Charles Swikert often wrote poems to celebrate special events, such as birthdays, weddings, new babies, etc., usually for family members but also for friends.

Verda's Birthday, 1978

You have had birthdays I never knew
Until we were married in twenty-two,
And since that time, through ups and downs,
Things look brighter when you are around.

And now another birthday is here.
To me you are just as dear.
So as you celebrate this day,
Just as you are, I hope you stay.

Like the birthdays of the past,
Again I wish you happiness.
As this day's end is drawing near,
We look ahead to another year.

Verda's Birthday, 1979

This day comes only once,
Just once in a lifespan,
So make the best of everything
And enjoy life while you can.

Don't tell them how many years
Since you have been keeping score.
Just say you are only twenty,
When multiplied by four.

I hope your day is a happy one,
And you will have many more,
So I can wish you happiness
Just as I have done before.

I don't have a birthday card
To show I am the sender.
I just have this little verse
To show that I remember.

Verda's Birthday, January 18, 1982

Another year has come and gone,
Yet you remain the same.
It's not the magic number that counts,
It's the way you play the game.

Though the light is somewhat faded,
You have blessings by the score,
And friends who will stand by you,
Now and forever more.

And though you are far away
From your native home,
The friends back there are happy
Because they know you are not alone.

We will all join together,
And with one voice will say,
We hope you will be happy
On your eighty-third birthday.

Untitled, 1986

Now that your eighty-seventh
Birthday is here,
You don't seem any older
Than you did last year.

The best present I give
To you is here.
It's for your good health
Throughout the year.

If you look on the bright side
And not on the dark,
You can kick up your heels
And sing like a lark.

Forget all your troubles
And wear a good smile.
You will be around here
For a heck of a while.

Christmas on Thanksgiving Day

As we gather on this Thanksgiving day,
As we did a year ago,
And this will be our Christmas,
But without the usual snow.

We would like to be with you
On Christmas regular day,
But the weatherman is saying
A cold winter is on the way.

The winter brings icy roads
And even piled up snow,
And icy roads means accidents,
As everybody knows.

So let us all be happy
And join in the fun,
And we will be thinking of you,
As we bask in Florida's sun.

Now here is our greatest gift,
Good health to all so dear,
And have a Merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year.

Thanksgiving, 1977

Please just atop and listen
To what I have to say,
As we sit around the table
On this Thanksgiving day.

This day is for giving thanks,
For health and joy of living,
And because it's nearing Christmas,
Our gifts we will be giving.

Now we would sure enjoy
Being here on Christmas day,
But the weatherman is saying
There is a cold wave on the way.

And so we hope that all of you
Will make this so pleasant.
We all will feel as joyful
As if Santy Claus was present.

For soon we will be in Florida
Where the sun shines every day.
And we hope you will remember
That we are never far away.

And as we journey southward
To join our friends down there,
Our thoughts will always be with you
As well as all our prayers.

Christmas, 1983

Santa Claus is meant for children,
But we are all children at heart,
And we are glad to see him,
Though we know he is just acting the part.

We may not have snow this year
For Santa's sleigh to glide,
But we know regardless of weather
He will make his famous ride.

We will all feast on turkey,
Cranberry sauce and such,
And as soon as the dinner is over
We will know we have eaten too much.

Now that the parties are over
It is time for serious thought.
Those presents in beautiful boxes
Are just things we went out and bought.

But those things in beautiful boxes
Are symbols and only a part,
Not for their intrinsic value,
But as a message that comes from the heart.

As you unwrap those boxes
And you gaze at the gift with pride,
Close your eyes for just a moment.
There is that message from the heart inside.

Christmas is a time to send greetings
To those friends that are so dear,
And wish for them the very best
Throughout the coming year.

Golden Anniversary

This is a very special day
And it belongs to you.
We wish for you the very best
In all the things you do.

Through all the many years gone by,
Through joys and laughter, and even tears.
We congratulate you my friends.
You have lived together for fifty years.

You have been our neighbor,
And you have been our friends,
And you were always ready
With a helping hand.

And as this day comes to an end,
And you look at all the days ahead,
We hope the future days will be
The best you have ever had.

Untitled (For the funeral of Mrs. Post's grandson, 1978)

All around us there's silence,
Yet we know our friends are here,
So we say a silent prayer
For those who are so dear.

The trees seem not to notice
Our presence here today,
Just the rustle of the leaves
As their branches gently sway.

Let us pause now to remember
Those in the great beyond,
For we know the day is coming
When we too shall travel on.

For life and death is nature
That we do not understand,
But it has been his way of doing
Ever since the world began.

Let us enjoy our blessing
As we labor side by side,
Until we meet our friends in heaven
When we cross that great divide.