THE NEW YEAR

by LaRue Watts

Resolutions?  I shall seek
To keep them all at least a week.
And if I fail?  Well, then I'll say
I did my best at least a day.
So, not to worry, fret or fear,
Perhaps I'll  have another year
For redefining who I'll be.
With Auld Lang Syne-ing, we shall see.
But, then again, I don't know why
We can't resolve things in July.
To me, mid-year would be just dandy.
By then, I'm out of Christmas candy.

THIS CHRISTMAS

by LaRue Watts

It is a time for love and joy
For every girl and every boy.
But why not men and women, too?
Is happiness for just the few
Who still believe in Santa Claus?
Or are there some unwritten laws
That once you pass a certain age.
You only live with hate and rage?
Adults are those forgetful souls
Who don't see toys but only coals.
And as I age, I must confess
I try and comprehend this mess...
This sadness tearing us apart...
This common woe within my heart.
Where are those joyous days gone by
When reindeer flew across the sky?
They're still attainable I know
If you and I will live as though
A peace on earth, good will to each
Are not completely out of reach.
For each mistake, we can atone
And then, in time, we will have grown. 
But not too much, I humbly pray.
Let childhood dreams still show the way
With opened eyes we see quite far,
Perhaps, to some unnoticed star.

HIS LIST

by LaRue Watts

Santa knows when you have cursed,
And been quite naughty, at your worst.
But haloed good, as good can be?
Then, Christmas morning 'neath your tree,
You'll find rewards from Santa dear.
That jolly elf will make it clear
You were perfection in his scoring
As good as gold. (But twice as boring)
So if you should be deemed as bad
You must refrain from getting mad
And try to give your soul a lift.
Remember, coal is still a gift.

ODE TO REYNOLDS WRAP

by LaRue Watts

The turkey?  Delicious, upon the first day.
The second day?  Good, in it's own special way.
The third time re-heating went somewhat awry.
The fourth?  "Foiled again?' I heard the bird cry.
There wasn't a fifth time.  We gave up the fight.
And that was the best time with pizza all night.
Now, left-over pizza is what it's about.
I promise tomorrow I'll throw it all out.

THANKSGIVING GRACE

by LaRue Watts

A simple prayer is not too much.
You're merely saying "I'm in touch
With God who's given every blessing.
Thank you, Lord."  Please pass the dressing.

AMERICA

by LaRue Watts

Oh, pitiful for fears and lies
That hurt and cause great pain,
While imitation pious men
Self-righteously shall reign.
America, America
Forsaking God to see
The murdering of brotherhood
And land no longer free.
Send not your teeming masses now
But close the golden door.
America, America,
America no more.

THE UNKNOWN

by  LaRue Watts

I'm not afraid of ghosts per say
Or evil that may come my way.
On Halloween we all assume
There will be thoughts of doom and gloom.
So witches, goblins, ghouls beware
I am not one that you can scare.
Although one thing does give a fright,
The unknown waiting out of sight.
I wake up screaming at the thought
That in a spider's web we're caught.
But, we'll survive, so hold on fast
Till this election year has passed.

THE NEW HALLOWEEN

by LaRue Watts

While wide awake, each Halloween
I hoped to see an eerie scene
Of ghouls and goblins 'neath my bed,
Some spooky thing without a head.
I'd scare myself with thoughts of doom
From creaking noises in my room.
Was that a bat that just flew by?
Do spiders crawl and banshees cry?
Such questions kept me up all night
And I confess I loved the fright.
But now I'm of an age where moans
And creaks result from painful bones.
I toss and turn to get some rest
And wish for youth when I was blest
With nightmares of a fiendish sort.
But they're no more, I must report.
And that is what I miss the most -
Not having at least, the chance of a ghost.

CHANGE

by LaRue Watts

The seasons come, the seasons go
And nothing stays the same, although
I wish there was a way to hold
On to those bygone days of old.
When doors were never locked at night,
When kids played games without a fight,
When we were all a kinder race
And "Please" and "Thank you" were in place.
When Sullivan on Sunday night
Could make the weekend turn out right.
When Disneyland was still a goal
And Santa never gave you coal.
When every neighbor you knew well
And telephones were not a cell.
I miss those days that now are gone,
When, as a nation, we were one.
But I hold on to faith, my friend.
For onsets, new, around the bend.
So call me crazy.  Call me strange.
Call me when there's been a change.

