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Bill Watkins, Traveling Poet

~ Words For You, Just Ask

Bill Watkins, Traveling Poet

Category Archives: Kids

Smile Forever

06 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by Bill Watkins in Kids

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

God, Gratitude, Life

Smile1

Things will happen,
good and bad times, but
the day is long enough for both.

I love the wind, change—
the softness of days free of
doubt or worry.

God is spoken of in church
and I see nature’s beautiful
sky and horizon,

I think we’re all here for
a pretty good reason.
Things come together,

Seem made for each other,
dreams and waking time
combine,

I’m so glad to have another
day to think and write
and draw and pray.

Somewhere others are sighing,
writing and reading,
reciting or singing

And I think I hear them,
because I’m smiling now
despite hard times;

My day is long I let in the
tough, it passes and like
waves return to the sea.

Sometimes I could swear
God has made this world
just for me…

So I could smile forever.

The Law Dragons

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Bill Watkins in Education, Kids, Law

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Joy, Love, Peace

Up away, high in the sky
they fly—law dragons protecting
the way we think and do,
Hoping we do not die.

Pete is one, has three heads and
breathes fire; Gretel is the other,
female, orange, fiery herself,
but while Pete in blue swoops in

Gretel thinks, the two a team
against wrongdoing, illuminating
law so children know how to live
a long time—

Pete likes to rhyme!! Gretel too,
and this was what they hoped
to say to you:

“Obey the law, children, wear your
helmet when you ride. Hitting, pushing,
poking, stabbing and shooting will
not go, and’ll get you put in jail!!

“In jail you dream alone, with so
little space to roam. I think you’d
rather be at home. So wear that helmet
if you ride a bike, scooter, roller blade
or anything with wheels on streets
or sidewalks.

“Never write on walls or desks or things
that do not belong to you. Do not
paint on things that aren’t yours.
Never steal. Taking something that is
not yours will take from your soul;
what’s worse it leads to jail, we already
said. You’ll wish you were dead!!

“And that’s why we’re here, to push and
remind you not to die, not to live selfishly.
Do not hurt others, and if someone hurts
you: We are sorry about that, but
DO NOT hurt back. Report the incident,
stay safe from harm, let the police or teachers
or parents help, be patient, and someone will
come who cares like us!!

“Last, children, as we are flying around
up here, could you do two more things
for us? Read the law as you learn to read,
teach your parents if they don’t know them
all, like the one about fireworks—some
communities allow them, some don’t, which is
yours? Obey!! Those adult drinks
with alcohol in them? Do not touch them!!!
Smoking? Inhaling smoke into your lungs?
Firemen and women must risk this danger
to save our lives, but you and I? NO!!!

“Finally, kids, have fun—one day at a time!!
Stay in touch with us and law, and you’ll
be sure to stay in line.

“Give as much as you can within the rules,
and say ‘NO’ to committing crimes even
with friends you think are cool. Walk
away… And if some day you think there is
a bad law—DON’T BREAK IT,

“CHANGE IT!! Become a part of this
country, give your song a voice, tell
people how you feel. Law protects
our rights to love, joy and peace, so
wait your turn, raise your hand and be
counted.

“You’ll be happy if you do, like us
dragons, free to be anything we want
to be… except….”

Except when your freedom
hurts others. Obey the law, kids!!
Thanks!!!

Dragons

You know, for Kids:

07 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by Bill Watkins in Children, Inspirational, Kids, Poems

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Joy, Love, Peace

“Smile Forever”

Things will happen,
good and bad times, but
the day is long enough for both.

I love the wind, change—
the softness of days free of
doubt or worry.

God is spoken of in church
and I see nature’s beautiful
sky and horizon,

I think we’re all here for
a pretty good reason.
Things come together,

Seem made for each other,
dreams and waking time
combine,

I’m so glad to have another
day to think and write
and draw and pray.

Somewhere others are sighing,
writing and reading,
reciting or singing

And I think I hear them,
because I’m smiling now
despite hard times;

My day is long I let in the
tough, it passes and like
waves returns to the sea.

Sometimes I could swear
God has made this world
just for me…

So I could smile forever
*********

“Just Today”

There are no others
Some dream of futures,
Daughters, sons, brothers—

That’s okay to dream
Keep it that and Never
Drift long in worry…

Pray it away, like the sun
That sets on a glorious Day!

