Lynne Barker

Spartanbury, SC, USA

A receiving technician at MEMC Electronics, I reside in Spartanburg with my husband and three children. I enjoy working with the Acteens at my church, reading Max Lucado books, and writing my own greeting cards. My poems have been published in church bulletins and on the Internet. Blue Mountain Arts, Sparrowgrass Poetry, and The National Library of Poetry have also published them. They have won 3rd and 5th place, Editior's Choice awards, and honorable recognition in local and national contests. I am in the process of compiling a book of poems. Friends and family are the inspiration for my poems.

DO YOU . . .

Do you ever think of me and let me cross your mind,
Do you ever close your eyes and my face is all you find?

Does my voice ever haunt you and call your name out low,
Does the mention of my name make your feelings grow?

Do you ever long for the warmth of my touch,
Or want the comfort of my arms that ache for you so much?

Do you ever need my should on which to cry?
Or feel it's a losing battle no matter how you try?

All these things you have to know are what I feel for you,
I just wish that things could change and you felt the same way too.

ODE TO NANCY

There once was a clerk that wanted to play house.
She grew tired of working and complained to her spouse.
She begged and she pleaded for many a year-
He finally got tired of her bending his ear.
He said, "Quit if you want, stay at home and rest.
I'll work extra hard and we'll just do our best."
The girl began to giggle, to yell, and to scream...
"Somebody pinch me, this must be dream."
She ran to the office with pen in hand,
She screamed, "Give me those papers—I've had all I can stand."
She signed all the forms and sighed with relief.
Didn't she know she would cause us much grief?
We cried and we begged, "Please change your mind."
She said, "It's too late. The papers are signed."
So, with her decision we'll have to live-
We'll tell her goodbye, our blessings we'll give.
She'll know that she's loved by everyone here-
Because we could never replace this woman so dear...
We love you, Nancy.

HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE?

How do you say goodbye
When you don't want to see it end?
How do you fill the void
when they're more than just a friend?
Where do you put your memories
when there's nothing you want to forget?
What do you say at last
to be left with no regrets?
How do you keep your heart
from breaking right into?
When does your heart stop hurting
when you miss a friend like you?