ROY---HOMETOWN OF MY HEART
by Jerry Phillips

It's not the town where I was born.
How could I have forseen
Just what this place would mean to me,
The joys that it would bring:
The azure skies, the whistling wind,
The canyon's deep ravine.
I never even knew of it
Till I was seventeen.

My first glimpse was a brief one
At the age of twenty-three.
'Twas on a trip to Denver
To relax and play and ski.
We drove right through. We didn't stop.
And so I couldn't see
The magic that resided there
And waited just for me.

When next I saw this Camelot
In this enchanted land
I'd come to be a part of it;
I'd come to lead the band.
The residents all greeted me
With love and outstretched hand.
They made me feel at home within
This new, exciting land.

And what a band we had, though it
Was small, it was sublime.
It's members were committed to
Hard work and overtime;
For everywhere they went they
Gathered honors of all kind.
I'd never see their likes again,
Not in a whole lifetime.

I think back on the concerts
And the fun we always had.
The centerfolds tucked in my score
When they were being bad.
It truly was the best of times
That I have ever had.
If I could do it o'er again
There's not a thing I'd add.

I'm thankful for the memories
That fondly fill my heart.
I'm thankful for the town
That gave me such a wondrous start.
When I think back, the tears well-up,
And warm sensations start.
I thank you, Roy, New Mexico--
The hometown of my heart.

© June 18,2000, by Jerry Phillips