In shadows deep where darkness hides
There lies a bag of eight-legged horror
A bag of spiders where dread resides
Creeping and crawling, causing sorrow

With nimble legs they dance and sway
Each spins a thread, a delicate art
A web of wonder, they work their way
To weave their silk and do their part

They scuttle and scurry, never at rest
Their beady eyes, like gleaming gems
Silent whispers in a world obsessed
Reflecting secrets, known only to them

Oh, the bag of spiders, a curious sight
But hidden within their fearsome guise
Eliciting shivers, invoking fright
Lies nature’s marvel in miniature size

A bag of spiders, misunderstood
For spiders, in truth, are nature’s aide
Not causing harm, but doing good
Keeping balance, so be not afraid

So let us ponder with open hearts
A bag of spiders, for if you did
You’d see how nature plays her part
And applauds the bag of arachnids

Simple squamous epithelium
That lines the frothing orifice
Of politicians and wine-soaked braggarts

Cytoplasm
That flows equally
In justice and infectious regurge

Genes
That transplant the ghastly
Pale-light abscess of custom-made drivel

God, Ph.D.,  you too?

I got a dog likes to wander around
You might see him anywhere in town
In my neighbor’s yard or in his trash

Today, I don’t know where he’s been
He just came a-staggerin’ in
I think that my old dog has found a stash.

I got a doped up dog
Don’t know what to do
He’s layin’ in the yard, howling at the moon
He won’t feel so good
In the light of day
I don’t know what makes him act that way.

Friday night and I’m on the town
You can see me all around
Any place where I can get a belt

Made it in a half past three
My old dog just looked at me
I think he knew exactly how I felt.

Like a doped up dog
Don’t know what to do
I’m  layin’ in the yard, howling at the moon
I won’t feel so good
In the light of day
I don’t know what makes me act that way.


Well, Jake just looked me in the eye
And I said “Yea Boy, we can try
To straighten up and get on the right track

Then we won’t feel so rough
Messin’ ‘round with all that stuff
And you and me won’t ever have to act….

Like a doped up dog
Don’t know what to do
We’re  layin’ in the yard, howling at the moon
We won’t feel so good
In the light of day
I don’t know what makes us act that way.

I don’t understand the way
That hatred seems to rule
Every minute of every day
It seems to gain more fuel

Dave told us years ago
That “We Just Disagree
But now we choose to hate and so
No answers will there be

Cooperation is a lost art
Collaboration can’t be found
Real solutions will never start
When hatred still abounds.

There was a time not long ago
When opposite sides could talk
Design and ideas would flow
Our leaders walked the walk

That time is gone, it seems for good
And hatred rules the day
Discussions turn to attacks so rude
There’s nothing left to say

It seems that now we never find
When two on opposite sides
Disagree, but still are kind
To others far and wide.

“Agree to disagree” I’ve heard the phrase
And try to comprehend
That differences, like a smoky haze
Don’t make you hate your friend.

So take a chance, just try and see
You’ll help this world go round
Don’t hate because you disagree
And answers will be found.

“She toddled in the mighty Duck
And almost never was”
Whether by design or luck
Or maybe just because

Summertime in Tennessee
So scorching hot and dry
The family thought a swim could be
Relief so we would try

While swimming came so easy
For most of us that day
But Mom was water queasy
So on the bank she lay

My friend and I, we swam like fish
In the deep Duck River
A day that would make you wish
This fun could last forever

My baby sister was so small
She could barely walk
She toddled and then down would fall
And jabbered with her talk

So Dad had moved into the deep
That’s when I saw it well
My sister ran without a peep
Into the Duck she fell

Momma screamed and I just froze
And out of sight she went
The muddy Duck would now propose
Another life be spent

My Dad had sprung to action
On hearing of the scream
He dived as a reaction
Into the muddy stream
.
.
.
And many years would pass us by
She studied hard and long
Nothing was too tough to try
She never got it wrong

A Ph.D and drug design
She makes the pills you need
If you were really in a bind
And needed meds indeed

She plays piano and reads the books
And knows so much inside
She sews and cleans and then she cooks
With logic as her guide

Accomplishments on every level
Complete and tried and true
But humble, never would she revel
In all that she could do
.
.
.

