SUNRISEUNTILSUNSET

THE WIT & RHYME OF GERALD BOSACKER

First Publication March 2008Published by ESPBox 1813Whitefish MT 59937All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced withoutthe written permission of the author or his legal representatives.

Originally destined to become a crusading journalist or witty editorialist,Bosacker was forced by family duties to abandon his part-time jobs and nightschool classes at the University of Minnesota, to work fulltime in the printing trade.There, his love of the well-chosen word enabled him to become a successful graphicarts salesman who migrated upward, propelled by serendipity coupled with histolerance and empathy for faulted people, to become senior vice president of salesfor a large international chemical company. Promoted far beyond his ambition andcapability, Bosacker jumped at early retirement with the first opportunity.Now retired in the center of America living in comfortably casual Arkansas,Bosacker surveys the total world with a jaundiced eye, seeking fault he can safelyattack with humorous verse. While he is not wise enough to spell out the neededcorrections, he focuses attention on the flaws for you younger and wiser citizens toprovide answers.In this book, posts fictitious and hopefully humorous texts for tombstones,looking for humor in the saddest of our social functions, dying. Death is neverfunny but if others can benefit, learning from the passing and the commemoratingtombstone, the pain will be lightened. Because I do not wish to shock my readerswith light hearted treatment of death, I will place a small cross

before the title of those frivolous tombstone titles, and hope they are construed as safety hints.

ABOUT ME

I am privileged to be an American,but not excessively or perpetually proud,nor automatically supportiveof my Government’s actions or decisions.I greatly appreciate my right to disagreewith openness under the shelter of police protectionwhen I express my divergent opinion.I am happy to have my own ethical standards,and code of conduct, albeit constrained by lawsthat protect others, should I infringe on their rights.While I respect and honor my creator,I do not interpret my existence as eliteor superior to those who worship a different God.While I am content with my share of the world’s wealth,I do not feel I have earned or deserve my blessings. Am I a failure because I am content,and do not envy those who have ten times as much? I do not consider myself selfish but I do not feel obliged to equally share my treasures with others as greed which now seems our democratic privilege.

When I am distressed by the state of our nation,its shoddy politicians swayed by big business largesse,and realize we Americans are a violent, self centered peoplewho seek domination over weaker nations, I focus my sadness and rebellion in creating whimsical verse,since it always help to laugh, and our present government provides us much to laugh about!

AT SEVENTY EIGHT

My friends and neighbors consider me poor but I’m more prosperous than I deserve to be.I believe their smug assessment is prematuresince they can’t know the contents of my treasury or count what treasures I amass to comfort me.Despite my years, enough wit must still endureso I can joy in creating more words of my poetry to secretly keep and polish for my investiture..