you say you need a drink
i say moderation
while you sit there and think
where's the consideration
and when did life become so sour
lemon-taste on your lips
we just sit and pass the hour
life slipping through fingertips
you say you can quit anytime
i just shake my head
whether it's the whiskey or the wine
i'm afraid you'll end up dead
it's addiction, fueled by pain
you say it's the bitterness
things wired up wrong in your brain
there's so much here you're gonna miss
if you don't stop and look around
it's not the bottom of the bottle you seek
where all answers can be found
i plant a kiss upon your cheek
and promise to say a prayer
you say i'm being selfish
but i say it's because i care

they make a promise, seal it with a kiss
and know it'll be hard raising a child like this
the doctor comes in explaining options, a choice
and that's when the mother to be finds her voice
and lets him know that the only thing set in stone
is that her child will be wanted and have a home
parents who love her, through and through
who will find miracles in anything she can do
they have big dreams for her, some she won't understand
but they will always be there to guide her, take her hand
the doctor says she will have difficulties, struggles abound
but the parents are firm and stand their ground
a baby is born during a strange summer moon
and her mother decides to call her June
and she grows, somewhat slower than the rest
but her mama knows that she will always love her best
their miracle baby, the one they thought they'd never know
she feels her heart swell each day as she gets to watch her grow
some things are harder, June needs more time
but her parents are patient, never seem to mind
each milestone she reaches they applaud
and give thanks to an ever loving God
for this child who loves so free
beauty and joy is all she can see
sometimes she struggles with thoughts, with a word
but then she laughs and it's the sweetest thing heard
and they know that no matter how hard things get
that their decision is one they'll never regret
there was never any question, right or wrong
because this child was wanted for so long
the answer to their dreams, their prayers
so what if she's different, who really cares
because she is love, she is like a summer moon
this sweet little girl that they call June

you didn't think you'd make it another day
drifting through a world gone gray
where music had no sound
you couldn't find solid ground
tears wouldn't come, you couldn't cry
the river that overwhelmed you running dry
and "happiness" was just a memory
behind a mirror you couldn't see
and the pain, feeling it run so deep
the nights too long and you couldn't sleep
you needed something, anything to bring you back
the falling always hurts, feeling yourself crack
and you're in a land that no one knows
where everything is dead, nothing grows
and it feels like you're under water, so cold
did you think this was what the future would hold
but you can see it now, a light starts to shine
and you know that now is the only time
the past is gone, the future unclear
you can't keep hiding from fear
or you're not living at all
i know how it hurts to fall
but listen closely... the distant beat
you can feel it in your feet
and the dance is coming, coming soon
the world full of color & a winter moon
what will you do? will you let yourself sink
are you going to stop and think
because i'd much rather be dancing

inches of ice, feet of snow
she begged him not to go
"stay here, keep me warm
don't try to brave this winter storm"
but his mind was set, the journey long
he promised to bring her back a song
when he travels like this to places unknown
she always waits patiently for him to come home
each time is different, yet the same
and he comes back singing her name
guitar in hand and treasures in pack
he always finds his way back
she knows he defies time and space
and everywhere she goes she sees his face
he shouldn't be here, shouldn't exist
she knew that the moment they kissed
that he was something greater, unknown
but it was as close as she'd felt to home
these journeys weren't his choice at first
he often wondered if he was blessed or cursed
but he came to embrace this life
found a woman to call his wife
she was his only one
shining like the sun
and her face reminded him of summer flowers
it was her voice that got him through the lonely hours
between journeys from here to there
getting by on hope & prayer
because this was the life he was destined to live
to go back and undo the wrongs, finding gifts to give
changing things that made the world seem wrong
but he always came back smiling, singing a song
of other times, other places
distant lands, strange faces
sometimes it hurt to fix a world that unravels
so they love so passionately in between his travels
and she knows that he will always find her
and always come home

they think it's all fun and games
they laugh at her, call her names
spit on her and pull her hair
she just wants somebody to care
she cannot understand why
they push her down and make her cry
is it because she's different, and they're all the same?
she lets the tears fall and hides her head in shame
they see cuts on her arms, call her a freak
and she's too scared to speak
to stand up for herself, she'd be standing alone
she wants to disappear, to just be gone
the house is quiet but the pain is loud
she'll never be part of the popular crowd
and they will torment her day after day
it's time for her to just go away
so she leaves a note on her bedroom door
saying she's sorry she can't do this anymore
she's been thinking for a while, had this carefully planned
a glass of water, empty pill bottles crowding up her nightstand
no one knew that this pain ran so deep
when her only wish was to just go to sleep
ambulance & police lights flashing outside
secrets uncovered, things she tried to hide
were brought to light
as paramedics willed her to fight
they brought her back, felt her beating heart
and she knew this was when the healing would start
because she could never be that girl again

when he was younger, people called him a fool
and he never made it to high school
his daddy was a hard workin' man
he taught his son how to work the land
from sunrise to sunset
crops rise from blood & sweat
the only thing he could really know
was how to make things grow
until he met a woman that stole his heart
she was the bright light in the dark
she sang pretty songs that he didn't understand
she'd cook and clean while he worked the land
he wanted to learn, she planted the seed
she brought home books, taught him to read
they were happy, but not yet complete
the house was missing the sound of little feet
and storybooks and lullabies
they longed to hear a baby's cries
soon she grew heavy, baby inside
one that would be her father's pride
she grew up in a house full of love
told she could be whatever she dreamed of
we sit here now, graduation day
and i listen to the words she has to say
"my Daddy was a farmer, he loved the way things grew
and he cared for the animals, always knew what to do
he always did everything to make sure his family would survive
my Mama was a dreamer, she kept our hope alive
and gave me wings, taught me to fly
to always give thanks, never question why
and i wouldn't be here right now
if they hadn't always knew somehow
that i was destined to do something more
this is love, it's what family's for"

the world fell away - poem by me

his head was pounding, feeling sick
fog like a blanket, heavy & thick
he saw a girl standing in the curve
& he tried his best to swerve
tires squealing, rubber burning
all at once the world stopped turning
she was running, she came out too fast
and it was his face that she'd see last
drunken, disoriented, completely unaware
he stumbled, slipping in the blood everywhere
and she reached for his hand, in the dark
it was so loud... the breaking of his heart
he watched her die, watched her go
he realized this was a girl he used to know
they'd hold hands down by the swings
and she would talk of such pretty things
while he drank liquor straight
and she'd always beg him to wait
sober up, before he had to drive
if he would've listened she'd be alive
but that was years ago, time slipped away
he'd never forget the way she looked that day
when she said it was over, they were through
because with him her world was too many shades of blue
and the quiet was overwhelming, the alcohol too strong
it all felt like a burden, everything seemed wrong
there were tears in her eyes
as she listened to his lies
that it wouldn't be like before
she told him she couldn't do it anymore
and they parted ways, like lovers sometimes do
each day his addiction just grew and grew
there were more drunken moments than any other
he'd leave one bar just to hit up another
she was looking for him that night, heard how far he'd gone
and all she wanted was for him to be safe, to bring him home
and there was so much that she wanted to say
but she was blinded by the lights, the world fell away