Irony

Roscoe, the old Polak. Just as I thought of stashing the keys I saw him thumbing his way home. To my surprise, he spoke the language without ever spending time in the old country. Caring of his arthritis poisoned mom, he is trying to rehabilitate the bum shoulder preventing him from cutting lumber. His mother was taken by the Germans at fourteen, forced into labor until the end of the war. Father was freed by the Brits and soon took arms for the Allies. Now widowed, the old lady laughed saying that she wouldn't give a penny more for a Russian than a German. My curiosity rests with how fresh this statement is. Roscoe is taking steps, hoping to do some more schooling at his ripe age. His favorite was creative writing, and I now face myself with a staple of papers; thoughts from a month of being locked away. Traffic violations he says. The old lady says I'm no longer a stranger and I made promise to come back in weeks time. Always did feel at home around Polaks.

"From on day to the next I go;
Smiling and hollering tallyho.
Can't say for a fact;
This is the way I should act.
The illusion it creates is false;
I myself am aware of its faults.
All depends on one's point of view;
To society or yourself, will you be true?"
-Roscoe

"A smile and kind word can provide warmth for three months of winter." ~

"A solution to stress is to get hilariously drunk, albeit a temporary one." ~

"I am not hard to please;
Just a simple hug and squeeze.
A friendly look and smile;
Makes everyday worthwhile.
Just to revel in the presence;
of the auro of your essence.
Of all the things that could be;
A closer shared walk with thee.
My life is already complete;
Since the day God let us meet.
Without His intervention from above;
I would never have experienced love.
Even though we are now apart;
The memories are locked forever in my heart."
- Roscoe