He came back up and looked around
His eyes began to beg
He dived again and there he found
And grabbed her by the leg

Upside down he pulled her up
And water did pour out
And soon we heard her cry startup
Relief without a doubt
.
.
.

Remembering that day and so
A blessing to repay
That was sixty years ago
But feels like yesterday

I sometimes think of all the luck
That happened just because
“She toddled in the mighty Duck
And almost never was”

Nobody knows I have it
But I know it’s still there
Your earring in my pocket
Let’s me pretend you care

You left it just the other night
I found it on the floor
Your earring in my pocket
Gives me hope that there is more

It’s just a little thing
It’s not part of the plan
With your earring in my pocket
For a moment I’m your man

I dream we love each other
And that we’ll always be
Together until the end of time
You say you’ll be with me

Nobody knows I have it
No one would understand
With your earring in my pocket
In my heart - I am your man

About the time you voiced to me
Above the river, by the tree
Across the bridge we saw the lights
Against the setting moon of night.

Behind my fears and fitful mood
Beside the others chatting rude
Between my silence and vacant  talk
By evening on a summer walk.

Except for fumbled fervent words
For you I wish my feelings heard
From a challenged passive way
In wait my lonely times would lay

Into the words, what could I do
Of nouns and verbs and pronouns too
On days I scout without success
Over terms I should address

Through magic words a pact is made
To phrasing language dues are paid
Toward prepositions, there points a sign
Upon the start  of every  line

When Santa returned from his trippin’
A bottle of *** he was nippin’
His wife had a brew
And after a few
The elves caught them both skinny dippin’

It’s not easy to be a bee
Our crowded view of life
Sometimes the only thing I see
Are trouble, toil and strife

We search to find the source of food
Then hurry to the hive
We hype the others in the mood
With waggle dance and jive

The queen, protected and aloof
Not like all the others
She is the sign and living proof
When smoke comes and smothers

Work and waggle, my daily chore
Then search a place to hide
Being a bee is so much more
When dodging pesticide

I’m a worker, and not a drone
I hope that you can see
When you harvest sweet honeycomb
It tough being a bee

Butterscotch for me
The best as you will see
So brown and sweet
A masterful treat
With flavor flowing free

If you see her say hello
Haven’t seen her for a while
Where she’s gone to I don’t know
Never figured out her style
Calling on the memories left to me

We were lovers strong and sure
Always holding on so tight
From her heart her love so pure
Helped me make it through the night
Looking now at all those yesterdays

Calling on the memories left to me
Looking now at how things should be

Burning hearts and sleepless nights
Longing for her loving way
Wishing I could make it right
Never knowing what to say
Dying inside without her near

Calling on the memories left to me
Looking now at how things should be

The misty murky forest deep
Forewarned his frantic finding flight
A chance to search without a peep
The misty murky forest deep
The only chance her heart to keep
Was finding her to make it right
The misty murky forest deep
Forewarned his frantic finding flight

I am a mirror so they say
If you are kind to me this day
A friend to you today I’ll be
Reflecting all the things I see
My Christian mirror shows the way

Christmas is the time of year
We celebrate with family near
The holy message from above
The glory of God’s perfect love

We see the woods and snowy fields
Thankful for their summer yields
That keeps us through the winter frost
Running on faith that’s never lost

See the bright lights and hear the bells
Warming fires and stories to tell
Sugar cookies and Christmas pies
And wonder in the children’s eyes

And as we sing, and run and play
We come together all to pray
And celebrate Father and Son
Christmas is the victory won

My Dad would never cause any problem
For forty years he worked hard every day
      But when he took the time to talk to me
I remember the words that he would say
.
“Point your toes the way that you’re walkin’
Be happy with the things that you do
Listen well and do a lot less talkin’
And close the gate when you go through”

Summertime in Tennessee was steaming hot
And we’d go down to Lovell’s country store
He’d say, “if your not happy with what you’ve got,
Then you won’t be happy with more.”

