As a small child, I was told that when I grew up, I would be a preacher. One of those who stands in the pulpitAnd screams for twenty minutes, A true man of God.My Dad would introduce me by saying, “This is my son Roy, tell them what you’re gonna be when you grow up.”I… Read More When I Grow Up
Kitty corner from my childhood home Stood, with faded and peeling paint A gloomy red building Jo Lums Chinese RestaurantWe never, EVER ate there Not that we ate Chinese at all Even with its close proximity We still never ventured thereThe spicy smell of its kitchen The rotting stink of its dumpster Would waft our… Read More Jo Lums
Terror and fearForm in my mindAs I recall my earliest memoryChristmas at Grandmother EdmondsA yule time of cussing and fightingCould be had by all.Dad, after a few beersHas glazed eyes with a grimaceHe has checked out.Mother holding back tears.Wringing her handsMuttering words of hope.Grandmother fussing,Lecturing all on proper etiquetteCalling God’s wrath down on allGrandfather, ready… Read More First Memory
I’m so TIREDSixty-plus years of adulting has me just TUCKERED ME OUTWhy do I have to make decisions?Be the responsible one?I’m so EXHAUSTEDOf always doing the right thingWhy can’t life just gently kiss my assAnd bother somebody else?I am WORN TO A FRAZZLELooking out for othersWhat about me?Hey over here! I EXIST!ZonkedFinishedDepleted2026
KendallIt started with a hectic, mad dash southTo a frustrating city with no vacanciesBut oh, the outcome was so sweetA bright-eyed, beautiful baby girlThe last bundle of joyTo grace our familyYou made us complete,Like placing that last piece in the puzzle.Life, like it is known to do,Handed you your own peculiar playlistWhich you have mastered… Read More Kendall
On a pot-filled dirt road Stands the church of my youthMy memories, though, do not speak of religion Rather, the scenes played out thereBusting from the basement as Sunday School ends And running the gauntlet of smoking DeaconsThe chill on my spine As Brother Jones rose with the spiritThe pitchers of Kool-Aid Never mixed rightThe… Read More The Harwine Street Church of My Youth
The General Baptist Denomination in Flint, MichiganAs you drive around Genesee County today, there is no want for Cannabis businesses. Almost every street corner seems to have a store or grow facility. This was not the case when I was growing up. Flint during the 1950s to the 1980s was filled with Coney Islands, Banks… Read More General Baptist Roots in Flint, Michigan by Roy O Richard, Dayron Jones – Rostie Publishing
A Collection of Poems About the Vehicle CityIn memory of all those who made and continue to make this place home.The industrial city of Flint sits on the banks of the Flint River, a significant source of commerce and transportation for the Ojibwe Nation. The river, called Biiwaanagoonh-ziibi or Flinty River by those earlier people,… Read More FLINTOID: A Collection of Poems About the Vehicle City by Roy O Richard, Sarah Louks, Ralph H Marlatt, Katherine Cary-Place, and Gaylia Kenslow-Stogsdill – Rostie Publishing
Ramblings of an Old Coot 