THAT TIME AGAIN

by LaRue Watts

Christmas is coming and Thanksgiving, too.
But first, Halloween will arrive right on cue.
So let us take pause.
We all know that Claus
With help from his elves
Will stock the store shelves
While people bemoan and complain in dismay,
"Christmas so soon?  It's just Labor day."
Good will toward men?
Too early again?
I'm wishing "Good Tidings," my heart filled with hope
That people will smile and manage to cope
With Autumn arrivals of Christmastime glee.
So, deck your halls early.   Come caroling with me.

WORDS

by LaRue Watts

I've been bamboozled, been persnickety, traveled lickety-split
And now I think of words like these and wonder if they fit
Into our modern language.  Or are they too old school?
Perhaps the Tom of foolery is me, or just a fool?
If I should miss the thingamabob and thingamajig as well
Am I within the, often told, hand-basket bent for hell?
Perhaps I'm far too pixilated
And need to be insatiated.
The scallywag within me knows my britches are too big
Yet I continue looking for each gizmo, poke and pig.
Although this poem is trivial,
It's meant to be convivial.
I love the words of yesteryear that I knew as a child
I still beseech to be besotted, bolloxed and beguiled.

WHATS IN A NAME?

by LaRue Watts

If Lollobrigida was the name
That gave us doubt for marquee fame,
I think she's finally met her match
With Benedict Cumberbatch.

CORBIN, KANSAS

by LaRue Watts

I grew up in a small town
And wouldn't change a thing.
My childhood never got me down
But made my small heart sing.
On Sundays, when are heads were bowed
We dreamed of heaven's riches.
On rainy days we were allowed
To splash in muddy ditches.
We rode our bikes to school each day
And parked them by the slide.
At recess time we'd swing and play
Or seek the ones who'd hide.
No worries ever troubled us.
We thrived on neighbor's caring.
And so we never made a fuss
Or even lost our bearing.
It was a better day I guess.
I'm sure you had one, too,
Without a sign of sighs or stress
When everything was new?
Then all too soon, we meet some strife
And found ourselves with grief.
It all became a different life,
But it is my belief
That as we grow, our dues are paid
For small town life had worth.
Those Sunday dreams of riches made
It heaven, here on earth.

ADVICE

by LaRue Watts

I still recall  my mother's words while half-asleep I lay 
On cold and frosty mornings at the start of every day.
I use it as a mantra throughout my life so far.
It's really very simple and will show you who you are.
What are these words of wisdom?  What is this spoken line?
I wake and do what mother said.  I try to "Rise and shine."

IF

by LaRue Watts

If fireflies light the nighttime sky,
If hungry babies always cry,
If words are not a hurtful means
To taint, destroy and ruin dreams,
If men could live in peace at last,
Forgive and not relive the past,
If you and I could always know
That tides will ebb and tides will flow,
If lilacs bloom in every spring,
If newborn birds will take to wing,
If Autumn leaves can always fall,
If sailors hear the sirens call,
If love and God are always real,
If hate is nothing one will feel,
If, in our world, these things can stand,
There is no "if."  There's only "and."
And fireflies light the nighttime sky,
And hungry babies always cry.

TASTE

by LaRue Watts

I'm fond of pate,
And caviar, too
Though oysters, I say
Must be fried or in stew.
Escargot and squid,
I, now and then, want
And I'll flip my lid
For a crusty Croissant.
One time, in my youth
I even ate rabbit.
I've had a sweet tooth
And can't kick that habit.
For tart rhubarb pies
Or lemon meringue
I'm sated with sighs,
A slave to the tang.
Some crab with soft shells
Brings joy to my dreams
And I can hear bells
Over berries and cream.
But when I choose food
Coming into my mouth,
None murders my mood
Like that one from the south.
Okra.

EASTER EGGS

by LaRue Watts

While hunting for Easter eggs out in the wood,
I came upon children toiling.
Mid paints and brushes, there they stood,
With eggs in water, boiling.
As I observed what they could do
Within their neighborhood,
I knew the adage old was true...
That only the young dye good.

