I wrote this poem a few months after the 9/11 terrorist’s attacks.  When some outsider attacks the United States, they bring us all together and we become a formidable force.

Also, I represented Firestone during the Ford Explorer tread separation ordeal.  In fact, Firestone was to meet with the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on September the Eleventh.  By the time we arrived at the DOT Building, the Pentagon had been attacked and no visitors were permitted in the building.  We just had to find a safe way home.  All the pundits said the Firestone name was dead.  They were wrong.

Holiday Greetings 2001

A time for reflection, a time for pause,
The world is now different, and we have a cause.
They don’t understand what they sowed with their hate,
What they stirred up in us makes America great.
The moral of this is under our hat,
“Be careful who you spit on, you may just get spat.”

But we’ll put that aside for this annual report,
It’s a time for the family and things of that sort.
The news is all good, the year was a riser,
All generations seem healthy, not wealthy, but wiser.

We made a decision to spruce up the place,
Rip out this, shut off that and add on some space.
Five months without peace, workers Carole had to dodge,
Doing dishes in the bath tub and cooking in the garage.
But, it’s finally done, and done with precision,
And, believe it or not, as we envisioned.

And travel, we traveled, and traveled some more,
With a Canyonland trip, you see rocks galore.
Reunions with RAJA and a High School class,
And we bopped around Disney till we ran out of gas.

We saw all our kids and our mamas too,
Not often enough, but the best we could do.
But the year’s not over, and we’re not through,
And we’ll crank it up again in 2002.

For Jack it’s been Firestone, every long day,
A struggle for survival, against birds of prey.
It’s the Congress, the Government, oh what a mess,
And each day you could count on the torch of the press.
But, Firestone hung in there and did the right thing,
They fought for their tires and accepted the sting.
Now the clouds are parting and the message inspiring,
Just one simple phrase, “Firestone is hiring.”

So, it’s time to shut down this trite little jingle,
But the thought behind it makes us tingle.
To greet and report to special friends,
To perhaps bring a smile as the verse wends.
To wish good fortune, a smile and good cheer,
Glorious Holidays and a Happy New Year!