I have a new delightful friend,
  I'm almost in awe of her;
  When we first met I was impressed,
  By her bizarre behavior.

 That day I had a date with friends,
  We met to have some lunch;
  Ellie had come along with them,
  All in all ... a pleasant bunch.

  When the menus were presented,
  We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups;
   Except for Ellie who circumvented,
  And said, "Ice-cream, please. Two scoops."

  I was not sure my ears heard right,
  And the others were aghast;
  "Along with heated apple pie,"
   Ellie smiled, completely unabashed.

  We tried to act quite nonchalant,
  As if people did this all the time;
  But when our orders were brought out,
  I did not enjoy mine.

 I could not take my eyes off Ellie,
 As her pie ala-mode went down;
 The other ladies showed dismay,
 They ate their lunches, and they frowned.

 Well, the next time I went out to eat,
 I called and invited Ellie.
 My lunch contained white tuna meat,
 She ordered a parfait.
 
 I smiled when her dish I viewed,
 She asked if she amused me;
 I answered, "Yes, you do,
 And you also do confuse me."
 
"How come you order rich desserts
 When I feel I must be sensible?"
 She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
 "I am tasting all that's possible."

 "I try to eat the food I need,
  And do the things I should;
  But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
  I hate missing out on something good."

 "This year I realized I was old," She grinned,
  "I've not been this old before;
   So, before I die, I've got to try,
  Those things for years I have ignored."

 "I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
  And too many books I have not read;
 There's more fudge sundaes to woof down,
  And kites to be flown overhead."

 "There's many malls I have not shopped,
  I've not laughed at all the jokes;
  I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
  And potato chips and cokes."

 "I want to wade again in water,
  And feel ocean spray upon my face;
  Sit in a country church once more,
  And thank God for His grace."

 "I want peanut butter every day,
  Spread on my morning toast;
   I want un-timed long-distance calls,
  To the folks I love the most."

  "I've not cried at all the movies yet,
   Nor walked in the morning rain;
   I need to feel wind in my hair,
   I want to fall in love again."

  "So, if I choose to have dessert,
   Instead of having dinner;
   If I should die before nightfall,
  You'd have to say I died a winner."

  "That I missed out on nothing,
   That I had my heart's desire;
   That I had that final chocolate mousse,
   Before my life expired."

  With that, I called the waitress over,
  "I've changed my mind, it seems;"
  I said, "I want what she is having,
  Only add some more whipped-cream!"

AUGUST 2000