PAIN

by LaRue Watts

The aching knee, the throbbing joint,
The ankle, wrist; I get the point.
Reminders of my misspent youth?
Perhaps, perhaps, and yet, in truth,
These daily hurts do not compete
With what I felt when life was sweet.
When first love had me in its throws.
The world was mine but, heaven knows,
The good things often don't remain
And broken-hearted, I met pain.
I lost a love.  Alas!  Alack!
Now that old nemesis is back
With nothing left for me to gain.
No love, no more.  No, only pain.

A CAROL

by LaRue Watts

A child was born so long ago
To change the world we're told,
To end the wars and heal the hurt
And quell the killing cold.
But wars exist and pain remains
With winters seldom mild.
That child of snow
With far to go
Was surely Thursday's child,
Yet Thursday children have a way
Of reaching for a star
And Thursday children cannot stay
No matter where they are.
They have to move.  They have to see
How they can tame the wild.
God, give me strength that I may be
Forever, Thursday's child.

BOO

by LaRue Watts

Don had a fright on Halloween night
From ghosties and goblins and witches in flight.
The Doc said a stroke
Had caused him to croak
And never see Don's early light.
 

THE SQUIRREL

by LaRue Watts
 
Why does a squirrel cross the road
In front of the car I'm driving?
Perhaps he's heading for his abode
And late for his arriving?
I brake or swerve.  I always do.
I'm not a roadkill guy.
And, then, the next time, right on cue,
He's there when I drive by.
As fast as lightning in a flash,
I feel my heartbeat quicken.
He seems hell-bent to cause a crash.
This crossing squirrel's no chicken.
Why does a chicken cross the road?
Well, that's another story.
Perhaps her trip can but forbode
My squirrel's exploratory.
But if we really face the fact
Without much analyzing.
Their crossing is a simple act
Of nature....exercising.

SWINGS

by LaRue Watts

Porch swings are calming things
Where one can sit and sigh.
But, playground swings
Can give you wings
And you can touch the sky!

 

MOVIES

by LaRue Watts

I now find out, in my research,
I loved the movies more than church.
Garbo, Crawford, Davis, Gable,
Hayworth, Cooper, Flynn and Grable;
All were Gods in my young mind.
I love them still and often find
Some solace in those icons, dear
That thrilled this child in yesteryear
With happy endings as a norm.
Those feelings left me cozy warm.
Cagney, Bogie and Bacall
Were in my dreams when dreams were all.
Garland, Kelly and the rest
Could make me feel that I was blessed.
Now, newer stars have joined their ranks,
Streep. De Niro, Depp and Hanks
At their premieres, in tux and gown
While Klieg lights shine on "Tinseltown."
Did I say tinsel?  Oh, I see.
My movies were a Christmas tree;
Each star upon the highest perch.
A wonderland of dreams.   A church.

MY SEASON

by LaRue Watts

The snows of winter, cold and deep
Make warm beds better when we sleep.
I love it.

And buds in spring can soon give rise
To sunny days and bluer skies.
I love it.

The summer winds have always made
It somewhat nicer in the shade.
I love it.

But better yet, above the rest,
The autumn puts me to the test.
With leaves of gold and crisp cold air,
It's hard to find what can compare
To all those bright October days
When chimney smoke and morning haze
Revives my soul
And I am whole.
I love it.

As seasons come and go, I find
That autumn lingers in my mind.
Though winter, spring and summer call,
I'll always be a fool for fall.
I love it.

MY DAD

by LaRue Watts

My dad was raised to rarely show
Too much emotion.  And although
I sensed it at an early age
I still suspected inner rage
Because he lacked that manly grace
And spared his feelings from his face.
Now, outwardly he always tried
To show that other, sunny side.
He'd laugh and joke with anyone
Except perhaps, his youngest son.
But being wise beyond my years,
I rarely cried unwanted tears.
I went away once I was grown
And suddenly, the years had flown.
Returning home, as a surprise,
I saw emotion is his eyes.
He spoke with just a trace of pain,
"I though we'd not see you again."
I heard him gulp and finally knew
Behind his words was "I love you."

DIVORCE

by LaRue Watts

In the battle of the sexes
And concerning birds and bees,
It  much better to have xxxxx's
Than to live a life with zzzzz's.

