night, better make the best of it.
He showed up right on time, then had to wait awhile
For her to get to the door; she opened it with a smile.
He reached out and hugged her, on the lips gave her a kiss,
She pulled him even closer, instead of trying to resist.
In the car she held his hand, he felt like a teenage boy,
Knowing the closeness that he felt was turning into joy.
He took her out to eat to a place filled with romance,
Candlelight, wine and music, he wasn’t taking a chance.
The old woman felt wonderful, she was glad he had asked her out,
She knew now in her heart, what love is all about.
On the way back home, the old man stopped by the park.
They sat by the fountain, where the lights lit up the dark.
She knew what he was thinking, he reached out and took her hand,
He told her that he loved her still, this kind and gentle man.
He asked her if she’d marry him, to put his mind to rest,
Before she could even think, her heart had told him yes.

The old man stood there in the church, waiting for his bride
To finally walk down the aisle, and stand there by his side.
He felt like he was in a dream, as the wedding march began,
And there she came so beautiful, he took her trembling hand.
Instead of traditional wedding vows, they were to say their own,
Words just for each other, to the world they would make known.
He said, I will love you for as long as I might live,
And then on through eternity, my love to you I’ll give.
I have waited all these years for this very day,
Sometimes I wanted to give up, but there was no way.
My love has always been for you, although you didn’t know,
Today I vow my love to you, and will always let it show.
The old woman looked at him, and gave a knowing look.
She would be with him forever, no matter what it took.
She said, I’ve spent all my life looking for what I’ve always had,
Someone to love me for myself, through the good times and the bad.
I’ve always loved you as a friend, at times even more,
Today I love you with all my heart, of that you can be sure.
He put the ring on her finger and felt the love in her heart.
From that day to forever, they would never be apart.

The old man opened up his eyes, raised his hands to shed the light,
Trying hard to remember the dream he had that night.
He could remember children playing, roses and the ring,
To remember how it ended, he would give anything.
As he was laying there, the dream faded away,
Slowly he got out of bed to face another day.
Why did this dream stay alive, to make his life so blue,
To love someone so much, with nothing you can do?
He made a pot of coffee, then poured himself a cup;
When he heard the phone ring, he reached out and picked it up.
It was the old woman’s daughter, who he remembered as a child,
Telling him about her mother, who had been ill for awhile.
She was in the hospital, very weak and near the end;
She'd told her to call him, she wanted to see him again.
The old man asked no questions, said goodbye, hung up the phone,
In all the years of loving her, he had never felt so alone.
He sat there for a minute, his heart so full of care,
Asking God for a miracle, in his silent prayer.
The old man took the little box from the desk by the wall.
As he locked the door behind him, his tears began to fall.

The old man opened the door slowly, not knowing what he would find;
The old woman lay there sleeping, not knowing he’d arrived.
He walked over to her bedside and gently took her hand;
To this day he loved her more than had any other man.
She opened up her eyes to see his worried face.
She smiled like he remembered, long ago, in a different place.
The old man just looked at her, and a tear ran down his cheek,
She held his hand more tightly, he could tell that she was weak.
She told him to stop crying, there was time for tears no more,
That she wanted to ask him something she never had before.
She said she always wondered why he never took the chance,
Why he stood in the corner, when with her he could have danced.
She said she knew he loved her, had felt it long ago,
But never understood why he never let it show.
The old woman’s eyes were smiling, when she saw the ring.
She had waited much too long for this very thing.
The old woman soon recovered, and became the old man’s wife,
Making him very happy for the rest of his life.
Some dreams are just for dreaming, some dreams do come true,
Some dreams keep you going when nothing less will do.