My Poems Over the Years

By Dwayne Mattingly

Have you ever tried to write a poem?

When I was in the eighth grade, I took literature, and the teacher told us one of our projects would be we need to write ten poems and turn them in. It doesn't matter the style or the content. She wants to see how our creative minds work.

Having never written a poem ever, I started and, I must say, finished the assignment and turned it in. I received a few poems back with checkmarks, which means good work, and even more back with question marks. I guess that meant, What were you thinking?

What I did find out was I enjoyed developing poems, so at fifteen years old, I began to take writing poems a little more serious. I wrote poems for the next thirty-eight years. (I put the year I wrote each poem at the end of the poem).

In December of 2020, I found out I had kidney cancer; and in January of 2021, they removed my right kidney. We later found out it had moved to both my lungs and three lymph nodes in my midsection. Now came the chemo.

I had to quit my job in August of 2021 due to the hand and feet syndrome. I was unable to stay on my feet for long due to the pain. For eight months, I was wondering what is the next chapter of my life. I felt the Lord was telling me to publish my poems in a book. So here I am. My Poems Over the Years is just that. I pray you will not only enjoy reading them but also be touched by them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798886164862

Book preview

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My Poems Over the Years

Dwayne Mattingly

ISBN 979-8-88616-485-5 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88616-486-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Dwayne Mattingly

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Children's Poems

Fuzzball

Snoopy and the Red Baron

The Flea of Brownfield

Little Boy Love

Never Had No Money

Christian Poems

As in the Days of Noah

Blinders

Finding Real Peace

His Love Is Mercy

In Jesus

It Happened Like He Said

Jesus Christ

Peter, the Rock

Religion in America

The Church

The Laborers

They Say

Three Nails

Two Roads

Family Poems

A Life Worth Living

Amanda Lynn Mattingly

A Mentor

Debbie Mattingly

George Kenneth Nichols

Grandpa

Happy Anniversary

James Mattingly

Janet Lynn Harper

Joyce Mattingly

Julian Mattingly

Love

Sherri Mattingly

Thank You, Mom

Tim Mattingly

Together

To Love You

Holiday Poems

Easter

He Has Risen

He Is Risen

It's Christmas

Just Another Year

The Gift

The Spirit of Christmas

Valentine Day

Valentine's Day

Love Poems

Fading Love

Love

Make a Lot of Love

We and Us

Seasons of Love

Something More

Miscellaneous Poems

A Friend

America

A Simple Life

Changed

Determination

Doors

For Granted

Hold Them Up

How Will You See It

If Ever

If I Only

If Only for a Day

If Time Was Worthless

In the Heart

Now I'm Retired

Pleasure Park 5K

Reflections

Remembering

The Candidate

The Child

The Dreamer

The End of My Life

The Poet

The Runaway

The Simple Things

The Winner

Tomorrow

We, Too, Will Grow Old

What a Life

What Will It Be

Where Will I Go

Who You Are

Why Worry

War Poems

Ode to a Hero

Proud and the Few

The Fallen Few

About the Author

My intent for this book is to give readers a book to enjoy. Yet hopefully a great gem of knowledge will come into your view. I'm not a polished poet but one who enjoys writing what I feel. May this be a blessing to all who read it. There are eighty-three poems that span thirty-eight years of writing from 1972 to 2010.

Children's Poems

Fuzzball

Fuzzball was a kitten

Which climbed up in a tree.

Trying to run from

Bulldoggy down the street.

Snoopy and the Red Baron

Snoopy and the Red Baron

Was engaged in a war.

Said Snoopy to the Baron

The rains beginning to pour.

The Baron said to snoopy

That doesn't bother me,

I'm on an airplane.

And you're in a tree.

(1987)

The Flea of Brownfield

There was a flea of Brownfield

Who longed to leave this town.

He got upon a greyhound

And rode him round and round.

Home Sweet Home

Fleas on the porch

Looking for a home.

They saw me coming

And started to roam.

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