THE PAST

by LaRue Watts

Somewhere in my Kansas mind,
I treasure dreams I've left behind,
For city life and neon glare
Have made me mostly unaware
Of what was magic in my youth
Like fairy money for each tooth
Or river banks and camping sights
That teemed with fireflies many nights,
The flower beds my mother grew
With peonies and roses, too
And katydids that sang a song
On moonlit nights all summer long.
My childhood friends who knew me well
Would play till dusk, then mom would yell,
"Come on inside. It's time for bed."
And I'd lay down my sleepy head.
Beyond the prayer, the dreams would start
Of what I hoped for, in my heart.
My dreams today are still the kind
I treasure in my Kansas mind.

REVELATION

by LaRue Watts

I longed so for the limelight
When youth and I went roaming
But now my age and I are quite
Contented with the gloaming.
Though, sometimes, in an early morn
I wake my Lochinvar
And wonder if, indeed, I'm born
To still reach for a star.
I ponder it, a puzzlement,
And sleepless tears I weep.
I sniffle, and become content
And thus, go back to sleep.
Tomorrow is another day
Arriving all too soon.
But on that day I wish I may
Start reaching for the moon.

THE GIRL

by LaRue Watts

There was a girl that I once knew
Though not in 1922.
Back then with her Rapunzel hair
I'm sure that folks would stop and stare
And wonder how it got so long
Or was it brittle?  Was it strong?
I like to think she'd only smile
And knew she was a special child.
Her gifts were loving, being true.
And with a secret dream or two
That she would whisper to her doll
Who never told and kept them all,
She live and loved her childhood joy,
Until one day she loved a boy.
The two were wed and raised three more
And weathered storms that were in store.
They lost one son, one tragic night
But still her love stayed ever bright,
Remaining so throughout her life
As child, as mother, loving wife.
I know not what she called her doll
Or if she had another.
I know she taught me love is all.
That doll, I call my mother.

 .

TIRED

by LaRue Watts

I'm tired of those without a brain
Who slowly drive us all insane
With bad ideas, stupid thoughts
And idiotic callous shots
While others try to make things right,
And long to shed a little light
On what is wrong with how we live,
On better ways to take and give,
Who wish to change our sorry state
Of little love and too much hate.
Though I am hopeful someday soon
The land will sing a different tune
And rise above where we are mired.
Alas, for now, I'm really tired.

 

SHORT LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

by LaRue Watts

January.
February.
Mortuary.

ROLL CALL

by LaRue Watts

Some say Cinnamon are delicious.
Croissant, Brioche?  Too capricious.
Kaiser and Yeast are in the game.
Jelly and Tootsie have their fame.
But the best by far, on anyone's day
Is the good old proverbial "Roll" in the hay!

A LOST SMILE

by LaRue Watts

The other day I lost my smile.
I hadn't had it for a while.
I've searched for it, both high and low
And pondered where my smile would go.
It always seemed at home with me
Without a need for running free.
But now, it's gone.  I don't know why
Should sadness overflow my eye?
My smile is gone.  What's that you say?
I simply gave my smile away?
Oh, pin a rose on my lapel.
My smile is gone and where it fell
Was back with you.  'Twas meant to be.
For that's the smile you gave to me.
And now, we two are duty bound
To pass that friendly smile around.
It's only ours if we but use it,
And oh, the joy when we can lose it!

ODE TO JEROME

by LaRue Watts

I knew somehow this day would come
But even so, I ache.
By writing this, I'm feeling numb,
My heart about to break.
I try to dwell on happy days
When we were both so young
And all ahead was still a haze
Of many songs unsung.
We children played and dreamed our dreams
And grew close like no other.
He was my cousin, though it seems
He felt more like my brother.
He always kept me on my toes
And did so with great wit.
He has it still and heaven knows
It is a lovely fit.
Alas, our God has called him home
But there is no grim reaper.
He'll have to smile because Jerome
Has been his brother's keeper.
So comfort me with no sad songs
But give him hymns of praise.
Through all my rights and all my wrongs,
He gave me golden days.

