I Dream of Paradise

I Dream of Paradise

By Josh Watkins

My thoughts are cast across this sandy plain

into the mountain air,

Peace and harmony are my state of mind.

Renewed is this long lost love,

This land I once called home.

It wanes in and out

Of my nostalgic mind.

No place but this can breach my inner soul.

The sea bows to my feet,

kissing them with great affection.

Surely I must be dreaming,

For places such as this I never see.

My mind is a prison for earthly paradises,

Where many lands appear.

Places where fiery mountains

Scald the salty sea,

Or where the forest is silenced,

By the carefully crafted crystals,

That blankets it in white.

Where heaven’s lights brighten the Northern sky,

With a vast array of color,

Beheld even by a child’s eye.

Or a place out yonder,

Where the stallions run free,

The eagle rules the bright blue skies,

And the river’s course is crystal clear.

At each of these destinations,

Tranquility abounds,

Serenity gushes forth,

Peace is vast.

I dream of adventure,

I dream of awe,

                                                                  I dream of paradise. 

Call of Duty

Call of Duty

By Josh Watkins

Fail not my weary heart

Stand firm my tired soul,

Awaken my sleeping spirit,

He is calling you out.

Out of darkness out of shame,

Out of pity out of grief,

Out of struggle out of strife

Out of death and into life.

Weep no more my saddened eyes

Curse no longer my beaten tongue,

Fight no more my bloody fists,

He has eased your pain.

Wander aimlessly not a step further,

Flail in darkness never again,

And taste the eternal freedom.

Tear apart temptation,

Silence swearing,

Vanquish vanity,

Incinerate insanity,

Destroy depression,

Give the gospel,

Strengthen the spirit,

Love the Lord.

Fight on Christian soldier,

Not with fists or guns,

                                                              But with the Word of God.

Autumn Bliss

Autumn is an awesome time of year. The weather gets cooler, but not snot freezing, the leaves change color and some fall off making for an aurora of eye pleasing scenes and the crisp crunch of the leaves as they lie along the path I trod, outdoor bonfires and the smell of campfire mixed with the chilled air, the return of hot coco/chocolate, football season is back (Go Eagles!!!!), Thanksgiving, the only season with two names, and my birthday. It is by far my number two favorite time of year.

Yes you read that last sentence right. Numero Dos. You may be thinking why would I praise Fall so much and not place it as my favorite. The Fall has one downside that Summer (my favorite) doesn't...school. Now hear me out. I don't mind learning, I don't mind seeing my friends, I don't mind being downtown, and I don't mind the little bit of adventure that comes with college. I do mind, the work, the homework, the tests, the papers, the stress, the money I earned disappear faster than you can say abra cadabra, and the free time i don't posses. To be honest, I kind of wish I could do the labor every year for the rest of my life.

"Wait. Isn't it like school?" you ask. Yes and no. The difference is that I got to do it with a lot of people I cared about and saw them nearly every single day. I wasn't going to fail if i did bad on assignments or missed key points. Plus if someone wanted to do something, I could almost 99% of the time say yes because I didn't have class to go to, work to go to, a test to study for, etc. Part of the labor was to be with people. I also got to travel. I went to West Virginia, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Columbus, North Carolina, Hanover PA, and more.

I guess I'm in a collision of emotions right now a.k.a. internship withdraw and enjoying this wonderful season. So in light of all this, here is a poem I wrote about Autumn five years ago. It may be a little cheesy but I don't mind.

The Beauty of Autumn

Sitting on the beach,

Staring off into the sunset filled sky,

Watching the last bit of summer,

Hop, skip, and dance on by.

My head floods with emotions,

How the summer has made me see,

A new perspective on life and friendship,

And how the summer has changed me.

Now the sun has set and Autumn has begun,

Bringing in football, Thanksgiving, and the school year.

The North wind releases a mighty roar,

My eyes give way and shed a tear.

The trees shake off their summer coats,

And flash their Autumn colors with pride,

They wave hello as the wind embraces them,

While the leaves challenge the wind for a wild ride.

Birds whistle good-bye,

Furry critters store food and refurbish their homes,

The leaves crunch beneath my feet,

On the city streets I now wander and roam.

