My sweet friend, Renee Koski, will be working her final day at SMPA on Tuesday! She has worked there for 22 years full-time, but 25 years overall. When I worked there I would write poems for those retiring and she would always say she couldn’t wait to read the one I write for her. Well, I didn’t forget…😉
There’s a line in this poem that mentions her jumping a guardrail in a Chevy Blazer. The story behind that is sort of long, but basically she wasn’t used to driving on snowy, slick roads, and she and I were both working in Ridgway on this snowy day. When we were going to head back, she decided it would be good for her to practice 😳 so I let her drive😬. We were going up Dallas Divide and the vehicle started fish tailing, we then managed to make it across to the opposite side of the road where we jumped the guardrail, but the back tires hung up, stopping us from going further. This was the first time I had ever heard Renee cuss. I remember being more shocked at that then even to the fact that we were wrecking. It was quite the event! I managed to stay calm. Once her nerves allowed her to turn loose of the steering wheel, I was able to help her out and some of the lineman and co-workers came to help us. We, later were able to laugh about it. I jokingly called her Railriding Renee for a while after. 😁❤

There’s a saying that I’ve heard before
This is how it goes:
“I was raised to treat the Janitor
with the same respect as the CEO.”
Never judge a person by their title,
Fancy titles don’t mean a thing
Without the people in the background doing their part,
To make it all work behind the scenes.
The one who emptied the trash, scrubbed the bathroom,
and performed building maintenance for a living;
These tasks at-hand did not define her,
They were just part of the description.
She is more than loading and emptying a dishwasher,
More than vacuuming every day;
She is more than running errands to buy supplies,
And assuring everything is put back in its place.
I’ve never witnessed anyone
Put more pride into their work,
Some might have thought she went overboard
Removing every speck of dirt;
She kept the office in tip top shape,
It still practically looks like new;
It was easy to take her for granted,
But the complaints she had were few;
There is more to her than most people know-
She’s let very few people in,
But I am one of the lucky ones
Who is able to call her a wonderful friend;
She has a hippie side,
You may have already guessed,
But that’s only one small piece of her puzzle,
So I’ll share some of the rest.
Aside from being a free spirit,
She also loves to sew;
She altered my wedding dress for my big day,
She is one of the most talented seamstresses I know.
She has the most beautiful handwriting,
It demonstrates her care;
Her love of dancing will find her twirling
Like no one else is there;
She loves mountain lions and has always dreamt
of seeing one in the wild;
She is gullible, exciteable and trusting
Like the innocence of a child.
She’s not one to take credit,
But she’ll give it where it’s due;
An introvert, but likes to flirt,
And have fun and party too!
A mother of 3 beautiful girls,
They drove her stir crazy as teenagers;
She is always so proud of them and their successes
That they’ve found in these years later.
A devoted wife, she loves the life that she and Paul have together;
Supporting his outgoing nature, and volunteer efforts,
Both, always contributing in some way to make things better.
She is quiet and soft spoken,
But don’t let that meekness fool you,
She can get a Chevy blazer to jump a guardrail
and I’ve heard her say the F word a time or two.
Most of all she is a woman of honor and smartness
Whose wild soul is yet to unveil,
Maybe now you too, have a glimpse of this gem
Whose title never suited her well.
~carla reams
6/24/2020