HOW NOW

by LaRue Watts

We're all been told, so we should know
To keep our ducks all in a row.
And though I try, don't ask me how,
My ducks still end up in a row.
Perhaps if they could wear a bow
And not be in a line, you know?
If ducks could all roam free, I vow
They'd all line up to take a bow.
Is not our language odd to read?
You never know where it may lead.
Or is that word, the metal, lead?
Depends on what you read or read.

MISS JEWEL

by LaRue Watts

The breeding and southern aristocracy?
Misleading to cover up hypocrisy.
The true southern belle is a siren at heart
And told to conform but not be too smart.
You learn that in school at Ole Miss
If you have a sorority sis.

Everyone called her Miss Jewel.
She was privileged, wealthy and cool.
She sheltered girls under her arm
Instructing in manners and charm.
"A lady walks into a room
On clouds of magnolia perfume.
She offers her glove for a kiss.
That's the way it is done at Ole Miss,"
To quote the sorority sis.

"A lady wears virginal white
To gather in boys who are 'right'
Then carefully keep them at bay.
At Ole Miss, it's the lady-like way."
By watching the faux southern belle,
One learned what to do, how to dress.
And being unhappy as hell,
One knew so was she, more of less.
Descending the stairs, arranging bouquets
Was hardly the highlight of one's college days.

But wearing vermillion
To any cotillion,
You wouldn't be called a cliché.
To favor and flaunt
What Old Miss boys want
And, now and then, give it away,
You learned as a rule
That one's vestibule
Has "many a use," shall we say?
Now, don't think me cruel
But virgin Miss Jewel
Never learned and got burned in the fray.
I pray she's content
With a life so misspent
She's still an "Old Miss" to this day.

SEASONS IN FLORIDA

by LaRue Watts

We only have two, I was told by a purist.
The first one is Summer, the other is Tourist.

 

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...

 by LaRue Watts

She opens the envelope with a smile
And as I'm halfway down the aisle,
I hear her read my name out loud.
My mom and dad will be so proud.
But as I reach the statuette
Fate steps in, to my regret.
The Oscar is not mine it seems;
Alarm clocks ruin all my dreams.

RHYMELESS

 by LaRue Watts

While trying to find a rhyme for "month"
I end up feeling like such a dunth.

HOMELESS

 by LaRue Watts

My belongings are few
And few of them are new.
A coat of my own.  A hat.
Things of my own like that.
I had a honey-colored cat
Who died or ran away.
It's very hard to say.
She just didn't come around one day.
She wasn't my own anyway.
My belongings are few.
I get by.  I make do.
But still, I look out for that cat
Praying someday she'll be there.
And fate can be funny.
While looking for "Honey,"
Today, I found a chair.
A folding chair.
My own chair.

THE TEST

 by LaRue Watts

He falls down.  It's a motor thing.
A disease that we both hate.
Parkinsons, that wretched sting
That's been too much of late.
If I am not at hand when he
Decides his fate is not a lock,
I'll hear a thud and sadly see
He tried and couldn't walk the walk.
We work to get him on his feet
And back into a nearby chair.
Unspoken words between us meet
And permeate the condo air.
For we both know that it's a test.
We struggle to survive
And fight on with out very best
To keep some hope alive.
For all he is, he's all I've got,
That silly ageless clown.
Without him, what would be my lot?
My own heart falling down.

TWO

 by LaRue Watts

Two  little boys went off to war
And didn't know what they were fighting for.
Now, it you think that act was strange,
Remember some things never change.
Two young men went off to war
And wondered what they were fighting for.
Two old men responded true,
"You fight for the red and white and blue.
Red for the blood that will be shed
And white for the hair on your mother's head.
Blue for the last sky you will see.
Now go, be gone, and keep us free."
The two old men will someday die
And two young men won't wonder why.
"It's in the stars," they well may say
As two little boys go out to play.

THE PET

 by LaRue Watts

A dog that I had
Would never act bad.
Her loyalty kisses were best.
Whatever the day,
She wanted to play
And never seemed ready to rest.
We frolicked in fields
And ran through the rain.
She lifted my spirits
And eased every pain.
I now have a cat.
That's that.

REFRIGERATOR DOOR

by LaRue Watts

All I want is ice.
I do not ask for more,
It spews out ice,
Not once, but twice
And mostly on the floor.