MY BEST FRIEND by Dennis Patton

The building blocks were gently placed with care

And each one added all the strength it must

To hold the burdens each of us must share

Until our hearts were bound in endless trust.

And thus our love has grown throughout the years

In victories and even in defeat

For we have learned in joy and bitter tears

That through our love our lives are made complete.

The building blocks of friendship stay in place

Cemented by the strongest bonds of love

But love could not endure without God’s grace

Provided by His mercies from above.

The miracle of friendship has begun

When by God’s grace two hearts can beat as one.

— Don Crowson

Deceased

THE COLOR YOU SMILED LAST NIGHT

We walked in dreams last night where rhythms wrapped each word you spoke with tinsel glow.

Each cushioned whisper

lay against the silence like a morning wrapped in fog.

We sat beneath the hilltop stars and talked tomorrow-talk, cemented dreams with kisses,

then waited for today.

In the magic of your whispers,

I saw the color of your smile and knew at once our love would last beyond that last recorded sunset.

— Harding Stedler

Deceased

LOVE LINES

Today is Valentine’s Day True love’s holy shrine A forum for poets

To pen some love lines

So with pen in hand

And you on my mind

I choose words that will stand The test of time

Words that won’t fade

Like roses on the vine

And memories that were made By candlelight and wine

Words bound to ring true When the Lord calls me home When the words, “I love you” Are chiseled in stone.

— Mike Pafundi

Deceased

DIAMONDS AND GOLD

There is no diamond in the land quite big enough to show how much I care for you, or tell how grand it feels to live within your touch.

There is no setting made of gold as beautiful as home has been since you took me to have and hold and marriage made our lives akin. — Verna Lee Hinegardner Former Poet Laureate

LOVE

What is life all about? A soft whisper or a shout?

What is life all about?

Is it a cool breeze upon your face? Or the hot burning sun as you run your race?

What is life all about? It’s the magic of love without a doubt.

— Jeanette Heffington Benton

To submit poems for publication, please send poems of 16 or fewer lines to Dennis Patton, 2512 Springhill Circle, Alexander, AR 72002, or patton_dr@ hotmail.com. The Saline County Branch of PRA is scheduled to meet February

25, 1:00 pm, at the Parkview United Methodist Church, 514 North Border Street, Benton.