​Go Grab a Tissue PLEASE
By 
Julie Townsend
 
Picking or licking your nose is a bad habit I say
I promise you will regret that you did it some day
When all the other calves are playing, jumping and having fun
You will be too embarrassed to join them to rumpus and run
So when the hay fever strikes and won't slow
And the snot runs free like a steady river flow
When that fountain is turned on and you have the urge to sniff and snort
And even though God has given you a tongue that is far from short
Please! Oh please! Go grab a hanky or better yet, a wad of tissue
To handle the problems of your snot and dripping green issue 
Blowing your nose is so much better than using a tongue to lick
Be considerate of those around you for you will surely make us all sick

Don't Forget Your Vegetables
By 
Julie Townsend
 
I don’t understand it at all when I say
There are people I know that are not at all keen
To eating anything that is leafy and green
It is perplexing to consider the price they may pay
For eating our veggies is one way to stay
With your body fueled and your muscles lean
 
Packed full of good stuff with very long names
Plenty of essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals galore
All vital and important items needed to fuel your core
I’m not joking, pulling your leg or making false claims
This is for real and I’m not playing games
Eating the colors of the rainbow will help you soar
 
Red is good for your heart
Blue and purple work wonders for you brain
Green is packed with essential minerals so you don’t feel the drain
Filling your plate with lots of bright colors will get off to a good start
To keep your eyes healthy and reading off the chart
Orange and yellow are the colors for vision that will bring the most gain
 
All that about color just to say
Don’t forget to eat them 5 times a day
The
 Incredible
Very Digestible,
Always Sustainable,
The tasty and edible
Yellow, Orange
Purple, Blue
Green and
Red
V
E
G
E
T
A
B
L
E

  
Ode to SPRINKLES
By
Julie Townsend
 
 
Let me sing a song about SPRINKLES  
On the roughest days you smooth out all my wrinkles 
I love you and all your tasty brightfulness 
Like magic tiny rainbow sugar pills of delightfulness 
A spoonful of SPRINKLES before I get out of bed 
Helps me think more clearly in my head 
SPRINKLES with my lunch 
Just for color and added crunch 
Give me more SPRINKLES with my supper meal 
There is really no denying that my love for them is real 
Give me SPRINKLES by the spoon 
I like to eat SPRINKLES by the light of the moon 
Or SPRINKLES in a bowl
SPRINKLES before my evening stroll 
SPRINKLES are perfect anytime of the day 
Give me more SPRINKLES!  Are you listening to what I say?

​Excuse Me Sir for Calling You a Ladybug
By
Julie Townsend
 
There is much about you that is quite confusing
From your little black spots to a bright red coat so assuming
I find myself puzzled and scratching my head
Maybe you're no lady but rather a boy bug instead
 
I suppose you can see the dilemma I face
As I try to grasp how this may impact the whole human race
So with my naked eye with certainty we can't speak
Only with the aid of a microscope to take a peek
 
So no matter if a he or she you are called
I'm rather surprised to find that you're really no bug at all
But instead a beetle in the family of Coccinellidae
While no entomologist I claim to be, so who am I to say
 
But I could have swore that beetles and bugs were one in the same
I stand here and hang my head in shame
For this was a belief I have held onto since my youth
Now my eyes have been opened to the shocking truth
 
While you are an insect, to call you a bug isn't proper
It all comes down to your wings and the shape of your chompers
A friend to the gardener of roses, veggies and fruit
For many other helpful insect aren't nearly as cute
 
I hope you find my garden and decide to stay
You have such an appetite and will keep all those aphids away!

​Sock Monkey Hat
By
Julie Townsend
 
You are my favorite winter accessory
Nothing comes close to you, yes sirree
You keep my ears so warm and toasty
Stylish, soft and very roasty.
I love my sock monkey stocking cap.
Everything about you makes me a happy little chap
From your giant cheesy red yarn smile
That you can see for nearly a mile
To your black button eyes all aglow
Always keeping me warm against the coldest snow
My scarf and my mittens are by the door in a pile
But I’m so sad when you’re lost for only just a little while
When I’ve brushed my teeth and said my prayers
And I snuggle down deep into my blanket layers
When the lights are turned down low
And the household is quiet and slow
When no one is looking I slip you over my head
Then I can sleep like a baby in my big boy bed.    

