While rummaging through the box of photos and documents I got from my brother-in-law at the end of our first family-history road-trip, I came across a stack of yellow pages with poems on them. I sorted them out and saw that they were dedicated to my wife's grandmother, Emily Anne Wiley, from her second husband, Wallace Brannon. These are beautiful poems and he signed them all as "---El Don Juan." I believe they are all original because I have not been able to find them anywhere else.

Some of them look like they were probably a draft version and several where actually mailed and received (there are some duplicates). You can see the way they were folded as the creases are still visible. The ones that were folded appear to be on a different kind of paper. This paper has a watermark that looks like the official seal of the United States. One of them has Emily Anne's handwritten date on the bottom, stating it was "Rec'd June 29th 1936 E.A.B." That would probably suggest that Wallace was courting her or in their first years of marriage. I don't have a lot of information on Emily Anne's second marriage yet, but Wallace was a career Air Force Officer and I believe E.A.B. stands for Edwards Air Base. I need to research this some more.

So after this long intro let me get to the point. I am going to publish these poems here from time to time (when I have time that is). I will add a new category called Poems so that you can easily find them if you want to read them all.

Here's the first one titled "Ode to Emily Anne":

When shades of night are falling;
When the peace of twilight descends,
My heart cries aloud for you, dearest,
And here is the message it sends:

"I love you, my little dear,
You bring joy to my heart;
There must be no substitute
When we are forced apart."

I want to be always near you,
Have you for my very own,
And I hope you will someday
Know what love I have known.

It's hard to say with words
The things you feel so acutely,
And it's hard to define the love
That descends upon you so mutely.

If we must try to be serious,
And see with the eyes of truth,
Then let's accept this sweet love
And let our hearts be soothed.

I want to steal away your heart,
And leave mine in return.
I wish you to know of the love
That in my heart does burn.
---El Don Juan