This Is Why

I could have retired,
A year or two ago;
I could have rode the corporate bus,
And watch the dollars grow.

I could have gone on painfully,
Trying to impress;
I could have played the corporate game,
But didn’t nonetheless.

I was away everyday,
I missed my family;
I know it’s hard to understand,
My sensitivity.

I missed my boys, I missed the joys,
Of my community;
I wanted just to be a part,
Of this family.

So I chose survival,
It’s hard to understand;
I chose to be a leader but,
It didn’t go as planned.

We worked things out together,
You helped me beat the drum;
We grew our independence,
Yet together we were one.

For our kids it was a chance,
For all of us to grow;
They saw things happen, good and bad,
It was great for them to know.

I saw an opportunity,
Our boys could watch and see;
They’d learn to take the world head-on,
And choose what they could be.

Crossroads became the center,
To many folks in town;
We became a stopping point,
For folks when they were down.

With a guitar, they were a star,
Out on our showroom floor;
It helped them with reality,
To leave life at the door.

It’s not made up, it’s not a lie,
They’d say it to my face;
“I really love my time in here. It’s such a happy place.”

I could have retired but,
I didn’t know your plan;
I thought the trip was side by side,
I didn’t understand.

But not at the beginning,
Our work went hand in hand;
We built our place from four bare walls,
I thought you liked our plan.

Challenges and drawbacks,
They happened on a dime;
I never felt as close to you,
Like that intensive time.

In my heart, that’s what I felt,
That you and I could do;
I thought together you and I,
Could make this dream come true.

But my dream was not your dream,
Somehow I didn’t see;
That this dream would drive a wedge,
Between both you and me.

Wall Street crashed, we had no cash,
We hoped that it would change;
Instead it only made things worse,
Our life was rearranged.

I take responsibility,
For doing what was done;
I’ve never been the type of guy,
To simply cut and run.

Everything I’ve ever done,
Was done with you in mind;
Some was right and some was tied,
In knots I can’t unwind.

Through thick and thin my love for you,
Has never, ever waned;
Even at the worst of times,
It’s knowledge that I’ve gained.

I’ve learned respect, to tolerate,
The things I don’t agree;
You will laugh but it has helped with my anxiety.

I can only say I’m sorry,
For things that I have done;
I never meant to squash your dreams,
I thought our goals were one

I don’t mean to say it’s not that way,
We still walk hand in hand;
In everything we do in life,
I’ll always be your man.

Published by Claude Limehouse