Hoodies, sweat pants, and knit hats are back in style,

Guys are looking sharp and the ladies are a sight to behold,

Behind the hoods, scarfs, and cunning smiles,

Lie hearts of love and gold.

As night falls, the savory, hot chocolate soothes my throat,

I am kept warm wrapped up in a quilt by a fireplace,

I lay there dreaming, wishing, and hoping 

As the heat kisses my face.

Football season has begun,

Thanksgiving is on its way,

So much delicious food to eat,

So many bone-crushing games to play.

Thanksgiving is a memorable occasion in my life,

Family, food, and football all hold their own,

Football is a blast, family is loving,

And the food is picked clean to the very last bone.

The Macy's parade brings joy to my eyes,

To see the floats, bands, and balloons glide across the screen,

Warming peoples' hearts and surprising their faces,

On every single child and teen.

All good things eventually must come to an end,

I am so sad to see it go.

The trees will shed their Autumn attire,

As mother nature sends the chilled air and the snow.

Next time you feel the leaves beneath your feet,

Or the wind kiss your face,

Just stop and look around,

At Autumn's beauty and grace.

Solace and a World of Adventure

This post is a little prose I am writing off the top of my head right now. Sometimes I just get that little urge to write something and it keeps nagging at me until I release is from its prison known as my mind. Enjoy!

As I walk along this abnormal path lined by empty strips of where places of business used to be and the butts of many cigarettes tossed there just like the life of the person who pressed that filthy thing to their lips, I can see it there in the distance, waiting for me to escape reality and enter its gates of wonder and imagination.

I reach the entrance and slowly creep up its marble stairs which gleamed as the sunbeams dashed upon them, unlike the broken, dirty, concrete I had just left behind. I glance straight up at its towering height and see above me branded upon its face the words "Lakewood Public Library." Those words translate in my mind to "The keys to an imagination's paradise."

Walking down the corridor, the walls are lined with pictures taken from the eyes of the very souls who live in this small city. They sort of greet you giving you one last look from many different views of this town before you escape into a world of your own. I turn left and begin walking down isles and isles of literature with bindings so flashy that the colors just overwhelm you.

One isle in particular has a brilliance of colors that it's nearly impossible to not remove a book from its home let alone pass the enter shelf completely. Beaches, buildings, jungles, wonders, city lights, and so much more advertise what the world has to offer. Italy, Belize, India, Fiji, France, Germany, New York City. All these names and more bombard your eyes, trying desperately to grab your attention. I lay my hand upon a shelf, ready to select my first adventure. But then slowly, I let my hand drop back to its side and pass through without even rescuing one book from its motionless state. What caused me not to see what a new land has to offer, what treasures were out there calling to me, what sensations my senses itched to discover? It's the fact that these books are not enough. I long to travel, to see the world. I've seen many pictures of the Statue of Liberty, the Roman Colosseum, the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, and even the Northern Lights. I've made lists upon lists of places I want to visit and researched countless times of what wonders are out there. But I've been disappointed before. So close on the edge of actually seeing those dreams fulfilled only to have them shattered like glass. Opening those treasure troves only makes me yearn even more for that adventure, yet leaves me empty knowing it will be along time before I have a chance to see such awe.

Leaving reality behind I come across an array of quests waiting to be conquered. Selecting a few, I retreat to a cozy chair a crack open the contents. All is quiet and peaceful, except for the occasional screaming of someone's bratty child who hasn't had a good spanking in a long time if even ever. I tone out the ear-bleeding cries and fall into an extraordinary rabbit hole that even Alice would be proud of.

I have once again been through a battle through the eyes of a navy seal, swung blades with a demon-possessed pirate thirsty for blood, rode on my trusty steed next to a king who's fame is even beyond him, and even learned about the world of tipping from Sin City to the Big Apple.

Suddenly the hands of my watch flash an undesirable hour and I realize I must come back to complete reality. I return the key to lands beyond my wildest imagination to its place, knowing that someone else will stumble upon its magic just as I had. I step out into the bright sunlight and a grin breaks my still complexion. Until next time my old friend.

One-Eyed Jack

As promised, here is the first of my many pieces of work that will appear hear. Please feel free to critique it so I can perfect it. It's one of my personal favorites and the entire idea came to me by Timothy Miller placing a plastic spoon over his right eye...no joke. Enjoy!