He never had a lot of education
But each year I know he read a hundred books
The man who laid for me my foundation
Said life is not as hard as it looks

“Just point your toes the way that you’re walkin’
Be happy with the things that you do
Listen well and do a lot less talkin’
And close the gate when you go through.”

I never wept when winter called
Nor turned the icy blast away

Alone, alone, so all alone
Standing still for winter’s day

The summer strong melts empty, long
Against the fall we all must take

But autumns store and plan within
Cannot the dead-cold winter make

She came from nowhere, mouse-like quiet
At first we thought it’s just a trick
But soon her powers were dark like night
We saw her strength cut to the quick.

Covidia came from foreign lands
But traveled fast with power and speed
And she was subtle with sneaky hands
She quickly knew our wants and needs.

Some ignored her presence here
And chose to be aloof and brave
They would never express their fear
Freedom was their cry to save.

Others feared with cautious worry
And wanted to precautions take
At first we thought there is no hurry
But soon we rippled in her wake.

Covidia forced a change in life
Restrictions limit what we do
Isolation and the daily strife
Removed the things we thought we knew.

She swept away our social life
She caused our isolation
She propagated grief and strife
A plague upon our nation.

Many chose to ignore her power
And haughty would proclaim beliefs
But on the deathbed they did cower
And beg for peace and just relief.

Respect her and her powers now
She’s ruled us for some time
But slowly we will find out how
To stop her on a dime.


A normal life returns someday
Covidia will be lost
Never forget the price we’ve paid
The death and all the cost.

Adventure is the beckon call
On land and on the seas
But nothing stands so strong and tall
Against crackers and cheese

I climbed the highest mountain range
Sometimes on hands and knees
The things that kept me seeking change
Were crackers and the cheese

Once on high seas tossed and thrown
And praying dear Lord please
The crew on deck began to moan
Without crackers and cheese

And so I tell you wanting rhyme
A parable to please
Through troubles you can still take time
To chew crackers and cheese

Did you ever look at empty space and imagine
The brilliance that structured its existence.
Did you ever call your best friend by the same
Rotten name he just called you.
Did you ever fear for your being, knowing your
Ultimate end could be in a minute, in a snap.
Did you ever watch a kid circle under a lazy
Fly ball and glove-block its earthbound path.
Did you ever love a puppy so much you couldn’t
Sleep without checking him eleventy-four times at night.
Did you ever plow the earth and smell God’s gift to man,
And talk the next crop up and growing.
Did you ever race your friends and run until your lungs screamed,
Falling down laughing at victory or defeat.
Did you ever watch a spider slowly spin a perfect web
With his patience uninterrupted by your insistence of contrariety.
Did you ever call the night-wind to hush
To stillness and lay sandy-eyed waiting.
Did you ever accept or reject the norms
Crammed at you or ignore their existence.
Did you ever battle yourself with ideas and judgments
That no man can answer and still seek your solutions.
Did you ever simply say hello to a perfect stranger
And realize that you are the strange one.
Did you ever sit in the grass yard of the post office
And watch the smothered stares of strangers.
Did you ever stop to realize that success to one is failure
To another and your words rattle empty to set minds.
Did you ever wish for a chance you’ll never have,
Realizing you would have succeeded fully.
Did you ever feel the grip loosen in spite of all your
Efforts and wonder about tomorrow.
Did you ever thank God for your ability to question,
To learn, to be human.
Did you ever watch an infant think, the wheels turn
And the language of thought distorted.
Did you ever try to express your opinion
To one who will not listen.
Did you ever listen when wise men talked
Yet incorporated their wisdom only in painful acceptance.
Did you ever wonder what your Mom and Dad were like
At age twelve.
Did you ever wonder what you were like at age twelve.
Did you ever wish for others to be happy, really happy,
But they never are no matter what you do.
Did you ever wish for peace but realize
That tranquility is fleeting and temporary.

