A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

I was content in my delusion
  wanting to love unconditionally
   trusting you completely
    believing in your word

I was ignorant in my bliss
  assuming your commitment was permanent
   dismissing your inconsistencies
    choosing blind faith over healthy skepticism

                   But,

I refuse to abandon my nature
  reject being jaded by despair
   insist on being openhearted
    though now I've learned the risks

*You know...I should really be grateful since
  the truth is that you are a terrible liar
   thanks for the crash course
    hope to hell that I passed

Rest with me
melt languidly into my arms
persistence reprieved

Allow me
grant this moment to pass
productivity be ******

Trust in me
my passion is passion
ambition denounced

Give yourself to me
I understand your value
progress so ill-conceived

I am a dreamer
I fulfill her destiny
*I am the place time comes to die

Sifting through your words,
     anxious to find a nugget of truth.
Chipping away at your facade,
     desperately searching for a vein of hope.

I was a fool for mistaking hope as precious,
     trying not to rub you the wrong way.
You barely allowed me to scratch your surface,
     which should have told me everything I needed to know.

personal journal musings from last week...

Reading in my local coffeehouse last week
  a very large, urban place, always crowded
Well...reading, talking, and watching the human circus in action
  I go there a lot

Taking a standing break from my comfy chair
  one of several surrounding a fireplace
I turn around to view the street activity
  through the windows behind me

A girl I noticed walking by a bit earlier is seated at the window bar
  she catches my eye and lights up like a firework
Exploding from her seat with purpose
  she moves directly toward me with a sparkling trail of excitement

I race through the flash drive of my mind
  searching for a memory to go with the vaguely familiar face
It bothers me when someone recognizes me
  and I can't reciprocate and this appears to be an extreme case

No luck...so I go into my identification crisis default mode
  basically over-animation to distract and buy time
She's quickly in front of me and very close
  greeting me with the type of enthusiasm that leaves me breathless

We hug, or maybe not, unclear right now
  as I am lost in the sparkle of her intense eye contact
She is speaking fast and familiarly, but I don't catch much of it
  until she asks if there is room for us to sit together..."ummm sure"

She flies back to her seat to collect her things
  as I stand there stunned and pleasantly confused
My whole being warmed by our interaction
  feeling so beautifully interconnected

Returning with the same effusive energy
  she engages me with a huge, expectant smile
She lifts her hand so that its contents hover next to her beaming face
  exclaiming "I even brought you a red velvet cupcake!"

Well those words are the death knell for my improbable daydream
 now obvious that this is a rendezvous, probably an internet date
I apologize (more sorry than she could know*)
  relating that there must be some mistake

She asks whether my name is ...
  I reluctantly reply that it's not
Then her face takes on several shades of embarrassment
  as she glances past me to her actual date a few chairs away and she flees

It happens so fast that I don't even have time to thank her
  not that she'd appreciate the gratitude in her present state
I turn to see them immediately leaving
  likely, and understandably, a sudden change of plans

I hope to see her again if only to elevate her recollection
  of our shared experience, laugh about it together
I know this is a big city
  but a small world...I tell myself

Whenever I replay this film short of my life
  I may just edit out the scene after the cupcake presentation

  I so cherish red velvet greetings

We are married to the Earth in an endless dance,
Floating through the abyss of life,
Imagining adventures with the stars -
Using the universe as our stage.

The universe
With all its mystery
Everything constructed
with infinite complexity
Yet comes together
with such simplicity

There's the stars
and there's the sun
Giving us light and warming the earth
From this the plants came forth
They live their life
Giving us the oxygen
Upon which we rely
Now the planets inhabitable
But we must become collaboratble

So respect the earth
From it we came forth
love the air
and the ground
love every person
every plant
love every part of this great planet