BILLY MITCHELL

Today in my mind but yesterday was a long time ago,

I think of you, a place and a school, I was a little boy.

It was nineteen sixty seven, Kindergarten and you,

The first day of school is recalled in my mind, a boy I saw cry,

His name Was Cotero, I think of those clowns on a wall.

Are they still there? I wonder, swingsets and young friends,

A boy named Grover, Duck, Duck, goose, Graham crackers and milk.

Nap time, I remember the cabinets with cartoonish pictures,

Reading time was the best, Fold out books, three dimensional stories,

Hansel and Gretel, all the best, I was there until nineteen seventy.

Hard to remember the teacher’s names, Mrs. Scott back in second grade,

I think it was Mr. Kelly, Principal with dark hair and glasses,

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt was a song in the Cafeteria.

After school and on the weekends you could play games,

Carroms, maze, and more, Billy Mitchell, when once I was a child.

Friends, Jeff, James, Jimmy, and Alan, wherever they are, I remember,

There was a bell back then known as the freeze bell, stand very still.

We all have our childhood, our memories, a town to call home, then we roam,

Billy Mitchell, I find myself wandering back to you, memories of a school.

MORRO BAY

A POEM BY KEITH GARRETT

We went away, far away,
To a town of sand and water to play.

At times the winds were cold and fast,
The weather changed, this did not last.

Life is slow and peaceful too,
The people all friendly, something new.

We played in the sand with no worries of things,
A mother a daughter, my two sons, and the joy that they bring.

As they sat in the water the boats we watched rest,
We all stood together to watch the sunset.

Walking the streets of this place never been,
Wanting to live here too call it my friend.

As it rose to the morning, the suns rays of light,
All day it would let us enjoy such a sight.

We get ourselves lost in a place such as this,
Oh! nothing could be sweeter, the rest of the world I would not miss.

If you ever get a chance to go to this place,
A fresh air you will smell, different foods you will taste.

When it came time to leave feelings bittersweet,
To this world of yours again we will meet.

I wanna go back, go back one day,
To this place of peace known, Morro Bay.

MORE THAN A THEORY

I can see the world crumbling, weighed down by evil,

It’s overpowering the good and can be seen in many ways.

Will the world soon disappear or change its ways,

More than a theory are many things I think,

Assassinations and lies to the people are a reality.

John Wilkes Boothe did not act alone, I don’t think so,

James Earl Ray, was he really alone on that sad day,

Lee Harvey Oswald, who were the rest, what were their names?

Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, did he act alone, will we ever know,

More than a theory, so many lies, unanswered questions,

More than a theory, corruption and guilty lies.

Keith Garrett

MORE THAN A MEMORY

You drift backward as I move forward in time,

Existed for but a moment in this world of mine.

You were so very real, more than a memory,

Our distance will come together, again we will meet,

A smile on your face, you meant so much to me.

More than a memory, personality, heart, and soul,

You once walked this land, my father from a moment ago.

Keith Garrett

MONSTER OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR

It watches, loiters around your home, many faces,

Be careful as this stranger will attempt to get in.

Monster outside your door? what do you think,

Outside your door goes much farther than is thought.

It extends far and wide, every direction it lives and hides,

Beware as you wander, keep your eyes on what’s around the corner,

From somewhere it is there with an ugly stare.

Keith Garrett

MISUNDERSTOOD

Sometimes the way I walk and a way I talk is noticed,

My words out loud are not always poetry spoken.

A look upon my face is perhaps seen as an angry glare,

To be safe is not always a smile shown, a distance kept.

Trust a little, just enough so that I am not fooled or taken,

Misunderstood I know I am, a judgment without knowledge.

Misunderstood as an appearance does not tell of who I am,

An impression to be observed, not always a story known.

Keith Garrett

MIRROR WITHIN A MIRROR

I sit here in this chair waiting, a room full of people, this is real,

As I sit it is a mirror that faces me, I look deep into the glass reflection.

Not a fantasy that one may walk into, step beyond a world so real,

What rests inside is a duplicate place that shows a room I am sharing.

There is another, a mirror within a mirror that hangs very high up,

Look into this mirror I do, off in the distance I gaze into another place,

Where I sit is very real, venture I cannot do in the mirror or mirror within a mirror.

This material room I’m in is reality, what lies beyond are reflections not touched.

Keith Garrett

MICHAEL,

LITTLE BOY LOST

So young when daddy expected you to be a man,

The world wanted you so away was taken a boys childhood.

Sent down from heaven, a special gift to share with the world,

Your name would be Michael, a story for you to tell.

Little boy, little boy, a smile so bright on your face,

Happiness and peace desired for this human race.

With magical energy, you danced around the world,

Songs from the heart, Michael! you’ve gone away.

As you grew up you learned to be a child,

Bringing joy to those children who had not a smile.

Little boy lost, now you’ve been found,

Dancing and singing beyond the stars far away.

A smile and some laughter remembered on a face,

Michael, dear Michael you are home, in heaven, you rest.

Keith Garrett

Page 2

My memories are all the words that you have said to me,

And all the happiness of your delightful company.

The pleasure of each evening in the gleam of candlelight,

The picture of a mystic moon and silver stars at night.

They are the morning glories and the hills that seem to rise,

When dawn is like a dreamland and the sun adorns the skies.

My memories remember you, the moment that we met,

And all the songs and kisses that I never can forget.

The hours and the flowers and the time we had to part,

And every little secret that I whispered to your heart.

MAY YOUR DAY ALWAYS BE THE BEST

Hear this as I may have never spoken these words before,

May your days be plenty with a long, and wonderful life ahead.

Awake each morning to all the hope and happiness there could be,

My thought is that God blesses all good things upon you as you see your day.

May stress be a forgotten enemy far away into yesterday,

May your days always be the best wherever you are.

Walking in the sunshine is something so fine,

Dream the things that may be a life changing possibility.

Laugh as much as you can, worry put aside for as much as you can,

Feel the cool breeze, love the warmth of the sun upon your face.

The best you can do is believe in yourself and never give up,

There may not always be a rainbow but the searching never stops.

May your days always be the best as you strive to find your way,

Day by day we can always take the time to hope and pray.

Keith Garrett