When happiness is denied, anger is supplied
When justice is forsaken, the lawful will awaken
When truth is despised, the shunned will rise
When life is shorn, a revolution is born
When liberty dies
War cries

We are more than dust
And yet, we bury our heads in the sand all the same

Lavender and lilac skies
Will never be as sweet
As the sparkle in your eyes
Or the roses in your cheeks

The cherry blossom
Floats with ease
Carried softly
By the breeze
Gracefully lands
Upon the ground
And fades away
Without a sound

Paper stars on a painted sky
Plastic moon on twine
Glassy eyes watch a waxen sunset
Pretending all is fine

Even in the most turbulent moments
You are there
A solid foundation
Ever present
Ever strong
And I am
Ever grateful

Underneath all this paper
Wrapped up in all this string
We're all just damaged goods
Hiding underneath a pretty bow
So handle with care

Foolish men wander
Down strange roads
And ponder
Nothing that is sane or true
Wise men will trod
On well beaten sod
And eventually step in poo

She danced in white
With rainbows in her hair
Her eyes a diamond sky

Her wings took flight
Angle's grace and serenity
Soaring high and free

Into the night
Leaving a trail of stardust
And the sweet scent of lilies in the air

There's a hole in my soul
And I cannot fill it
There's a demon in my mind
And I cannot **** it
There's a storm in my heart
And I cannot still it

"Have faith and all will be well."

Will it?

Black pools
White rain
Speckled starlight on a window pane

Whispering wind
Thunder's reply
Formless shapes of a clouded sky

Sweet rays
Honeysuckle sunlight
Warm embrace and storm's respite

Pieces of you
Scattered across the ground like broken clay
Pages of you
Spread across the room like an unfinished manuscript
Fragments of you
Fractured like a picture frame
And here I stand with a broom
Wondering where to start

Lovely Linda
With lovely locks that smell of lavender
Looking longingly at the masses
Lost in your thoughts
Lovely Linda
Never lose your lighthearted laughter
And you will never be lonely

Wet socks
Dry me
Wet socks
Dry seat
Dripping clothes
All can see
But no one knows
About my feet

Sun sets
On sandy shores
Four paw prints in the sand
Trotting away towards a new adventure
May your nose lead you grassy medows to run
Piney woods to roam
And a warm bed to sleep
As the sun sets
On your time here with us
Know that you warmed our hearts
Like the sun
On a warm spring day

Speak softly
And words will tell
Who will listen

Speak loudly
And words will tell
Who will be silent

Speak wisely
And words will tell
Who will learn

Speak foolishly
And words will tell
Who will rebuke

Speak in anger
And words will tell
Who will hate

Speak in gentleness
And words will tell
Who will love

Blue lights
Take flight

Blue lights
Soft bright

Blue lights
Bring sight

Blue lights
Fade to white

Blue lights
Dark night

Who am I?
The nameless man cries as he stumbles in the dark
Who am I?
He shouts as he reaches out before him; his fingers touching nothing
Who am I?
He whispers in despair as he kneels—his hands still searching
I AM
His fingers brush the pages of a book, the author’s name becomes visible as light pours around him
I AM
Tears of joy pour down the man’s face as he reads. His path is made clear. His name is revealed.
I AM
He repeats as he rises, and continues on his way, towards The Golden City

Fist shaped holes in the walls
Yet the screams still echo from them
No place like home

Peace shattered like the coffee mug on the floor
No place like home

Dinner is cold and untouched
Like the other side of the bed
No place like home

The hearth is cold and empty
Like the love that once was
No place like home

I let her slip through my fingers
Like moonbeams
And like moonbeams
She was never really there

Sometimes a quiet word
Rings louder than the loudest scream
Echoes deep into the cayons of the heart
Shakes the fortress of the mind
And stirs the ocean that is the soul

They dance
The music moving them gracefully through the steps
Their shadows intertwine and become one

They dance
Their feet tracing an endless pattern on the floor
Their hands locked together in a vice-like grip

They dance
Eyes locked on each other
Feet tracing an endless pattern
Hearing nothing
But the melody
Feeling nothing
But the rhythm of the music and their beating hearts

Pretty flower
Quite a treat
Pretty petals
Scent so sweet

Blustery wind
Breath like ice
Swept through my fingers
Touched my flower twice

Lovely flower
Now black and bare
Your scent is gone
And so is my care

Faith gained
Love lost
Balance maintained
But at what cost?

Formed in the brain
Sometimes they remain there
Sometimes we throw them out
To see if they bounce back

People who are no deeper
Than the pages or screens they write on
The air they use to speak
Or the layers of foundation they smear on their faces

Sleep
Cluttered thoughts sweep
Through my mind
Chasing sleep
Away from me

Mist
Cool whisps
Caress your face
And chase
The the fever away
A brief respite
Lasting only the night
Fading away
At dawn's first light

To the men in red and blue
Who fought in the ****** snows of Valley Forge
To protect our fledgling country
And her right to fly free
Thank You

To the men in olive green
Who sat in the red-mud trenches of France and Germany
Who in protecting our own freedom
Gave the world back hers
Twice
Thank You

To the men in leafy green
Who ran through the forests of Vietnam
Dodging bullets from every side
And even though many at home didn't
Some of us say
Thank You

To the men in dusty brown
Who patrol the roads of Afghanistan and Iraq
Sometimes never to return
Thank You