Dream, Pray, Tell Worry
Of things to come to
go, like the sun, away

So the Stars can shine,

Clean the Sky, Get Ready….

Another Day.

********

“The Starfish of the Sea”

They call me… the Starfish of the Sea

Some days, Whole days I sit at the bottom
of the ocean.
I rise with the tide, I’m not sure—

It’s the Motion

I’d say I was tall… Wide
Something to describe what I
am inside without all the Emotion.

But I can’t; I guess I’m wishy-washy
full of wishes, dreams and horse pucky.

I’d sing a song if I had one
But instead wait to be fed by ocean’s bottom—
We’re not unlike the tide itself, up and
down MOTION—

Full of emotion. Starfish cry, too,
my tears like a bucket in drops of rain,
one two three;

Saltwater the answer to prayers,
Sayers saying too much until

Bright, enlightened by the Sun
and God they say something

RELATABLE

I’m a song in an ocean…
Not very dateable!

I’d love to cough and get your attention…

Can u really run from the tide,
the day on your beach I with you
awaken?

Smile… It’s a pretty picture (Snap!)

On your beach I’d love to teach
Even if dried out my heart Stops its beat,

I sing and brighten beaches all the same…

I shine eternally in Sunshine or Rain.

I’m the Starfish of the Sea;
They call me that ‘cause I’m pretty
and deep and not enough people
can see me.

I’m done with my song, now—I have to go back;
to the deep blue sea… see? It’s my
mom and dad they want to see me like
yours you…
IS THAT SO BAD?

Family are those who do the will of God.

Remember that.
********

“The Fruits of Hard Labor”

When the day is done
you like to look back and think you did
something, something good.

Whether for others, yourself, your
house, your mom, your dad?

I dusted, I shot a basket, we won
the game, we lost the game
but tried hard… and you
know what? We are improving…

I traded with my friend, I talked
with my friends about my
teacher at recess, I ate the
food my parents made for me,
I think my teacher is nice—

So far so good, maybe life
is just living the best day you can
live…. Believe and work hard,

Then when you look back you see
a building, not of bricks only
but of friendships and creativity.

New POEM!!

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by Bill Watkins in Beer, California, Children, Feminism, Kids, Mater Dolorosa, Nature, Poems, Poetry, Political, Voting

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Joy, Love, Mater Dolorosa, Peace, Sierra Madre

“Mater Dolorosa”

Thank you, the healing power
of belief before me up a hill toward
deer and antelope. Help me play
this prayer a cross-country fire
spreading with wind up and over cliffs
in Colorado, the mountains out of a
Disney ride cutting through.
It’s impossible to think: why we listen
to wisdom on all matters convenient,
turn away from obvious measures of
benefit because we won’t let go.

Let children vote if they can read,
want to, know the issues. Let go.

Better than a drunk man, surly, jaded,
ticked off heading to the polls because
he is of the “right” age.

“Here’s to good friends, tonight is
kinda’ special” and other beer slogans
contributing to killing my friends and almost
helped get me.

Join me in a an anti-alcohol campaign:
“drink flammable liquids and get burned.”
Will that work? Some scoff but forget:
life is making an effort, ask Mrs. Chick from
Dickens’ Dombey and Son, a book about
Dombey’s daughter, hooray for irony
and women’s lib.

Grandma ran for senate in 1936 and seven,
represented California at the republican
convention, got creamed in the primary
but God bless her for trying.

Louise Ward Watkins, a last name you
see on blacks and whites, we mixed in
the middle of the Civil War fight, and
well—

The seed that carried me must have come
out all right.

Praise God, Rise and Shine get the day
but first pray, turn it all over to something
bigger. Results cannot be controlled, just
effort, good luck!!

If life gets you down, write it and sing it
out loud, nothing floors you, this is the
dream of the foremothers that peace
would reign in the land like castles of
sand, always needing attention.

At ease soldiers, take this song and
transcend its message, whistle
something without words, get through
the day to day, and find with me heaven
as a peace of mind of knowing we did
our best…

My best comes without alcohol, trudges
the road of “happy destiny” as the A.A.’s say,
climbs a hill in heat or rain with bags
on my back seeking healing, I’m off
to Sierra Madre’s Mater Dolorosa.

Find your retreat house now, mine
on the other side of fog, rolling down—

I sweat, I tear, I believe say a prayer;
healing is mine before I see the deer.

Do re mi fa so la ti do, before I see the deer.

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