Think Big
By
Julie Townsend

What a cute little chap
Short, stubby and with a fine black cap
“What is it you have there?”
It is quite big and you are so small in compare
I must ask again, “What treasure have you found?”
It looks like a ball of string in red lying on the ground.
Forget the sticks, twigs and grass
With that yarn your nest will be first class
Beaks will flap and feathers will ruffle
With this you’re sure to cause quite a scuffle
This will make you the talk of the flock
And your little chickadee girl bird will be in shock
Sometimes in life you just have to forget the mundane
Go for the gusto even if some will think you insane
It’s worth the effort to derive a plan
From the ground to your tree branch is quite a span
It will take some hard work and a great deal of thought
But the rewards in the long run will be worth the plot
My advice to you is to drop the twig
Go for the creative and just THINK BIG!
​

The Hummingbird Song
By
Julie Townsend
 
 
The song you sing is hardly a song at all
I may not see you in the branches but I can hear your call
While the other birds fill the air with a melody so sweet
Your song is more like a sour off tune tweet
Or maybe it’s more like a chit, chee-dit or a chirp
To me it sounds more like the scolding I get when I loudly burp
 Not at all a pleasant sound to my ear
Rather it is more like I’m being scoffed and chided I fear
Makes me wonder how could one so cute, tiny and small
Have such a disposition and attitude bigger than all?
​

​Bluebirds
By
Julie Townsend
 
Bluebirds
By
Julie Townsend
 
Boys all flashing with coats of blue  
And little orange vests all rusty 
Girls are smaller and with much less hue  
Feathers just looking a bit dusty 
 
You are the messenger of happiness  
And foreteller of coming spring  
Painting the sky with all your blue prettiness 
And every time I see you it makes me want to sing 
 
Sing even the more as I grow older 
Warmed by sunshine and of the fragrance of spring air 
Singing loudly, "There’s a Bluebird on my Shoulder" 
Even if it causes all my neighbors to point and stare 

​A Farmers Alarm Clock
By
Julie Townsend
 
Don’t cover up your sleepy head
It’s time to get out of that bed
I guess I’m going to have to crow extra loud
All your animals are forming a crowd
Waiting for you to serve them their morning meal
I know you can hear those pigs starting to squeal
It’s time to open up your eyeballs
Milk those cows and clean those stalls
Everyone is waiting so don’t you delay
No matter that it’s cold and you’re cozy where you lay
You have to feed the world you know
So grab your rake and pick up your hoe
Plow that field and bale that hay
The sun is coming up; time to start your day
This has been our routine down through the years
Please don’t tell me you’re pillow is covering your ears!
For I’m the farmers best alarm clock
And it’s time for you to pull your work boot over that sock
Give a goodbye kiss to your wife
It’s tough I know but this is your life
Grab some coffee and run out that door
But first you have to put your feet on the floor.

​Swim Goggles
By
Julie Townsend
 
Fishy, Fishy in this brook
Please stop swimming so I can take a look
I want to take a peek at your home below
And these goggles help me see don’t you know
With them I can spend my day
In splashing fun and play
Until my skin is wrinkled and all saggy
And my swim trunks are soaked and all baggy
Seeking out all sorts of lost treasure
Spending time in pretend and fun beyond measure
This vast underwater kingdom is all mine to explore
As long as I don’t get to far from the shore!

​The Fishing Hole
By
Julie Townsend
 
Here you sit at your favorite fishing hole
Most times it’s more like a giant wishing hole
You’ve known for years this is where the big one swims
If you could only hook him as the light fades and dims
You dream of the struggle it will take to reel him in
You can almost hear the slap on the water of tail and fin
Pulled down far on your brow is your lucky hat
Grooves in the ground from the years your folding chair has sat
Your hook is loaded with your favorite bait
There is nothing for you to do now but to sit and wait
The old tackle box is packed to the brim and ready
Your pole and reel are in your hand held steady
Time seems to stand still for just a moment
Nothing can come between you and your underwater opponent
The cares of the world all fade from sight
Everyone knows that fishing is therapy to get your head right
A folding chair is way cheaper than a therapist couch
And the few hours at the river bank will always straighten your slouch
Today everything is in that perfect place
After all catching fish is certainly no race
Covered from head to toe in sticky mosquito spray
Hoping it will keep those little blood suckers away
Swatting flies that insist on landing on the tip of your nose
While keeping a close eye on the ants crawling around your toes
These are the payments and dues you must pay
To sit here dreaming of the BIG ONE on such a perfect day​