One-Eyed Jack

By Josh Watkins

One-eyed Jack,

Scourge of the seven seas.

The wind at his command,

It bows below his knees.

The blade on his belt,

Clings firmly to his side;

It deals menacing blows,

While controlling a battle’s tide.

His face bears many wounds,

Each pulsing with hate;

Fear rules his foes’ hearts,

For death is their ultimate fate.

Treasure is his lust,

Gold his only love.

Diamonds emblaze his fingers,

Emeralds, his battle glove.

There on the horizon,

A mighty ship he spies.

Tis a Spanish galleon,

A vast and noble prize.

The sea grows cold and gray,

For blood is about to be shed,

A deadly battle is about to rage,

Soon to turn the once blue waters red.

He hoists the Jolly Roger

To the top of the mast,

Sending the captain a message,

This battle is to be his last.

The captain turns his vessel,

And opens the cannon doors,

How he longs to be fighting

Back on the English moors.

“Be brave!” the captain shouts

“This brigand we must slay!

To his Maker he must go;

For his evil deeds he must pay!”

The captain could now see Jack’s eye,

His cold and deadly stare,

Neither man backed down,

Both ready to face the guns’ flare.

Jack grinded his teeth,

The captain clenched his fists,

“OPEN FIRE!” they both yelled,

And the guns blazed through the mist.

Iron balls tore through the sky,

Splintering wood and goring flesh,

Men lay dead in the sea,

The decks are a bloody mess.

  The captain makes a daring charge,

Sailing within mere feet,

Fearing not the imminent danger,

One-eyed Jack he soon shall meet.

The ships suddenly collide,

With a splintering crash.

Pirates board the galleon,

Blades of cutlasses flash.

The captain sees the white of Jack’s eye,

And his menacing grin.

His hand he places upon his sword

Praying this isn’t a sin.

The captain and Jack drew their steel,

Clashing in a fiery rage,

Bullets flew, men fell,

Chaos filled the stage.

The established sea-men

Could not push back the scum

They moved by the will of demons,

Fueled by fire and rum.

The captain was losing,

Jack’s crew had him beat.

Their future looked grim,

There was no retreat.

Suddenly there was a violent blast,

Two gapping holes were made.

Both ships were doomed,

A noble sailor’s debt was paid.

Jack roared with rage,

His eye became blood red,

Seeing all that gold

Spilling onto the sea bed.

The disturbed pirate lost control,

Swinging wildly to strike a blow.

But the captain fought on,

Changing the battle’s flow.

The pirates tried to retreat,

But their sloop had just sunk,

They were now like rats

Trapped on a Chinese junk.

Jack made a run for the gold,

As his crew abandoned ship,

He took a blade across his back

And a bullet in his hip.

“To the life boats!”

The captain yelled.

“Not one more soul

On this day shall be felled!”

The captain drew his pistol,

At Jack’s head he aimed,

This pirate would die,

Broken, wounded, and maimed.

Jack laughed an evil laugh,

And drew his cutlass high,

He charged the captain straight,

Ignoring the pain in his thigh.

The pistol spewed shots of death,

Two went low and two went high,

One lead ball hit its mark,

Right through Jack’s good eye.

The smoke from the burning hull

Clouded the once clear air,

The captain abandoned ship,

Waiting no longer did he dare.

 The survivors rowed

Out of harm’s way,

Thanking God that they

Lived to fight another day.

Another explosion then rocked the sky,

Gold and debris rained down,

Yet the body of One-eyed Jack

Was nowhere to be found.

Today as ships sail,

Not a sailor has the lack,

To tell the legend

Of One-eyed Jack.

The Labor Has Ended, But He Never Ends

So I made the decision that I want to keep this blog going. I may not have the time to frequently update it (like I had time before right?), but I will update it because I feel that sharing my life with those closest to me makes it more colorful and people do care enough to know what's going on (some too much that they tweet every two seconds...I boycott twitter). So this blog will live on and may not always be spiritual, but Jesus is always there no matter what.

