An Authentic Life - In fewer than 13 lines

An Authentic Life - In fewer than 13 lines

By John R. Greenwood

1. an honest heart purrs contently at a backyard picnic table
2. a genuine hand upon a friend's weary shoulder, their pain is your pain
3. tears run deep with every soldier lost, no parent deserving of such anguish
4. this father's pride swells watching sons help others in need. A homerun, a touchdown, a goal all come a distant second
5. "I love you's" free and frequent come easy in the place you call home. 
6. nature your refuge, you embrace every leaf, every rainy day
7. music singing, strumming, whistling, or a steady drum beat fill your spirit with fuel for the next 100 miles
8. a new book smell, an old book smell - both stir the need to flip pages on the seat of a bench, in a park, with a breeze and children sounds in the distance
9. little fear of change, old age or barking dogs. Life will show up regardless
10. long winding roads in pick-up trucks, with windows down and sleeves rolled up to the forearm, stonewall lined fields and pine tree miles, slow your pulse to a crawl. 
11. coffee
12. writing down anything on a pad, a black and white one, lined, with a pencil, give you a warm reminder of why you breathe, today, and tomorrow

* This post is a submission to a Poets United poetry prompt: "An Authentic Life" in fewer than 13 lines.