Raining remedy

Welcomed with watered wisdom

Elixir of earth

Pictures of you and me
Smiling falsely into silicon and sand
Two empty containers can be
Hopelessly contented and blaringly bland

The big eye caught us straight
And lied to those who see
Time for us may labor and wait
But autumn may never be

The link between us is growing
The fissure enlarges too
Words and feelings glowing
Concern for me and you

Future may cease my heart-sweat
Graves may close my pains
For now it’s truly a sure-bet
Drama in lovers’ lanes

One more time and out the door
I could not ever ask for more

I think we knew it was a crime
But we just had so little time

I heard a crash and then a shout
And soon we labored soaked in doubt

The rope was tight but now went slack
And so there was no turning back

And now our fervor turned to fear
As running guards were coming near

We thought that we could make a run
But now we know we’re really done

So freedom is a fleeting fire
Escape is an enticing liar

Now time is added to our stay
It’s time to plan another day

Overgrowths of arm-post life
Lift upward as my steam-breath
Vanishes thinly into the sky.

Cool sweat drips deliberately
As the stacks grow larger
And the sawdust smells and sticks.

The wagon-load will wallow obediently
As the frost bites cleanly
Through the still winter dusk.

Ash white smoke curls softly
From the cut-stone chimney
Where a portrait of simplicity
Sleeps eternally in my mind.

Go to sleep now. . . .


And when you awake you will find
A new world, with new desires
New feelings, new beliefs and new joys.
You will experience a sense of total satisfaction,
Acceptance, and sureness of yourself.
No more pain and need and disappointment,
Only gentle bliss.

But that makes me less.
That steals away my humanity, my comparisons,
My decisions;  even my mistakes.
You don’t have the right to deny me my suffering.
Who makes these decisions anyway?
Let me up -- I must go,
**** these straps and your stone-faced grin!
Let me up -- My tears spew with hatred,
Rage seething as my blood and snot and weeping mix.


Go to sleep now. . . .

I never thought the pain could make me feel this way
Getting over you will take some time I hear them say
I thought that I’d forget you, control my life and make
The memory of your sweet love, a harmless heartache

I was not brand new to love, I’d had a round or two
But no one ever made me feel the way you always do
It’s not a harmless heartache when it burns you deep inside
This heart feels every memory and knows the tears I’ve cried

If I could bring her back again I’d never let her go
I’d treat her like a queen now that I know the things I know
You’re playing with the hottest fire, you think your heart won’t break
Then you’ll see you can’t escape the harmless heartache

Just a harmless heartache, I’m feeling here tonight
You’d still be here with me, and we’d hold each other tight
But you say I’ll be better off, and so just for my sake
You left me here alone to bear my harmless heartache

I lost my friend just the other day
Just like a brother in so many ways
I know he’s there waiting ‘round for me
And I know one day I’ll see

When life got tough, he’d help me through
It seemed he always knew just what to do
I know no one can ever be
Like my friend waiting there for me

There’s not too many like this friend of mine
Never too busy he’d take the time
When everything was wrong and I saw no light
He was always there to help me make it right

He was my friend, and I miss him so
He was my friend, why did he have to go
When the sun is shining bright, or on a starry, starry night
He’s waiting there for me - he’s my friend.

hippopotamus
massive and herbivorous
ride the river horse

It’s just a tiny village, a wide place in the road
The pace where life is steady and it’s slow
You find your comfort zone, no matter what the load
Campbellsville is the place I know

Brighter lights can call me, and travel makes me smile
And city life can seem like such a thrill
But nothing feels so easy, just like a country mile
As coming to my home in Campbellsville

When you find you’ve lost your way, and don’t know what to do
When everything is headed straight downhill
Think about the place you love, where everything was true
And come on home again - to Campbellsville

A little town in Tennessee, with history through the years
The Campbell home, the Springs, and the hills
The high school that so many loved, the victories of the Bears
I’m going home again to Campbellsville

It was the first, and never before
Had flavor exploded, and I wanted more
My partner was dizzy from taste overload
Downing a pint of sweet Rocky Road.

