LARRY BRADFIELD'S NOSTALGIC POEMS

Cowboy poet, Larry Bradfield wrote the poem below after I told him about a good friend and I dancing on the balcony of her Denver penthouse apartment the night Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969. There were others there. She had two roommates with dancing partners that night. The moon was full, the music was so appropriate and the setting was absolutely unforgettable, a high rise in downtown Denver. We were on the ninth floor with city lights aglitter and the big ivory moon shining brighter than ever, but that night it had footprints for the first time. The lunar bathed snow-capped Rockies were in full magical view. Clair de Lune is my favorite tune of all and has been since my early college days. Larry Bradfield was part of the Apollo program. He saw it close up from Mission Control Rooms. He pictured my memory in his mind and wrote this poem. I tinkered with it to get it where it is now. Thought you would like it. Joan Parker MacReynolds died December 10th 2017.

She was a very good friend. Michael Lewis Moore

He was raised near a west Texas sand dune.

The honky tonks and sawdust fit him well.

Although partial to a Debussy tune,

He was just as apt to cuss and raise hell.


Then one day he went to Denver for good

Changed sand in his boots for views without end.

He learned quickly, as he'd known that he would,

Pretty girls lived in Penthouses, my friend.


Joanie was smart and he knew that was right,

Her southern whispers met his Texas drawl.

They danced as an Apollo moon shone bright,

And marveled how young they had seen it all.


What more was there than to dance Clair de Lune?

All While men walked upon that big ol' moon.


Written 07/20/2017 by Larry Bradfield for dancers Joan Parker MacReynolds ( Knoxville Tn.) and Michael Lewis Moore (Odessa, Tx.)

Take Me To Texas

When I die take me to Texas
And lay me gently in the sand
Just dust me off from time to time
And softly pat me with your hand

Talk to me lowly with that voice
That I heard for so many years
And tell me what's been goin' on
Since I caused you to shed those tears

Then take a cup of Texas sand
From atop the grave's hallowed spot
And take it to the county line
Where that old Honky Tonk was hot

Now if that Honky Tonk is gone
Just dump that sand out as she pours
But if that place still stands today
Carry it through the batwing doors

Then set it on the bar, my love,
And tell 'em just who lies beneath
That ought to get you one free beer
But you cannot expect a wreath

For those were wild and wooly days
And we were young and out of hand
Now I'm gone and I'll lie buried
In the farthest west Texas sand

7/21/2017 copyrighted by Larry Bradfield

Words Left Unsaid

The tears in your eyes say you are leaving
The deserts around us sigh as we part
Words left unsaid won't stop me from grieving
And searching for answers for this poor heart

I will remember the light of your smile
And the tenderness of holding you tight
The soft words spoken in such a short while
As we laughed and loved beneath the moonlight

Does the moon still shine and the coyotes cry
In the magical place we knew so well
Are there still embers that say we should try
Or should we just let our memories tell

I can always recall how the stars shined -
Should I remember or leave them behind ?

2/26/2017

Love Is Complex

I am an old man in a nostalgic trance.
The days and years from a mosaic past
Flood through my thoughts in an unending dance.
At times they pause as if a die were cast.

I was young when thoughts of love crossed my mind -
"Ah" said I, " But I have no time for such -
The world is complex and I have much to find."
So I sought fame and missed the lover's touch.

I read volumes about love and of life.
The vagaries were all that I could bare.
And still I found her and made her my wife.
"How", you may well ask - and, "how did you dare"

Despite all my study and all I'd read
It only took two words - "Love me," she said.

9/9/2017

THOSE YEARS WERE BUT A FEW

I have walked the desert
Sailed the sea alone
Climbed a rocky mountain
And heard a glacier moan

I have loved and lost
And then loved again
I remember lips
That smiled at me back then

Love was just a word
Back when the world was new
She was young and lovely
Those years were but a few

We talked of tomorrow
And things we could not know
Then suddenly it changed
We'd different paths to go

I have flown an airplane
Ridden many a horse
I have crossed big rivers
And traveled my own course

Love was just a word
Back when the world was new
She was young and lovely
Those years were but a few

8-22-18
Larry Bradfield