Poems by Rick W. Cotton

11 - 17 of 17

Take Me Home
- Published: March 2022
Saying Goodbye To Our Veterans

in Home Poems

In the summer of '32
A little boy, 6 years old,
Separated from his Mama
In a five and ten-cent store,

In the summer of '32
A little boy, 6 years old,
Separated from his Mama
In a five and ten-cent store,
And he cries as he tries to find her.
At last, he runs to her arms.
As she holds him close, he says, "Mama, take me home."

Take me home, take me home.
I'm so tired, take me home
To the place where I am loved, where I'll never be alone.
Take me home, take me home.
I'm so tired, take me home,
I'm leaning on your arms to take me home.

In the winter of '44,
In the war-torn town of Bastogne,
Shivering in a foxhole,
The young man waits all alone.
All his buddies have fallen around him,
Their blood spilled red on the snow.
As the bullets fly, he prays, "Lord, get me home."

Take me home, take me home.
I'm so tired, take me home
To the child I've never seen. Lord, I want to watch her grow.
Take me home, take me home.
I'm so tired, take me home,
I'm leaning on Your arms to take me home.

Well, the years go by, and God does not fail.
The young man and his family grow
'Til the day he's a grandpa, telling his grandson
'Bout his wartime days in the snow.
"Grandpa, weren't you afraid they would get you?
When you wanted to hide, where'd you go?"
Grandpa smiles and says,
"Boy, to the best friend I'll ever know."

In the Springtime of '05,
A man full of years, grown old,
His body is swiftly failing,
But his family is safely grown,
And his wife has gone on before him.
He knows that his time has come,
He smiles and says, "Lord, when You're ready....take me home."

Take me home, take me home.
I'm so tired, take me home
To the place where I am loved, where my loved ones all will go.
Take me home, take me home.
Lord, I'm tired, take me home.
I'm leaning on Your arms to take me home.
I'm leaning on Your arms to take me....home.
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- Rating 4.51

The Ballad Of Daylight Savings Time
- Published: August 2018
in Humorous Poems

What's with this Daylight Savings Time?
It steals our sleeping, snoozing time
Roll out of bed and take a breath
And feel like microwaved-reheated death

What's with this Daylight Savings Time?
It steals our sleeping, snoozing time
Roll out of bed and take a breath
And feel like microwaved-reheated death

Seven o'clock? That just can't be
It's way too dark out there to see
Coffee? Yes, I need two cups
To get my sluggish body up

And hit the road before the sun
For Monday's way-too-early "fun"
It's lunchtime? HUH? I just GOT here!
My head is just now barely clear

Afternoon meeting? How can that be?
I thought it was one...HOW IS IT THREE???
The end of day has almost come
The day flew by...it's almost done!

Five o'clock, well that's just fine!
I LIKE this daylight Savings Time!
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- Rating 4.14
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Daylight saving can either be a blessing or a curse. Thanks for the laugh. Australia is currently enjoying summer daylight saving time. Loved the verse.

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It's The Most Fattening Time Of The Year
- Published: December 20, 2022
Funny Poem About Holiday Food

in Christmas Poems

(sung to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year") - with apologies to Andy Williams

It's the most fattening time of the year
There'll be pizza and dim sum, oh yes, please, I'll have some

(sung to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year") - with apologies to Andy Williams

It's the most fattening time of the year
There'll be pizza and dim sum, oh yes, please, I'll have some
And one more root beer
It's the most fattening time of the year

It's the fat-fatteningest season of all
With those holiday dinners I'm not getting thinner, not even at all
It's the fat-fatteningest season of all

There'll be turkeys for roasting, buffets that I'm coasting
And piling my plate oh so high
'Cause this holiday eating is diet-defeating
So hand me some more of that pie!

It's the most unhealthy time of the year
My cholesterol and BP are both way up on me
But my meds are near!
I can start on that diet next year!

There'll be stuffing and swilling, by me oh so willing
My "fat pants" will be very tight
From the First of November 'till way past December
My blood work will be out of sight!
(Grow, my thighs!)

(The BIG FINISH!)
It's the most fattening time of the year!
There'll be much guilty pleasure, and way too much leisure
While growing my rear!
It's the most fattening time!
What I'm doing to me is a crime!
Oh the most fattening time - of the year!
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Thanks for the laugh. I love your version of the song, and your clever lyrics fit perfectly. To me, it's especially funny because it is so relatable (sigh), and I think we have a similar...

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To An Old House
- Published: August 2018
An Old House And Its Story

in Creative Poems

What have you seen in your hundred years?
If asked, what would you say,
Of the dozen families that lived in your walls,
Of the hundreds of children at play?

What have you seen in your hundred years?
If asked, what would you say,
Of the dozen families that lived in your walls,
Of the hundreds of children at play?
Did the boys slide down the bannister rail,
To a mother’s angry scolding?
How many laughs, and how many tears
Have marked the years unfolding?
Every time a floorboard creaks,
The sound tells a story.
A hundred summers in their heat,
A hundred Christmas glories.
Here in this kitchen, a dozen mothers
Have left their stories behind.
Open the cupboards, look and see,
There a tale you’ll find.
Old recipe on yellowed paper,
Phone numbers scribbled on doors,
A catalog from ’65,
1950’s floors.
A hundred years of living,
These walls have seen each day.
A dozen families loved this place,
Then, sadly, moved away.
And now you sit, empty, forlorn.
Your dusty halls are still.
But memories linger in these walls,
And memories always will.
Do ghosts hide here, in your shadows?
Are there secrets, hidden well?
Oh, that you could only speak,
The tales that you could tell.
To walk your halls in quiet step,
Just listen, hear the story
That an old house can clearly tell,
In matchless oratory.
“I am the years gone by, and yet,
I welcome you within!
This empty house can be your home!
A new tale can begin!”
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- Rating 4.47
Featured Shared Story

Thank you! So very glad you enjoyed it. As a former realtor, I have walked in many an old house, and always enjoy stopping to listen to the silent stories the houses tell.....they are quite...

