My wife, Sue, and I are members of an organization in Arlington, VA, called Encore Learning. It is a continuing education and social organization for people over 50. It offers a wide variety of activities for seniors to include classes on an array of subjects taught by experts; special events like lectures, concerts, and tours of historic sites and museums; social activities; and clubs, including bridge, cinema, current issues, lunch, kayak, mindfulness, nonfiction book, tech hobbyist, travel, and breakfast clubs. If you live in the National Capital Region, are over 50 and looking for interesting and exciting things to do, check out Encore Learning (https://encorelearning.net). Sue and I particularly enjoy the breakfast club that meets every Wednesday morning at 8am. This poem is a tribute to the wonderful members of that club.
The Encore Learning Breakfast Club
I know what young folks think
When they hear about our club,
A lot of meaningless, boring talk
As we consume our morning grub.
Dribbling food as we masticate
With teeth implants and dentures.
But we talk about electric cars,
And Africa adventures,
ChatGPT, medical science,
Contemporary art and Broadway shows,
Classic opera and modern jazz,
Foreign trips and movie tableaus,
Domestic travel, senior classes,
College sports, and technology,
Books, like novels, ceramic arts,
And sometimes, even poetry,
3D printing and drama production.
A lot of things I don’t know much,
From folks articulate and smart,
Educated, brainy and such.
There are doctors, lawyers,
Teachers and housewives,
Public servants and business folks.
All people who live full lives.
A play producer, a movie critic,
Military vets and volunteers,
Nurses, actors and a sculptor,
Astute leaders among their peers.
If you get up early on Wednesday morn
And join us for breakfast when you do,
And absorb the wisdom of our years,
I guarantee you’ll learn something new.
And when it comes to check-in time,
We tell each other things
Like what we’ve done or going to do,
Or the joy a grandkid brings.
But it’s not just about learning new stuff
Or enjoying the fellowship of one another.
More importantly, it’s mostly about
Sharing and caring and helping each other.
If you’ve got a problem in life,
Like needing a doc, or a plumbing pro,
Or good mechanic, painter or vet?
The breakfast club’s the place to go.
Whether your problem is big or small
You’ll find people there who care,
And will give you good advice.
You’ll find a solution there.
Or if you want to dump your woes
And get them off your chest,
We’ll listen with interest and sympathy
To your sad story, and the rest.
But most of all, if you need some help
With a serious problem in life,
Or just someone to talk with
To help you though sadness, or strife,
Or if you’re sick and need support
With things like food or transportation,
Or anything else, great or small,
You’ll have help with your situation.
So if you’re looking for somewhere to go
For enjoyment with people of heart,
The Encore Learning Breakfast Club
Is a damn fine place to start.
Note: For more stories in meter and rhyme, see Poetry That Rhymes, by Lee Austin, available through Amazon.
My Poetry That Rhymes 