Hello my friends at HP-
Thank you so much from little ole me-
Thank you for reading all my stuff-
I hope truthfully it was good enough-
I hope my poems brought smiles to your faces-
I hope it took you away to different places-
I hope it made your imaginations run wild-
Again I hope the poems made you smile-
I will continue to write that is for sure-
For poetry is therapeutic and poems are the cure-
Until we meet again on the internet-
May this holiday season be your best one yet-
THE END
-

When the heart joins that of another
it does not see the hands of the clock,
neither counts the days or the months,
lost in its search for sanctuary and peace,
the heart only knows where it is meant to be
and where it will forever remain.

You have a choice in how you choose
A wrongful don't a rightful do
Along the path of win or lose
It really is all up to you

Move back and forth from side to side
Veer to the left, stay to the right
Try as hard with all your might
Let your conscience be your guide

Or has your conscience lost its way
In the decisions that it makes
On your walk from day to day
The rocky path that it has laid

Where to the right there is a cliff
A steep climb on the left
Keep your eyes straight ahead
When all is done and all is said

You have a choice in how you choose
A wrongful don't a rightful do
Along the path of win or lose
It really is all up to you

When  we  reach  the holy  mountain , beyond the crystal sea,
Then we'll sing the songs of Zion , of highest themes they be,
There we see the Holy Father , unseen by other men,
The unsearchable  riches in Zion are within our ken.

I long to be ready to meet Him when He comes,
I long for the rapture to meet Him in the air,
Oh, I want to see the glory and hear Him say "Well done",
For I long to be ready to meet Him , When He appears.

~

i have never particularly cared for him or for his style of play.  there is a fine line between knowledge of one’s talents and arrogance and i have always thought Kobe walked on the downhill side of that line, when doing so was unnecessary.  of course it did not help that a Lakers / Blazers rivalry cost the Blazers at least one NBA Finals berth… most of us are, after all, most likely to gravitate toward our hometown team.  

but on seeing this post from Kobe in the Player’s Tribune, i found that i simply must acknowledge the classiness of his retirement penning...

instead of a letter, the guy writes a poem.  how can i not embrace this?

~

BY KOBE BRYANT
LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe