Midst the mountains, sitting so high
Gazing down at a turquoise sea
Nature recites love songs to me
As I release contented sighs
Crickets chirp, sparrows sing, my spirits rise
This is a world to be relished and prized
Midst the mountains

Imagine Earth in perfect harmony
Forgetting war, strife, victim's tortured cries
Escaping all life's pain and lies
Resting here where my heart is free
Midst the mountains

In the past
My muse has been
Some external
Inspiration

But as of now
My muse has made
An internal
Relocation

It's always come
In bursts and spurts
Bit here, bit there
Drought then flood

But finally
The other day
It pierced my heart
Merged into blood

It's part of me
It's head and heart
Crafting wonder
From life's disarray

This muse won't leave
Won't sputter, stumble
It's deep within
It's here to stay

She lays before me
So enticing
So exciting
Inviting me
To delight in her flavors
To savor her taste
Her hidden treasures
Imparting pleasure
Slowly relishing
Without haste
Her flesh between my lips
Juices flowing, teasing the tip
Of my tongue
With the taste of the one
I'm ravenously craving
Now I'm left satisfied
Raving with joy
Basking in euphoria
Just what I came for
Feeling shameful but blessed
So I have to confess
I'm (mostly) vegetarian
But sometimes I cheat
God, I love a good burger
Can't resist that red meat

seated
on a bright yellow stone slab bench
beside a cobblestone path
diving steeply into dark forest

my page illuminated
by the last trace of filtered sunlight
this overcast Friday eve

mountains peeking through low clouds
marking dark silhouettes
against a blue-gray southeast sky
hints of pink paint the western clouds
softly bidding us goodnight

scattered shouts
and musical notes
waft up from the town's bars below
dancing through the trees
flowing to the rhythmic folklore
of the local vallenato band

night closes in
darker each minute
the thin yellow crescent overhead
seizes its moment
shining brighter and louder
through the wispy clouds

as mountains emerge at last from fog
they dissolve just as quickly
into the black sky

all vibrant hues melt away
the bench transforms
dark yellow becomes gray
beneath my weight

one last vestige of color lingers on
the dull red burning on the horizon
sparks an inner fire of gratitude
for every second of light
every second of life

my page descends into darkness
written thoughts plunge back
into the unexpressed depths of the mind

Night falls.

More words have been spilled
Over staying up too late
Than any other **** subject
That ever comes to this tired mind

When the nights drag on to mornings
And I wonder
Why the hell I'm still awake
There's nothing left to do
But turn that angst into words
And slap them down on a page
And pray that at my age
That lyrical Ambien
Knocks me right out

I've written more poems and dissertations about my bedtime
Than minutes
I sleep each night
Than pillows and sheets
I've owned in my life
Than times
I've ever made the bed
Than bedside books
I've ever read
Than midnight snacks
I've tried to sneak
Than my family's cumulative
REM cycles per week
Than my lifetime
Running count of sheep
Than strategies
I've tried to go to sleep

But when the clock strikes
oh-my-god-is-that-the-actual-time
Before I lay down my head
In the end
I won't go to bed
I'll give in again
And let the words flow
Cause staying up late
Is all that I know

they say there ain't rhythm
they say it don't rhyme
but people get famous off that kinda ****
all the ****
day

I'm leaning waaaay out
Over the crumbling edge
Toes teetering precariously
Perched upon the ledge

Long gaze lingering
On the nothingness below
Longing for the plunge

As I joyfully let go


Momentum surges forward
At last, here comes relief



But suddenly I stop
In suspended disbelief


Vice grip on my shoulders
Mysterious force reaches out
I'm stuck staring downward
Upon my desired route


I yearn for release
I ache to take the leap


But Insomnia won't set me free
To plummet into Sleep

Nothing like the open road
Unburdening life's heavy load
Unbridled freedom was bestowed
Til the day
My car got towed

door opened
door shut, then locked
first morning urges
body greets the dawn

toilet seat up
pants unzipped
waste tube carefully aimed
flow turned on

trickling stream
becomes rushed torrent
small splashes
leave no mark

on steep polished porcelain walls
water slowly turning
clear to yellow
light to dark

liquid waste
flushed down the drain
shows signs
of dehydration

advising body
drink more water
restart the cycle
of urination

Let's try to craft one poem a day
A month of our thoughts conveyed
Just give it a shot
Why the hell not?
Let our words find their own way

Life as poetry
Poetry as life:

A slow steady grind
Working stubbornly
Against monotony
And seizing
Those fleeting
Sparks of inspiration
Taking their wild ride
Wherever they lead
As the momentum
Carries us through
When we're back to the grind

The mind of a poet is such a curse
Its search for words an endless thirst

Poets cannot sit and simply be
Soak in the splendor of all they see

Confronted with beauty which defies description
A quest for lyrics is the poet's prescription

Thinking wordy expression will enhance the sublime
Poets lose the chance to be lost in time

Though graced with wonder again and again
The poet can't find that elusive zen

Let's sit down together
And have a discussion
And by that I mean
Lots of yelling and cussin

To your own opinion
You're entitled - that's fine
But your view is wrong
If it's different from mine

If you don't echo my thoughts
I don't care what you think
You're bad for our country
Taking us to the brink

Here's the way it is
No room for debate
And if you don't agree
You're deserving of hate

Evil, conniving,
Dumb or deplorable
Lazy, elitist,
Whatever - you're horrible

Our problems all stem
From the other side
So much for United
We'd rather divide

Hey, where you been?
Long time, no see!
Donde has estado?
Y por qué no aquí?

The honest truth is
I was never really gone.
Si prestan atención
Siempre me verán.

Two particles zooming quickly away
Forever linked no matter where they stray
They've become entangled, their quantum states
Eternally joined in cosmic play

Such is the bond between our souls sublime
Unbroken across all of space-time
We've become entangled, ineffably linked
Our lives fused together in perfect rhyme

"Quibbling over the minutiae of form
Is indicative of failure to grasp the spirit"
Or so my grandpa always warned
So if you're here to argue, I don't want to hear it

If our debates are merely petty
If our disagreements are trite
Let's work to keep our egos steady
And not just simply fight to be right

Don’t plead like Biebs
Timbaland was right
Too late for "sorry"
Can’t erase the blight
Your apologies
Might seem polite
But all your white lies
Have been brought to light
Selfish transgressions
Brought this plight
Upon your own life
Despite the height
Of your own success
Now it seems so trite
As they kick you out
Into the cold, dark night

Mistakes explode
Like dynamite
As your life ignites
Failures burn so bright
Crashing down in fury
Dead meteorite
You feel the pain
Your enemies delight
Nowhere to hide
Your shame in plain sight

Adrenaline surging
Now it’s fight or flight
So just take a sec
Sit down, rewrite
Reset your future
Set yourself upright
Your values and actions
Gotta reunite
Redemption’s hard
No way to expedite
It’s gonna hurt
But hang in tight

The pain sharp
Memories raw
Delightful joy so true
The feelings fighting in my soul
Call me back to you

As love's presence fades
To its relics I return
Reminding and rekindling
The passion that once burned

Yet

You're long gone
No going back
Time cannot reverse

All that's left
To soothe the soul
Is putting love to verse

My deepest darkest wondering
Is my most profound fear
Have you forgotten me
Since I'm no longer near?

Reciprocity's expected
Recalling how you cared
This pain of remembrance
Would be lessened if it's shared

But if the worst is true
You've erased me from your mind
My fear would breed a sadness
And leave past joy behind

As for me I can't move on
I've tried to shut the door
My mind and soul return to you
And will forevermore

I'll remember our love
When I forget all else
You'll surely never fade

When all light's extinguished
Our love will still shine
Turning night to day

When everything ends
Nothing more remains
But this imprint of you and I

I'll one day rest in peace
But this love will live on
Long after the day I die

|      two       |          |   a nation   |
|      twin      |          |   built on   |
|    towers    |          | ideals and |
|    rising      |          |  grandest   |
|    so high   |          | immigrant |
|    up into   |          |    dreams    |
|    the sky   |          | (and yes...   |
|    repre-     |          |   on slave    |
|    senting   |          |   labor too)  |
|    soaring   |          |    a nation    |
|   ambition  |         |  of mighty   |
|   & wealth  |         |  paradoxes  |
-------------------------------------------------­-----------

                       and then
                      ...BOOM...
                  world changed


             all                              all        
        reduced     ­                broken    
      to heaping                 by hateful  
    piles of rubble          brainwashed
  and raw emotion     men drowned in
tears & fears & rage.tears & fears & rage
------------------------------------------------------------­


we rose from the ashes
united in mourning
national pride swelling
emotions still swirling

we warmly embraced
neighbors and friends
overwhelmed with grief
paralyzed by anguish

we explosively cursed
those enemies who'd hurt us
simmering in anger
engulfed in fiery rage

we boldly surged into war
to defend and protect
blinded by our deep-set fears
dead-set on vengeance

we let the years pass
we still remember
we still recover
we still rebuild

we still rise

from what is clear
but to where?

please let us be wise

My thoughts run sprints
My mind won't slow down
But when pen's put to paper
No phrases can be found

I knock on their door
But the words won't come out
Locked in their room
They just laze and pout

Inspiration's still here
But my muse has gone mute
Its stubborn vow of silence
Renders my thoughts moot

It's not mere writer's block
I'd say it's more radical
My poetry has decided
To take a sabbatical

she's not here
she went away
she'll be back soon
i hope
i pray

i think
i knowbutdontknow
****
that hurts to think
it doesn't hurt to drink
so i'll just drink that thought away

i wish she was here
by my side
at the table
in the bed
telling jokes
sharing what we've read
smiling, laughing
even complaining
sweating profusely
while sunny and raining
my daily reflections
to confide
i wish she was here
by my side

but she's gone
to help some girls
to share her joy
to change the world
she makes me hopeful
she makes me proud
she makes me happy
i'll say it loud

though she's not
here with me now
i'd like to add this
to my vow
además to all
the word's i've sworn
those old promises
now well worn
in sickness
and in health we said
from this day
til death's bed
for richer or poorer
for better or worse
now i'd like
to add this verse

in presence or absence
together or apart
you're on my mind
you own my heart

picturing you
here with me
my mind's eye
can clearly see

you're in front and behind
to my left and my right

(nope -- still gone)

just wish you were here
by my side tonight

My heart is a stone
Rolling slowly uphill
At an easy, steady pace
They say life's not a race
They say you're never alone

But it's all just useless, I know
Gravity grips hard with each step
This treacherous ***** grows steep
And helpless, I sow what I've reaped
As I plummet back to the valley below

Pulled two directions by my heart beguiled
I climb, fall, climb, fall, climb and fall again
Still longing for you, for those days long gone
And still trying like hell to get past this, move on
My feeble heart forever stuck in this Sisyphean trial

We were all connected
In a very real sense
The universe packed
So infinitely dense

Then instantly exploding
Bursting at the seams
Singularity in harmony
Blown to smithereens

sometimes love is hug
sometimes love is kiss
sometimes love is that
sometimes love is this

sometimes love is there
sometimes love is here
sometimes love is joy
sometimes love is fear

sometimes love is fair
sometimes love is fight
sometimes love won't let you go, long into the night

sometimes love feels wrong
but love is never wrong
love is always right

sometimes love's just broken
you're not sure how to fix it
not sure if you should nix it

sometimes love calls out from far away
you're not sure what to do
not sure what to say

sometimes love keeps calling you back
you're not sure where to go
not sure, yes or no

sometimes love just wants you
sometimes you want love

sometimes love makes no sense
sometimes love is ordained from above
sometimes love don't feel like love

sometimes love follows me
sometimes love can last
sometimes love won't leave me alone
sometimes love won't pass

Blessed is she who surrenders last coin
Giving from lack rather than plenty

Blessed is he who takes inspiration
Single gift multiplied into many

Blessed are those who pass these along
Money dispersed round the earth

Blessed are those who give correct change
Insist you just pay what it's worth

So now blessed am I as I walk along
Her last coin nestled in hand

And when she looks at me with pleading eyes
I withhold, cause here begging is banned

el gato perezoso
descansa allí
tomando las cervezas
que yo no bebí

abajo se ve
un rio furioso
voy a bañarme

The world's not
what they told me it was

It's much uglier
than I could have imagined

Submerged in violence
Darkness
Despair
Crushing blind ambition

The world's not
what they told me it was

It's much more beautiful
than I could have imagined

People everywhere embracing life
Love
Happiness
Enlightened spirits ablaze

The world's not
what they told me it was

The light and the dark

The world gives us both
The world makes us both

The world's not
what they told me it was

One?
Done
Fun?
None

One


If two?
Pass through
Will do
And you?

That's two


How bout three?
Shall we see?
Bit more free
Works for me

So says three


Can we try four?
It gives us more
Not such a bore
Crack wide that door

Lead us on, four


Would we dare do five?
Tis too high to strive?
I do love this jive
Let's stop while still live

Safe with lines of five


But hear the cry of six
It tempts as time still ticks
It's not just a quick fix
But adds to this great mix

Yes, hear that call of six


Rules change as we reach seven
Words lengthen, stretch to heaven
Lines rise like bread so leavened

The changes wrought by seven


Hard as the end draws near with eight
Liked this before, now's not so great
Long lines I don't appreciate

Thanks for nothing, unruly eight


Entering the danger zone with nine
Meaning gets lost by end of the line
Despite the trouble, guess we'll be fine

Phew, we just made it through there with nine


And finally we arrive here to ten
What an intriguing journey this has been
I'm so relieved now to be at the end

So long, good night, let's sign off now with ten

That's it, I'm done, not once more
I'll never put things off again

I push work back at every chance
My secret slothful sin

Well now I'm through procrastinating
It's time to change my ways

But I don't have the time right now
Swear I'll quit one of these days!

Looking round, the world's changing too fast,
But there's something reassuring about the night sky.
Same moon, same planets, all the same old stars
Just as I saw with my eight year old eyes.

How far away is that one twinkling at me?
How long ago did it send its light this way?
Has the universe changed or has it stayed the same?
Maybe some planet back then was just like Earth today.

Don't look down, you won't recognize the world:
Center of aimless progress and innovation's mindless hub.
Instead, turn your gaze and your thoughts to the infinite.
When you feel lost, just look up.