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Tiny Wooden Figures
- Published: December 2017
The Importance Of The Nativity

in Christmas Poems

Over in the corner, 'neath the Christmas tree's green,
Are the tiny wooden figures, our Nativity scene.
Each tells a story, each plays its part.
Each holds a special place here in my heart.

Over in the corner, 'neath the Christmas tree's green,
Are the tiny wooden figures, our Nativity scene.
Each tells a story, each plays its part.
Each holds a special place here in my heart.

Down from the attic, unwrapped with great care,
It just isn't Christmas if they're not there.
They're faded and dented, their paint chipped away,
But the love they stand for is as fresh as today.

And as the years go by and our days grow few,
Outside we grow older, inside we grow new,
And the tiny wooden figures are a symbol of love,
Of the grace and the peace of our God above.

By the side there stands Joseph, keeping watch in the night
The smile on his face, a reflection of light
In the hay kneels sweet Mary, so gentle and mild
So willing to sacrifice, all for her child.

And as the years go by and our days grow few
Outside we grow older, inside we grow new,
And the tiny wooden figures are a symbol of love
Of the grace and the peace of our God above.

In the hay, Baby Jesus, His arms opened wide.
The same way He lived, the same way He died.
Now He stands up in Heaven, and He holds the door wide,
And He says, "Welcome children! Welcome inside!"

And as the years go by and our days grow few
Outside we grow older, inside we grow new,
And the tiny wooden figures are a symbol of love,
Of the grace and the peace of our God above.

Over in the corner, 'neath the Christmas tree's green,
Are the tiny wooden figures, our Nativity scene.
Each tells a story...each plays its part.
Each holds a special place....here in my heart
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- Rating 4.48
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I heard this song last night - Christmas Eve. The Renaissance Choir sang it beautifully at Guisborough Hall. It was the first time I had heard it and it brought tears to my eyes. I remembered...

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A Thanksgiving Blessing
- Published: November 2018
Joy Of Thanksgiving Season

in Thanksgiving Poems

It's cold outside, but it's warm in my heart.
And the gray fall sky is His work of art.
Laden and low, quiet and still,
November is welcome, and my eyes drink their fill

It's cold outside, but it's warm in my heart.
And the gray fall sky is His work of art.
Laden and low, quiet and still,
November is welcome, and my eyes drink their fill

Of brown-gray grass and red-orange leaves,
Of pavement winding through the strong, stately trees.
Down the hill, past the barn, past the gate, up the lane,
The house with bright candles in each window pane.

Now I step inside; oh, it's warm! Oh, that smell!
Hot turkey roasting, potatoes done well!
Sweet, spicy cider, and warm winter wine
Cranberry sauce - Oh! - the flavors - divine!

The smiles and hugs are so warm and sweet.
In this cold gray November, a Thanksgiving treat.
I do love it all and am so thankful; yes,
For this lovely season...I am truly blessed.
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- Rating 4.21
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Thank you! SO GLAD you enjoyed it! I think Thanksgiving is so underrated as a holiday, and I tried to put what it means to me into words...glad you appreciated it!!

Touched by the poem? Share your story! (2)
Smart Phone - Dumb User

Top 500 438
- Published: December 2017
New Technology And Old People

in Humorous Poems

My new phone is "smart." I guess that I'm not.
Amazing what all this here smart phone has got.
TV and Weather and Internet, too.
There's just no limits to what it can do.

My new phone is "smart." I guess that I'm not.
Amazing what all this here smart phone has got.
TV and Weather and Internet, too.
There's just no limits to what it can do.
Check my blood pressure and my temperature
Without even probing all my apertures.
I now know the time in Paris or Greece.
I can track the migration of thousands of geese
Or find Chinese food; it's here on this map.
Oops, my finger just slipped, now where was that at?
A camera...a CAMERA! Now I can take shots
Of everyone I know (who'd rather I not).
Push this here button and take me a "selfie."
(If it had a nose would this thing take a "smellfie"?)
Email to pester with, video to shoot,
Maps to drive 'round with, wow that's a hoot!
A compass to guide me home if I'm lost.
Thank God work paid for this thing (what it COSTS!).
The things that it does would amaze Mr. Bell.
What he would have thought of it, no one can tell,
But one question's still stuck in my middle-aged craw.
Despite all the gizmos that strike me with awe,
They're fun and they're useful and "techy" and all
...But how do I just simply make a phone call?
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- Rating 4.34
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I loved it. I never knew poems could be funny too. This is actually my first and it surely left a mark. This is exactly what most old people feel when it comes to techy stuff. We teenagers...

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Seasonal Poetry Collections

Poems by Rick W. Cotton

Take Me Home

The Ballad Of Daylight Savings Time

It's The Most Fattening Time Of The Year

To An Old House

Tiny Wooden Figures

A Thanksgiving Blessing

Smart Phone - Dumb User