Many a night, while sleeping alone
I’d drift off to sleep, and dream of a cone
And wonder what it would really be like
The time when you take that very first bite.

Tasting together the scent of each flavor
Ecstasy for each partner to savor.
And then a time of recovery and rest
Knowing that now you have mastered the test.

So go for it, and search the right type
Devour it all, with major delight
Just take the chance, and right it will seem
When you finally taste your first ice cream.

I know a place where words are bent
Their meaning will never be still
When you arrive and your time is all spent
You will have arrived at Dorchville

With Dorchville flandered the dumpkin kingfisher
In rocoroyal the flashblue fluger
Wasted the ibeniss of landers and hoofers
Ignored the stainbreath and dagcallers whimper

So willness of beurse the tamey from comey
And rolo ignorest may beechoff that vercove
The rosets draw sprigly from diurts so nosplay
And landers and hoofers now quacker and strutter

Innocence to one who knows
Distracted, poised, and then composed
The proper place shall never be
Light, laugh, child-visions see.

The blossom young can never hear
The beauty, grace, or trembling fear
That beckons weak to taste the scent
Among the flowers, time is spent.

Spring is growth and time and trust
Mine is over, short, and must
Fall away as summer reigns
Flowers bloom in lovers’ lanes.

To tug the gentle petal young
Whose golden voice above all sung
Within the growth there is one rose,
Innocence to one who knows.

In a whimsical world, where riddles take flight
I found myself in an enchanted light
A serpentine whisper, soft as the wind
To a coiled snake, it drew me in

In shadows deep, where secrets hide
An interview with a snake I tried
Coiled and poised, its eyes did gleam
A creature ancient, from a distant dream

“Good day”, said the snake, with a glint in his eye,
“An interview for you, I surely will try
I have a tale to tell, a curious quest
Of secrets untold, and you’re my honored guest.”

I inquired of its secrets, of life’s hidden art
And it began to unwind, ready to impart
“Listen closely,” it hissed with a whispering tone
“For truths lie in places where fear is unknown”

The snake spoke of cycles, of rebirth and change
How shedding old skin brings growth in its range
Its venomous words, a potent elixir
Unveiling the depths of existence’s mixture

I learned of balance, of yin and yang’s grace
Of how opposites merge, in an intricate embrace
With every question it slithered and curled
Revealing secrets that unraveled the world

The serpent’s wisdom flowed through my veins
As I understood, I was shedding old chains
From ancient myths to the stars up above
It showed me the connections, the tapestry of love

As the interview ended, I felt transformed
Enlightened and humbled, my mind reformed
For within the coiled snake, a universe I found
An interview divine, in wisdom profound

The blades of grass, a sea of green
Calm the day and set the scene
The world around me seems to slow
Sedately into grass I go

So in the grass, I lay my head
And daisies like a featherbed
Dancing lightly upon my skin
Thoughts so tranquil with taction thin

A breeze comes by and rustles through
As blades of grass construct a clue
To show the world is still alive
As nature’s rhythm will arrive

And in the grass, I find my peace
With nature's song, a sweet release
The worries of the world depart
Both in the grass and in my heart

I reach out
For the icy, dulling numbness
Of whipping winter winds
For the frozen laughter
Of ice packed play by snow-capped kids

I reach out
For the green, fresh spring grass
And the blooming of path side flowers
For the chirps of birds
In baby budding trees

I reach out
For the penetrating summer sun
And its fiery furnace of light
For the lazy dogs and the cool breeze
In summer shades

I reach out
For the autumn colors
Of lovely leaves ending their lives
For the hum of gentle animals
Working toward the winter

I reach out
For all of life and what it brings
For its substance, its character
Its emotions, its feelings.

And reaching for them
For the known and unknown
Works of God and all his beauty
I step lightly on this earth
As one man bound to duty

Foggy mists engulfed the bright
When raindrops fell throughout the night
The lampposts glowed at midnights dark
When sweethearts kissed at Lover's Park


Together they braved the soaking rains
For they were lost in lover’s lanes
They could not bear to say goodbyes
Lost in the storm of lover’s eyes

In Teapa he now makes his home
After his journey from the states
Trouble caused his heart to roam
And sorrows filled his plate

One friend asked him about the gun
And what he planned to do that night
He said he’d do what must be done
And anger blurred his sight

He shot her down and did not care
The gun still in his hand
His woman said that she had dared
To love another man

Someone asked where he would go
Where he would run or stay
He simply said I do not know
And headed down Mexico way

People staring from a distance
Some just mumble and turn away
And he can tell in just one instance
What they mean and what they say

So when I see him on the street
I shake his hand so he will know
He has a friend and when we meet
I simply say “Hey Joe”

The July sky is drawing nigh
Ensuring blue infinity.
We soar above the clouds so high
To contemplate divinity.

Rusty cans and unknown skeletons
Once useful in structure and convenience
Now sculpture the red clay and pine knots
Of the hidden gateway to the backwoods.

My memory loses the battle
With a toy cash register whose numbers
Still shine black on white and flash higher
As they display, and the bells jingle.

Tires and more tires carry worn treads
With water greasy from time and nature’s
Slow and steady return to her own way
Sloshing willingly into my shoes.

Mats of old shingles once weathering
Storms and sunshine now lie quietly
Clinging to one another like lost children
Cowering in their barren vacuum of loneliness.

Old men with tales of battles
And stories of crops, and cattle, and kings
Probably sat in that old chair
With whittled arms and broken legs.

Sporadic visits teach a wondering history
More mystical and convincing
Than the fact-riddled pages of tomorrow’s assignment
Or the tainted explanations of our teachers.

He said that it was brillig, but what did that word mean
And slithy is a word that I had never seen
If you gyre and gimble, what do you really do
I guess when in the wabe, you seek the meaning too.

Lewis was a master of words that were not real
He made you fear the Jubjub, and he made you feel
Like your very being, is a door without a latch
It takes bravery to shun the frumious bandersnatch.

      We attack the world of words with a vorpal sword in hand
Verses, like the Tumtum tree, sprouting in the sand
And structure with rhyming can be a manxome foe
Whiffling and burbling, the flaming words will go.

Choosing careful phrases can bring a frabjous day
And poems not dead, like borogoves, find their mimsy way
While galumphing through the tulgey lines with uffish chortled joy
It makes me through and through a whiffling beamish boy

So Lewis paints a picture with unreal words so clear
The Jabberwock seems so real and something we should fear
Poetry is the art of words, with phrasing, tales and fun
Proceed carefully, and beware the Jabberwock my son.

As youth’s bright flame slowly fades to gray
Time’s hand weaves its threads of silver hue
Each dawn’s the same, we count another day
Our memory cleaves, and aging faces view

Yet with the years, comes wisdom’s gentle grace
Experience, a gift, well worth the cost
Wrinkles and fears, stories etched upon each face
Our spirits lift, in memories embossed

We may grow old, but love remains the same
In tender hearts, it’s flame forever burns
Through trials so bold, life’s ever-shifting game
Our friendship starts, and loyalty, it earns

So let the years advance, let them unfold
For growing old is life’s sweet tale retold

For a time I’ve wondered how
A boy as young as I
Could understand and even now
The question still is why

The rope hung from the beam so high
Impossible to master
But every kid would give a try
Just waiting for disaster.

So my time came and struggling hard
I tugged and strained and failed
Then quickly I set up my guard
For the teacher’s shaming tale.

He was fat and smelled a bit
And loved to let us know
About our failure as we’d sit
And listen to him blow

Soon it was my time to hear
About my effort bad
His rant and rave increased my fear
It seemed like he was mad

Climbing higher, I worked each day
And extra time was spent
I told him I was on my way
My message to him sent

And then he spoke that crazy phrase
“You can put lipstick on a pig”
And with a deadly, hateful gaze
He said “But it’s still a pig”

I was stunned, and lacking words
I turned and walked away
The words he spoke, that I had heard
Meant nothing on that day.

When I got home I asked my Dad
What the pig phrase means
“Appearance will not change” he said
“The way true nature’s seen.”

In other words, the looks may change
       But rarely do you see
Nature move to change it’s range
Converting what will be.

The gym man was telling me
My efforts had no worth
I could not change nor better be
No way in Heaven or Earth

As time went by I gained in strength
And soon I was on top
It mattered not the rope’s full length
‘Cause up the rope I’d hop

Of course I was much older then
And never got to tell
The gym boss what I thought of him
That day when he would yell

But life goes on and soon forgotten
My adventures in the gym
And healed was my memory rotten
Of my rope climb and of him.

Many years later on semester break
My college senior year
At a bar I stopped to take
Time-out and drink a beer

The pub was empty except for one
Sitting alone in the dark
Into the gym boss I had run
So on the barstool I’d park.

I spoke and said “How are you friend?"
He did not recognize me
I said, “Tell me how you’ve been"
He squinted hard to see

Soon we were in a full-on chat
He talked of how his life
Had turned and pinned him to the mat
He’s lost his job and wife.

But he was going to turn around
His life and all his loss
Cleaning up his act he’d found
The problems and the costs.

I told him that I wished him well
Those changes would be tough
I said that I once heard a tale
How change was really rough

But trying and effort are a must
Your change will be so big
I said be sure you’re not just
Putting lipstick on a pig.

Many moments recalled in pain
Even as everyone wonders in vain
Martin lay motionless at the Lorraine
Photos pour popular chords of disdain

His was a hallowed history to gain
Innocence into infinity’s drain
Seasons secure will never be slain

Her gaze took my breath
With beauty that melts the heart
And kindness within

Thankfulness washed over me
And I was lost in her eyes

We got him just a few weeks old
With energy to burn
But he was very brave and bold
For lessons he would learn

Named him Louie from the start
And every day was new
He ran and each day played his part
His love was deep and true.

We played and learned to chase the birds
As much as he would try
He never understood my words
That dogs can never fly

He was quick and he was smart
He understood commands
He had such a loving heart
Your love he would demand

Then one day out of the blue
Louie was not well
He was tired and troubled too
Anyone could tell

With my partner Louie went
Two hundred miles away
And I was checking, text were sent
On Louie every day.

I had to practice with the band
So early I had been
I sat there on the bench at hand
And wondered about him

And as I sat I saw a streak
A feather in the air
It flew and seemed to hunt and seek
Searching for me there

It swirled around and down the wall
The corner it did turn
And then like it had heard my call
It echoed my concern

The wisp was Louie I was sure
Sent to give me hope
It was a message to endure
Helping me to cope

It came at me so hard and fast
And flew beneath my seat
I hoped that it would stay at last
And make my day complete

The feather now I could not see
I smiled so deep inside
Louie had come back to me
Bliss I could not hide

But as I felt some comfort there
I saw the feather leave
It waved goodbye without a care
And I began to grieve

The next day when I got the call
The sun breaking the dawn
I knew before the words could fall  
That Louie now was gone

And now I know the wisp to be
The feather that would fly
Was Louie coming back to me
To say his last goodbye

A foolish poem I guess you think
It’s silly til the end
If so, you’ve not felt your heart sink
On losing man’s best friend

The doctors would always take turns
And Hawkeye would have his concerns
The nurse with hot lips
Was swinging her hips
Enticing the lonely Frank Burns

