"Dance with me Darlin'"

She was fancy free the first time he came into view.
Her  heart skipped a beat ,
Butterflies fluttered when she first saw
those eyes
that smile
that tuft of hair dipping down
"Dance with me darlin'", he softly said -
And she melted.
Round and round the floor they'd roam
safe in a special world that was all their own.

They flirted and they broke up, just the way lovers do.
He asked, she answered and
When they were wed-
Butterflies fluttered anew when she saw -
those eyes
that smile
that tuft of soft hair dipping down
"Dance with me darlin'"...
And she swooned.
Round and round the floor they'd roam
safe in a special world that was all their own.

Days came, days passed by, bringing ups and downs.
Angry words and cold shoulder meals.
Butterflies fluttered, how she hated how they fluttered, at
those eyes
that smile
that tuft of soft hair dipping down
"Dance with me darlin'..."
And she'd relent.
Round and round the floor they'd roam
safe in a special world that was all their own.

The two became one and then some more
She was no longer the only dance partner
Butterflies fluttered as he bounced a baby on his knee-
those eyes
that smile
that tuft of soft hair dipping down
"Dance with me darlin'"...
And she would smile.
Round and round the floor they'd roam
safe in a special world that was all their own.

Times were tough and times were hard and oh, how they suffered.
Good times, bad times and bad choices all around.
The butterflies were silent - how she hated that silence -as the looked at
those eyes
that smile
that tuft of soft hair dipping down
"Dance...with me, darlin'?"  The question hung in the air...
She made her decision...
And she loved.
Round and round the floor they'd roam
safe in a special world that was all their own.

The years have flown by and there have been a lot of changes.
The road they traveled had its ups and downs.
Butterflies  still fluttered as she looked at
those eyes, just a little faded
that smile, just a little different
that tuft of soft hair didn't hang down anymore...
They paused and looked at each other -
Then asked together, "Dance with me darlin'?"
And they lived.
Round and round the floor they'd roam
safe in a special world that was all their own.

[a song written by Marilyn A. Hudson, 2014-- dedicated to her husband]

I Miss Mama

For Mother's Day --

I miss Mama

There are times, now and then, when the feelings wash over me-

I may be shopping, I may be lonely, or maybe sitting on the porch just sipping tea.

Then, and now, seem to overlap and sweet memory comes to call.

As I see her face, I hear her voice, and the way the light danced in her hair.

In moments like those, I feel the loss, and remember she’s not there;

I miss the smiling woman in the picture hanging on the wall.

I miss Mama. 

I miss Mama

She wasn’t perfect, just a woman, she was trying the best she could

But she loved her family, did her best, and always taught her kids to be good.

Then, and now, seem to overlap and sweet memory comes to call.

Her eyes twinkle and I hear the echo of her laugher as her arms open wide.

Wrapped up in her warm love; you knew nothing could happen with her by your side.

I miss the smiling woman, the always smiling woman, in the picture hanging on the wall.

I miss Mama.

--Marilyn A. Hudson, 2014

Velma D. Cochren Terry and her sister Elva Cochren Merry, ca 1990