Think what you want?
Not all the time
Thoughts seep through all cracks of the mind
Some you like, Some you hate
Don't you wish you could put thought on a plate
Use a fork and pick out what makes sense
Some you chase around like a pea, some you can stick
With a meal, you can finish but what about thought?
                                              By Connie Hopkins

This man I knew as Joe
Breezed into my life 50 years ago
There were awkward times for sure
I was just 13 when he appeared
He was my third step-dad
Yet he became my father, he became my friend

This man I knew as Joe

He changed my life for the better back then
I have no pretty pictures
I have no storybook
All I have to tell you are these lines
I have taken them from my heart, memories, and mind

This man I knew as Joe

I love him, I miss him, and some sweet day
I will see his smile just as sweet as always
This man I knew as Joe.
                                             By Connie Hopkins
                                             Your Constance

I am not finished, I wanted to talk to you,
You were yanked away from me Unwillingly,
Wrongfully, and totally.

Where there was some there is none,
What can I do, what can I do,

This man who did this needs to die!
I want him to feel the fear he made my daddy feel,
Looking down the barrel of that gun, shot right between his eyes,
I want him to know the feeling of life draining away,

Nothing he can do or say can make that,
Awful, Empty, Sinking feeling go away.

God, please forgive me for what I feel,
I know it is evil and wrong,
Revenge is yours, Lord, this I know,
This hate I feel, please, Lord, make it go.
AMEN
                                         From your daughter
                                         Connie Hopkins

By her side, he was always there
What will become of his wife left here
She misses his presence that was always near
Sometimes his voice she will here
The memories of their life she will hold dear
Her family and friends will be close
But, they don't take the place of  the husband she lost
The house will seem empty, but time will soon pass
And she can be with him happy at last.
                                        By Connie Hopkins

At times you cried, and I held you
At times you laughed, and I laughed with you
At times we fought, and I fought with you

When you were little, I held you
When you were bigger, I helped you
When you were older, I played with you
When you were grown, I missed you

This time your gone, and I could not go with you
This time you left, and I cried for you
This time when I think, it will be of you

Next time when you cry, God will hold you
Next time you laugh, God will laugh with you
Next time you smile, God will smile at you

Now you are gone, and I will miss you
Now you are with God, and we both love you
                                               By Connie Hopkins

To me mother you're special
Understanding true and fine
You always think of others
You leave your own wants behind
I can tell you that I love you
And still, it does not express
The way I really feel
To me mom, you're the best.
                                   By Connie Hopkins

The child she's lost
She can't put a cost
It tears inside
That can't be denied
She'll come through
Because she has to
For the other little tot's
Be without her they will not.
                          By Connie Hopkins

He cries and weeps
His hurt is so deep
Stay close to love, to touch, and feel
This will help his hurt to heal.
                              By Connie Hopkins

Tick- Tock, Tick- Tock, listen to me I'm a clock
Watch my hands do they move?
It's hard to tell they seem to dwell
Every hour that passes by as if I say, be on your way
I will tick and I will tock
That's what I do because I'm a clock.
                                       By Connie Hopkins

The playful memories I hold in my heart
Of my dear sweet father whose death tore at our hearts
I know daddy would want me to be strong
And go through life as he did with God's song in our hearts
Daddy's faith held strong all through the years
He sang it out till it rang in our ears
I pray it sinks in and stays with me
So one day I can sit high next to him.
                                         By Connie Hopkins

Crickets are singing, the trees are still
Weeping willows are weeping as evening is peeking
Water is like glass, and crystal clear
The moon is not shining for rain is near
The stars are all hiding behind darkening skies
All these things look nice though my eyes.
                                                           ­ By Connie Hopkins

The night will fall it always does
The stars come out and shine above
The moon is there so round and fine
Above the treetops at certain times
Shadows are gone they all hide-a-way
But they will be back the very next day
Everything rests for a while
But it is not long till morning will smile.
                                   By Connie Hopkins

The life he lived had to be admired
He was good and kind and all to be desired
We will remember his life with the utmost love
And, hope someday to meet him above
His garden once sewn by his own strong hands
Will lay empty and bare, a very lifeless land
The tractor that puttered along it rows
Now the tires won't move and the grass will grow
It's hopeless to wish for him to return
For he is gone, his bridges have burned
Only in our memory will he remain
And all this hurt I hope we can tame.
                                       By Connie Hopkins
Dedicated to
"Pete Hopkins"
"Paw Paw Hopkins"

To me, time is like space
Fill it and there is no waste
Children are precious
They come in time
The circle of love
They finish just fine
A golden ring seems to say
Love will be endless if you go my way.
                                By Connie Hopkins

There's not a room in our house that you're not in
Without saying why you know what I mean
You have made life much easier for me
It's not just the rooms that mean so much
But the love within them is from us all.
                                      By Connie Hopkins

Up so high, we see stars with our eyes
Like sparkling blankets that cover our skies
This way and that they shoot so fast
We strain to watch each one go past

Don't you know there are stories to be told?
Of things that happened long ago
Under the same stars, we now behold.
                                        By Connie Hopkins

Outside and in the thoughts are deep
Of winter nights so long and sweet
I hold my darling slightly tight
The fire is bright and hotly burning
Only you can quench my long full yearning
I remember your look and your caress
Something just tells me your  the best
Your look, your touch, your smile so dear
And that's why I want you always near
                             By Connie Hopkins

On a porch of cement and black rod iron poles
In a discarded chair from  many years ago
Quietly he ponders the life he once knew
He thinks of his children and how they grew
He dreams of a wife who is not by his side
But, in his heart, he feels her close by
His days are so long he's nothing to do
So he sits and wishes he could start life anew.
                                              By Connie Hopkins

Rain, rain falling down
Oh, how soft you hit the ground
You make things grow
And smell so sweet
With luck, you will repeat
And again you will fall
To make things grow tall
With pedals of colors
And blades of green
The most beautiful sight
Ever to be seen.
                            By Connie Hopkins

Big brothers are special when they are like you
You could never be replaced with anyone new
Please take care of yourself
Because I am counting on you.

You are the colors in my rainbow
The points to my stars
You lift my spirits, you make me laugh
Our five-hour shone calls I will never forget.

You are an item that there are so few of Lee
Oh what a void there would be
If some morning I should wake
To find you were taken from me
I just love you so much, Lee.

Some calls were sad, and some were happy
Some were so much fun
My face would ache from laughing

It does not seem possible, it is so hard to believe
That we are the only two left of our family
So please remember for this reason
And so many others, my dear sweet brother
Take care of yourself.
                                           From your Lil Sis
                                            By Connie Hopkins

Love is fine like the taste of wine
True love is strong, sure, and will endure
Weak love though it seems steady
Will leave when you are least ready
Then you are alone to try again
So open up and let it in
Who knows this time you might win.
                                         By Connie Hopkins