My Poem--My Life

I'd like to write a few lines today
About life's view from an aging man
Times and things have changed so much
It's hard to comprehend
 
My life began back in Forty Four
On a Cloudy October day
Our country was involved in World War 2
People followed the news every day
 
School for me, started in forty nine
In a one room country school
A country boy getting an education
Where the teacher had absolute rule
 
Twelve years I went to school to learn
About Math. History, and science
Diagramming sentences made no sense
Many times I was in trouble for violence
 
From fighting on the bus, to teasing girls
I struggled to somewhere fit in
I learned how to smoke, drink, and cuss
That's where my trouble's begin
 
I married in June of Sixty Four
Totally blind about the reality of life
To make marriage work the way it should
You must have love and support from your wife
 
But, as it turned out, I'm sad to say
I had none of these in my life
So, I found my hurt was dulled with booze
And by drugs that made things "nice"
 
Harley's , Bikers, and playing music at night
I used to fill the void
Three children were born during this time
Their lives, I nearly destroyed
 
Her ex-lover tried to kill me
But, wasn't man enough to get it done
She stabbed me with knives and hit my face
She tried to shoot me with a gun
 
The safety was on or I"d have been shot
She suggested I commit suicide
She said she prayed many times for my death
When I got on my Harley to Ride
 
The one I had loved, since she was 12 years old
Turned her heart and hate against me
She said I don't love you and never did
I want you to let me be
 
I kept on trying to make it all work
But, it all fell apart, near the end
Too many years and too many hurts
It just didn't work to pretend
 
So, in December of Seventy Two
I kissed my 3 kids goodbye
I put some clothes in some sacks I had
I could no longer live with a lie
 
Many, many nights, I spent in tears
My life seemed to have no worth
The pain and hurt were so bad inside
Made my addiction to booze much worse
 
An alcoholic, a druggie, at twenty eight
Full of hurt, hate, and revenge
I basically gave up on love and life
Every weekend, a drunken binge
 
I'd met a woman a few months before
When I was on a Biker Run
I called her a "lady" when we first met
So, she found out where I was from
 
We got an apartment together
Lived the "live-in" style of life
But deep inside, I knew it was wrong
Because she was not my wife
 
I gave my life to Jesus
In Sept. of Seventy Three
He took the booze and the drugs away
And started a new work in me
 
Then in July of Seventy four
God gave me a new wife
She gave her life to Jesus too
Which ended many years of strife
 
So, now thirty eight years later
Our families are now, all grown
I Pastor a church in the country
About 12 miles from my home
 
These 30 plus years weren't easy
With all the hurts left behind
Those who were once my enemies then
Are now good friends of mine
 
God's love for me has stood the test
He's never abandoned me yet
I felt His strength so close to me
When I endured my middle son's death
 
I never dreamed I'd face this event
A father shouldn't bury his son
All of this turned back the pages of time
Brought back all the wrongs I had done
 
But, God's love and Grace sustained me
On the day of my son's visitation
I stood in my pulpit and preached God's word
To myself and the congregation
 
I'm now at the age of Sixty Six
I'd like to live long, if I could
I want two words on my tombstone
Just these two words " HE STOOD".
 
Written by Oldbiker