Poems by

FRANCIS WILLIAMS

Subject: Uncle Frank

Jess, I had never seen these before. They are some of Uncle Frank's poems. He always wrote poems for Jessie on any occasion but especially her Birthday. Some were very corny but some quite good. These need to be published under poems by FRANCES WILLIAMS.    Alice Bondurant Scott  17 December 2000

The songs below were hand printed in a bound blank book. The book was in a box of books that Ann Scott Doman purchased at Aunt Jessie's auction. (Jessie Virginia Scott Williams specified an auction in her will to distribute part of her belongings.)  The first few pages were gone.


III
And when I do get old and gray
I hope I won't be one to say-
"Kids these days are raised like hogs-
Young people today are going to the dogs"

IV
And this I pray,
may I be content,
when the greater
part of life is spent,
to sit back in my rocking chair-
And be content in sitting there.

When I Grow Old
V
May I not worry
the younger ones-
A let them do as I have done-
And when the sun sets
in the heavens so red-
I'll put out the cat and
wind up the clock,
And then jump nimbly into bed-
And sleep like a stone
or a building block.
2/22/36

Prayer
1
When skies are gray,
And the way is dark-
And our hearts are filled
with gloom,
When things go wrong
all the day-
And flowers cease to
bloom-
Then is the time to
remember-
Though all the world seems
bleak-
There is someone who
cares-
And answers our prayers-
If we will only speak.

Prayer-II
To the best of men troubles come
We cannot push them away,
The best we can do is not to get blue-
And learn always to pray-
For forgiveness for what we might have done-
To bring the trouble on-
And when we are through-
The first thing we know-
The trouble will be gone.
2/22/36

A Tribute to Music - I

When the day's work is thru-
And we hear thy voice,
Thy melodies make our hearts rejoice-
We love the old and new songs too-
They cheer us when we're feeling blue.

II
Thy sweetness may start the
tears flowing from our eyes,
Thy gladsome notes may make
us smile,
And lift us to the skies.

III
Many lost souls have been saved-
by the magic power-
Of some old melodius hymn-
Sung by the villiage choir.

A Tribute to Music
IV
The bashful lover has been saved,
by some love sung old-
And by the power of thy magic spell,
has become quite bold.
V
The ballroom glitters full of light,
The dancers dance with glee,
The strains are heard
throughout the night,
of some jazz-tune clear and bright-
or waltz-time harmony.

A Tribute to Music
VI
>From there to the opera we go,
The stage is set and all a-glow,
We find conversation here-
Words and music-
To please the ear.

VII
Thus we find where'ere we go-
Music around us seems to flow-
Life indeed must be drear,
For those who do not care to hear,
The sounds of music so sweet and dear.
2/29/36

The Flivver
I
A clash of tin, a roar, a crash,
A jump, a jerk, a Quivver,
A noise like a starved
man gargling hash,
That's me and my old flivver

II
The dates I had were not so bad,
When she was in her prime,
She took me there and
brought me back,
And always right on time.

III
She was always found after a day's work,
Parked in the same old place,
Waiting the touch of a little hand,
And the smile of a big face.

IV
Starting after parking in the rain one day,
She made such a terrible din,
That a fat colored woman passing by,
Most jumped out of her skin.

V
Many nights in moonlight glow-
Parked in lover's lane-
Conversation was so slow-
T'would give anyone a pain.

VI
Years have flown by-
The flivver is gone-
She has been tradded in-
She gave me many pleasant hours-
And I miss the noise a din,
But now I ride with head held high,
And laugh when I pass a flivver by.
3/23/36

Life
A few short years-
Perhaps some tears-
A little laughter-
A few smiles bright,
Clouds dark as night-
A clearing sky-
The setting sun-
Life's labor done.