a poem (and a true story) by Sandra Conner
I know a guy who’s very tall,
Stands six feet, seven inches.
He finds his height a great delight,
An asset in the clinches.
He’s very smart, and that’s a help.
It compensates the strain
Of all the time it takes for blood
To move from heart to brain.
In public he stands proud and straight;
He literally has a ball
When people lean waaaay back and say,
“My goodness, you are tall!”
Height has its setbacks, though. Take clothes:
They must be special bought.
And going in and out of doors,
He must take special thought.
And then there’s dating; it’s a trial:
He’s anxious, Heaven knows,
To hold his partner cheek to cheek,
Not middle chest to nose.
But, still, he sees his height as Heaven’s
Gift — a special gene.
Believes all men wish to be tall,
And with envy they are green.
So happily he struts about,
Looking for that perfect mate.
His only foe the hometown priest,
Who stands at six foot, eight.
The Happy Wordcrafter 
Love it; I always was a runt. Still, the tall guy and I shared similar problems.
Very good Sandra but a bit of a tall story.
Great pun, Dennis — but in actual fact — the whole poem is true. I wrote it about a friend of mine, and it describes him perfectly. Of course the hometown priest is not really a foe. They are friends, but this guy IS very aware of anyone who may be taller than he is.
By the way, I was going to contact you today anyway and let you know about something. My first poetry anthology came out this week. It’s only about 30 pages, and we went with a plastic-comb-bound softback cover that is nice and reader-friendly. But I dedicated the book to you and Dennis Lange because this past year I feel that the two of you have become real friends in this poetry world of ours, and you have both been an inspiration to me. I was tending to let my poetry lag — and had for a couple of years — when I came across both of your sites. But your work and your dedication to it stirred me to get back into the work of writing the poetry as well as the other books. If it hadn’t been for that inspiration, I doubt that I would be to the place of having the book together.
Most of the pieces are “lightweight,” but that’s where I’m at on my poems for now. Since it has your name in it, I’d be glad to send you a free copy if you think you’d like to have one.
Of course, I’d have to have your mailing address, but you can e-mail that so that it doesn’t go out all over the world. However, if you’d rather not send me your address, that’s fine. Just wanted you to know the book is dedicated to you with my thanks. Here’s my e-mail:
sandraconner3@gmail.com