To All the People I have Known

by Wayne Hinton

With apologies to Andy, Julio and Willie
(If you know their songs, you'll know what I mean)
As I look back over the past 55 years
I am amazed how many people I have seen.

Many of them became life-long friends.
Others entered my life for only a season
I choose to believe that everyone I have known
Came into my life for a reason.

I've experienced my closest male friendships
With only a very few
And, of the three that were dearest,
Death has taken two.

My relationships with girls and women
Were hard to understand.
I know some called me fickled, but each
Was an important part of God's plan.

I learned something from each and every friend,
Even some of them were related,
But the most important things I learned
Were from those females I dated.

I could name names,
But that would not be smart,
My wife knows who they are
Each one a work of art.

Some were pretty,
All were cute.
No matter their appearance,
I gave each one the book.

There were some exceptions
To the fickle side of me
Each of them gave me the boot.
In all there were only three.

You see, I never believed I could be truly loved,
I thought that was out of my reach,
So I left each one before they had a chance to leave me.
To leave them, subconsciously, was my safety net -
For the relationship to cease.

It really didn't matter
Whether the eyes were brown or blue.
The green-eyed girl I married
Has proven her love is true.

She is truly a composite
Of all the girls I dated.
God knew she was there for me
If I but only waited.

I'm sorry for my treatment of some
By being fickle or crude or rude.
No matter what I did to you,
You gave me spiritual food.

I have grown old and
Nothing works the same
But I thank all my friends for being in my life,
No matter what's your name.

Knowing you has helped me grow
Into what I am today.
This poem is the only method
I could put into words what I want to say.