My cup runneth over
I’m dancing each day with delight
Calm, carefree in clover
Celebrate a cool summer night

The beauty of each day
Silently sings my soul be still
The wisdom and the way
Freely fashions my cup to fill

Shadows do not scare me
Goodness and mercy will follow
The valley now will be
Where evil is weak and hollow

Monumental mountains,
Sacred seas - I am just a rover
Free forgiveness fountains
Ensure my cup runneth over

I run into that old brick wall again
You never want to let my loving in
I know that you love me, the way that I love you
But what’s a lovin’ heart supposed to do

I’m living here, with my loving heart
You close the door, before I even start
I wish that I could show you, how it feels when we’re apart
I’m living here, with my loving heart

They say that time, can heal a broken heart
You’ll fade away, and I’ll get a new start
And someday you won’t own me, the way you do today
My loving heart might live another way

I tell myself, you can make it one more day
But my loving heart, don’t hear a single word I say

I’m living here, with my loving heart
You close the door, before I even start
I wish that I could show you, how it feels when we’re apart
I’m living here, with my loving heart

Now that we are here, let’s make the most of it
Cling to every moment, embracing every bit
For life is but a fleeting thing, and time moves lightning fast
We must savor every second, and make each moment last

Let's cherish all the beauty, that surrounds us every day
And give thanks for every blessing, that comes along our way
Let's hold each other close, and cleave to lasting love
For it surely will endure, with the blessings from above

So live life to the fullest, make every moment count
For now that we are here, there’s no reason to have doubt
Together we can conquer, united we stand strong
Now that we are here, we know we all belong

I did not know about the world, I grew up on a farm
Into the city I was hurled, it was cause for alarm
I found my solace and retreat, with tenants of the zoo
The animals that I would meet, were friendly to me too

His gentle eyes of wisdom bright, a creature to behold
This proud gorilla was a sight, a mighty presence bold
With grace his muscles ripple strong, a testament of might
His chest beats rhythms’ primal song, affirming his birthright

It was his eyes, that knowing gaze, that brought a world untold
A look that pierces through the haze, to help nature unfold
Quietly he would sit each day, he hardly ever moved
Indifference to what one would say, with nothing left to prove

In the primate house time would pass, I’d watch the people too
A few would yell or tap the glass, with nothing else to do
The gentle eyes would glance at them, and then would move along
But I noticed as I watched him, a glimpse of something wrong

I had observed this same old friend, and recognized that look
An agitation on his mend, I read him like a book
His annoyance was clear to me, although no one would know
I would have to wait and see, his anger bubbled slow

A thickened strong glass-like front wall, with concrete all around
Completed the habitat stall, so safety there was found
And then that fateful day arrived, busloads from nearby schools
Their youthful spirit was revived, by breaking all the rules

I sat there calmly in my chair, as they all crossed the line
The noise and chaos filled the air, I watched him for a sign
Unmoving he just sat there bold, I saw it in his eyes
Not sure of what might now unfold, nor what might now arise

The kids were knocking on the glass, and taunting my best friend
So I was hoping this might pass, and safely find the end
Then all at once he sprang to action, and struck the front glass wall
The kids were screaming, losing traction, I watched them as they’d fall

The shock of sound and vibration, that centered from his force
We now got an education, and feared the mighty source
That havoc and confusion reigned, the evidence was clear
His power need not be explained, as you could feel the fear

They ran out every door and gate, they disappeared so fast
My heart dropped back to normal rate, the fright was now the past
And just like that, we were alone, my friend looked down at me
And as he sat back down at home, as plain as day I see

Those knowing eyes and slightest grin, his laugh at our expense
Though when his movement did begin, my fright was most intense
With grace and strength he taught us all, his realm untamed and free
Sometimes it takes a bantam brawl, gorilla comedy

There was a girl from Tibet
With plans for the man she met
She loved him she said
And took him to bed
And now she drives his Corvette