LITTLE COTTAGE

There was a little cottage
By the roadside on a hill
And if it has not worn away
It must be there still

It was not very elegant
But breathed the gentle charm
Of flowers on a balcony
Or chickens on a farm

Its friendly window-eyes beheld
The peaceful life around
And magnified the smiling sun
That woke the sleeping ground

The chimney on its sloping roof
Blew ribbons at the sky
The doors reached out and welcomed in
The travelers passing by

And when the weary, day worn world
In shadows went to hide
The little cottage drew its shades
And locked its soul inside.

SPRINGTIME AND YOU

I want to wander through the fields
And climb the hills with you
To share the golden sunshine when
The morning sky is new

I want to blend my hopes with yours
In dreams around the day
And keep a careful diary
Of everything you say

For I am so in love with you
And from the very start
I have been fondly carrying
Your picture in my heart

And I have saved your letters from
The first one that you wrote
Including every postal card
And every e-mail note

And now that spring is here again
And life is young and free
I want to know for certain, dear
That you belong to me.


LOCKED INSIDE MY HEART
(tribute to my brother, Noble E. Pittman, Jr.)

Do not cry, dearest one,
as you talk to me.
The miles that separate us,
are only miles you see.

I know that you are still
in that house we loved so well.
You are still that little child
who teased me by the well.

Do not cry those sad tears
because I cannot touch your face.
The love I've always had for you
is forever locked in place.

And distance is only a word
it means nothing at all
when my heart and my mind
are answering your call.

If by chance God should take you
as you ail upon that hill
He will, I know, provide a way
for me to see you still.

Just close your eyes and dream
that we are not apart
and always know, Dear Brother,
you are locked tightly in my heart.