You have given your hearts
You have given your courage
You have given your lives
And all we can do in return
Is say
Thank You

There once was a man
Who wore pantaloons
His exotic tastes also
Included baboons
He took them to the city
To make them look pretty
Now he's locked up with the loons

Lies are like a drug
Taste one you want more
They're a sweet toxic demise
Of the worst kind
That destroys everything you love
While slowly destroying you

Rain pours
Scores and scores
Of droplets fall
Watch them all
Scatter across the lawn
From dusk till dawn
On and on
When will it stop?
My roof is leaking
I need a mop

The music plays
The silence dies
The tune is soft
Close your eyes
It lifts your spirits
It makes you smile
Dulls the pain
For a little while
When the silence returns
And the music ends
That's the thing about songs
You can play them again

Do you love her because she's beautiful?
Or is she beautiful because you love her?

They paint the truth with colorful words
Dress it in pretty metaphors
Make it sing ryhmes
And dance in meter

Because the
Dull
Drab
Flat
Frozen truth
Isn't enough

I reach out and touch the stars
I run across the sea
I do the impossible
Though the impossible can never be
They say never give up on your dreams
It's funny that they say that
Because my dream is reality
I'm trapped inside this fantasy world
Reality is veiled in mist
Who can resist
The lure of the unreal world?
When in reality
The stars are always out of reach
And one drowns in the sea
So I will not pursue my dreams
For pursuit of reality is madness
And all dreams are vanity
And I must preserve my sanity

Fractures in a mirror
Pieces of a whole
Not yet broken apart
Reflected, is a distorted image
Beautiful in it's own imperfect way
It only takes a blow
To shatter the glass
Release the shards
The imperfection is gone
But so is the image
So is it better to have imperfect beauty?
Or nothing at all?

Ever feel like a ghost?
You're sort of there
Much less than most
You drift in and out
Existing between worlds
Playing with shadows of doubt
You're just mist
Can't make a mark
Want to play in the sun
Only visible in the dark
You want to stay
The wind blows you away
You come back
Things are not the same way
Everything is grey
You watch what once was stone
Slowly change to clay
You want to speak
But you can't say
A thing
Because you're a ghost

There is a deck of cards
And a table for two
Each chair is made of wood
The cards are colored blue

You pass this table every day
Never giving a second thought
About sitting down to play

Others have played the game
They say you should too
But the game is a gamble
And the stakes are too high for you

You look at the cards
And know that the rewards can be great
Maybe you should place a bet
Before it's too late

Adulthood is a semi
Barreling down the highway of life
And I'm standing in the middle of the lane going
Crap

Candle light
Shining bright
Flickering softly
In the night
Pure fire
Yet so fragile
Gone at dawn's first light

She plays
Her fingers moving swiftly across the keys
Melody and harmonies take flight
Swirling and coming together in the air
Like a flock of sparrows

She plays
Each chord coming faster than the last
She pours her soul into the piece
Lifting it to a crescendo

She stops
Silence lies heavy on the room
The notes halted in mid flight
Her head is bowed
Moments pass

She plays
Her fingers move softly
Delicately, she releases the final notes
The flock disperses
Leaving the air empty once again

Little boat
On the sea
Little boat
Sails with me

Little boat
New winds blow
Little boat
You have to go

Little boat
Feeling blue
Little boat
Can't sail with you

Little boat
I'm on the shore
When you come back
We'll sail once more

Look at the clown
Dancing in the street
With funny hair
A red nose
And big clumsy feet

Look at the clown
Looking for a laugh
Vying for an audience
To see his comedic craft

Look at the crowd
They watch the clown play
They laugh and they clap
Then go about their day

Look at the clown
He stands alone in the square
He wipes off his makeup
Combs his messy hair

Look at the clown
His face is not the same
Once the mask is gone
His head is bowed in shame

Look at the clown
He always plays the fool
Always an entertainer
Never once a tool

Look at the clown
And how his story ends
A jester who can always gain a crowd
But never any friends

Strings, strings
Attached to me
Strings that play a melody
I cut the strings
I am set free
But the song is gone
Silence falls
I stay attached
Though freedom calls

Me
A simple word
Referring to one speaking

Self
Slightly longer
Similar in meaning

I
A letter
But has the same purpose

You
Overuse of the first three
Makes this one worthless

The sky is afire
Full of flaming colors
Red, gold, and orange
Streak across the clouds
A blazing inferno of beauty
That fades into softer colors.
Yellow, pink, and purple
A soft glow that slowly melts into blackness
There is nothing
Until little white specks appear
One by one
They glitter and flash
Like diamonds on black felt
The sky is filled with color once more

Consider the dancer
She floats with the breeze
With flowing grace
She moves with ease
Consider the dancer
She seems to fly
She opens her arms
And embraces the sky

One
Two
Three
Counting the seconds
Until insanity
Takes hold of me
Watch the world spin
Plunge into sin
I laugh
I grin
As I count
One
Two
Three

Four
Five
Six
My mind plays tricks
On my eyes
Oh the lies
I spin
To win
My prize
I count
Four
Five
Six

Seven
Eight
Nine
I feel the divine
Everything is nothing
And that's just fine
Seven
Eight
Nine

Reality slips away
It's a price you must pay
To feel free
Just close your eyes
Let go
And count

One
Two
Three

Captive memories
Paper thin souvineers
Of events long past
That fade and crumble to dust
When held by the hands of time