So to start things off, I am back at CSU after taking a year off to participate in the 1 year Christian Internship and to put it this way...it's almost as if i never left. I'm an engineering major and the guys I met freshman year are in the same program as I am (CO-OP) so they still have a couple to a few years left. I'm right back at my old job working in the computer lab and it doesn't seem different at all. The only thing that has really changed is the mass migration of church friends to CSU. In the first two days I saw nearly all of them and thought it was cool that they are all here with me. I also have a goal for this semester and that is to talk to one person every day I'm on campus about Jesus.

I'll end this post with some of my writing. Y'all will be seeing spiritual and non-spiritual pieces of work appear here as parts of a post or an entire post. Some even from my earlier years of writing. I figure they've been sheltered from the public eye far to long. Disclaimer: some will be unedited and may not seem that good, but this is what comes from a creative mind of a child. Enjoy!

There is a God

By Josh Watkins

Look upon the stars,

Gaze upon their majestic beauty,

Their warming glow,

Their jubilant glimmer,

And tell me there is no God.

Listen to the ocean,

The waves crashing upon the shore,

The songs of its inhabitants,

The wind that moves it,

And tell me there is no God.

Smell the fragrance of the rose,

The aroma of the lily,

The scent of the a daisy,

The essence of a tulip,

And tell me there is no God.

Taste the fruits of the earth,

The sweet honey nectar made by the bees,

The fresh mango plucked from a mango tree,

The sugar cane as it sways in the wind,

And tell me there is no God.

Touch the blades of cool grass on the prairie,

The wetness of the river,

The feathers of a parrot,

The shape of a diamond,

And tell me there is no God.

Feel the texture of my hand,

Listen to the sound of my voice,

Look into my beating heart,

And you will see that God is real,

                                                            And forever more he shall be.

They Call Me a Dreamer

Lately I've been thinking...I really haven't personalized this blog at all. So this post will be a personal post rather than an "update." The reason for this is that I have so much to share but to actually take the time to write/edit/publish it that I set it aside and forget. I will try my best to keep it going because I care about you guys and know you want to know what's going on in life.

Let's take a journey back to my childhood. Back then I had an amazing imagination and what some would call a dreamer. My world changed dramatically day by day. One day I would be a valiant warrior, attacking castle after castle, reducing their once awesome beauty to heaps of rubble, getting wounded time after time but never dying, always victorious. At the dawn of the next sun, I would have a tree house that looked normal from the outside, but from the inside it contained a mansion-esque  interior, with hundreds of modern marvels not even created yet. There was even a lava pit in the center to get rid of all dross and refuse. My best friends were with me and we were in a constant battle to defend our turf from those yucky girls. Capturing them at will and taking over their tree houses.

By the turn of the moon, that scenery would fade and I would find myself in a total world war (I liked battles okay.) I was fully clad in an indestructible suit that was equipped with every weapon know to mankind and would take an entire army to even scratch it. I could fly from region to region, continent to continent, eliminating the bad guys all over...until I would be hit by a stray rocket and be blown to a land unknown. My navigation unit was broken and I had to find my way back to the ball, which was always a painstakingly long journey. Sometimes I also believed I was the greatest athlete in every sport. Pummeling the opponents and sometimes even recovering from a bad injury to help our team win it all.

Today, most of that part of me has faded. No more epic wars, no more putting girls in jail, and no more valiant heroes rising from the ashes. But the one part of me that still remains like a scar is that I'm still a dreamer.

All my life I've dreamed big, let my mind run wild with all the possibilities of things I want to do, places I want to see, people I want to meet, and moments I want to experience. Growing up in a large family hindered many of those dreams because of money and time. Don't get me wrong, my family is awesome and I love them dearly. I guess I can see that as a blessing in disguise. Because as a little kid, you just don't appreciate things as much as you do when you are older. I guess you could say it fuels my fire and drives me to see these dreams become reality.

My biggest dream right now is to see the world, especially Rome, Italy. I love to travel and everything about it. New lands, hidden paradises, strange culture, new faces, God and man created wonders, and so much more. I'm a go-getter. If the opportunity arises, I would pounce on it like a tiger in the grass. Also seeing as today is Independence Day, I would love to tour this great land. I've been west of the Mississippi once but was not even 2 years old so that memory I do not possess. Hopefully one day I will get to see it all.

There are many other things I dream about and sometimes I think that I've been dreaming about these things for so long that they may never happen, but one never knows. It's good to dream, to hope, to make dreams come true. They call me a dreamer.