Jimmye Watson 

Coalgate, Oklahoma, USA 

I am a 64-year-old mother of two and grandmother of four. I am retired from the accounting field and I am presently active in a Music Club, community work and President of the local Genealogical Society. In 1995, I published a family history book. Poetry is a way of expressing my innermost feelings and I'm always amazed when others appreciate my work. I have a deep faith in God which is reflected in my poetry. My poetic influence came from my mother, who had a verse for any situation. 

Long Forgotten 

An old log cabin long forgotten
covered with brush like a dome, 
Its wooden roof rotting away, 
a chimney of crumbling stone, 
Doors creaking, shutters sagging, 
windows broken and gone. 

The mind flies to another time
when life was active here: 
A spring garden, cotton and corn
and flowers growing near, 
Marble games and childish play, 
a world devoid of fear. 

These old walls rang with laughter, 
Sometimes pain, death and sorrow, 
There were ties that bound the hearts, 
and dreams shared for tomorrow. 
Oh, this home so long forgotten, 
can your peace now be borrowed? 

From these logs, if spirits whispered, 
many stories they would tell, 
Where are those that dwelt amid them
whose lives were sheltered well? 
The old cabin long forgotten, 
its secrets forever held. 

A Memory 

Her face seen in the mind, 
A body straight and tall, 
Laughter heard in the heart, 
Resounding through its wall. 

Amazing Grace fills the air, 
The voice loud and clear, 
A mother's love of long ago
Flowing sweet and near. 

A Prayer 

Lord show me a picture of my soul
that I might know it is whole, 
Let me feel the sorrow and pain
of those around me whom you claim. 
Give me feet to walk the sod
that you have set for me to trod, 
And willing hands to be a mold
for some young tender soul. 
Lord, you're the potter, I'm the clay, 
please reshape me everyday. Amen