Here and Now, There and Then: Poetry & Writings of a Son and His Father

By James Douglas Owens Sr.

James Douglas Owens, Sr. (Jimmy) was raised by a father, James Willard Owens, Sr., who could quote every line of Thanatopsis from memory, and did, along with hundreds of other poems. Jimmy learned early on that poetry was a valuable tool for expressing feelings.

The feelings that Jimmy harbored, as a result of life situations, were many and pervasive.

Busy making a living for himself and his family, the missing factor for him to put those feelings to paper was time. Both fate and circumstances furnished him that time to reflect and to write.

Many of the poems in this book were written in that space of time.

Today, Jimmy is semi-retired living quietly in East Texas. He owns his own big rig and drives short hauls in order to be home at night with his wife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 30, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440146015

James Douglas Owens Sr.

James Douglas Owens, Sr. (Jimmy) was raised by a father, James Willard Owens, Sr., who could quote every line of Thanatopsis from memory, and did, along with hundreds of other poems. Jimmy learned early on that poetry was a valuable tool for expressing feelings. The feelings that Jimmy harbored, as a result of life situations, were many and pervasive. Busy making a living for himself and his family, the missing factor for him to put those feelings to paper was time. Both fate and circumstances furnished him that time to reflect and to write. Many of the poems in this book were written in that space of time. Today, Jimmy is semi-retired living quietly in East Texas. He owns his own big rig and drives short hauls in order to be home at night with his wife.

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HERE and NOW

THERE and THEN

Poetry & Writings of a Son

and His Father

James Douglas Owens, Sr.

James Willard Owens, Sr.

iUniverse, Inc.

New York Bloomington

Copyright © 2009 by James Douglas Owens, Sr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4401-4602-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4401-4601-5 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 6/26/2009

Contents

The Poet

A Message from the Past for Loretta

Pennies from the Past

My Aunt Lydia

PURPOSE

Lifeline

Face in a Mirror

Mishaps

Forces

Other Times

Thick and Thin

Life’s Road

Undiffused

A YO-YO FOR BETH

A FRIEND CALLED DAVID

WHO CAN THROW THE FIRST STONE

ODE TO THE BAREFOOT BOYS

WHO WORE THE GRAY

IN MEMORY OF OUR GRANDFATHER

JAMES LARKIN WIERICK

BROTHERS WHO WORE THE BLUE AND GRAY

Just a Profound Thought

SCOTTISH ANCESTORS

A DAYROOM ILLUSION

Musings or Brain Spam

LITTLE LOST CHILD

Box Car Willie’s Last Ride

Come Tiptoe Through The Past

With Me

ODE TO JOHN S.FORD

My Wish

From Behind Razor Wire

State Prison

Private Enterprise

Clifton Webber

Six Times

The Ritual

THE POOR SOUL

The Artist

My Dreams

TRUTH

Laments to My Mind

Poem

The Ring

The Funeral Parlor

Mask of Stone

Rewards of a Fool

Valentine’s Day- February 14

The Meanest Men in Texas

A Research Paper

Hard Rock Harris

The Visitor- A Fiction

Visit

The Last Lament

Terror’s Flame

Rune

TDC Killed Two More Today

The End

Trouble

DEATH AT THE WALLS

THE BEAST

A T.D.C. CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS AT HOME

JAIL HOUSE LAWYERS

Too High a Price

A CATCH 22 TEST

Parole Board

For My Wife

A THOUGHT OF YOU

DREAMS AND TIME

ALL NIGHT LONG

ROSES FOR MY LOVE

OLD FLAMES

MY WIFE, MY FRIEND

PARTING

THE DAUGHTER

Today and Tomorrows

Night Angel

RAINBOW OF LOVE

FEELINGS AND DREAMS

A SONNET TO MY LOVE

Poetry of James Willard Owens Sr.

My Southern Lily

My Beloved

My Dog Chips

MY FATHER

The Poet

Why am I not permitted

When I have the desire

To leave my mark on the world?

Not a big mark,

A scratch would do.

My book of poems.

It would never be famous or popular.

But perhaps someday

A hundred years from now,

Someone would come across a copy

See my name and say

A poet passed by, that long ago day.

A Message from the Past for Loretta

Thank you for finding us and bringing us home

For to search us out in time, we know many hours you did roam.

Though the years had scattered us far and wide,

In