Is it love or is it lies?
Perhaps both, or neither,
Inflamed by need,
Quenched by self,
Swollen with desire.
Imagination fans the fire
Until the floorboards creak outside my door
- Then I brink for her no more.

a green cape to be superman in the lawn
a brown orange red one
in the fall and a white insulated
one in the winter

I put on at halloween a jack 'o lantern
adorned one
and at Christmas
a red and white one

When I visit the kids
at the orphanage
I put on a clown mask
and they laugh

And when I take it off
when I get home,
I cry.

Water ebbs and flows like the gentle breeze
Tourists lounge in chairs, watching with practiced ease
Bright blue skies dotted with clouds roll by
*** in hand, I sit and let out a contented sigh

Flashing back to the times of years long past
When wiffleball, sleepovers, and cookouts trended; not the latest reality cast
When movies, delivered pizza , and cake felt like the perfect day
And no one obsessed  over what social media had to say

Let’s bring back the joy of those  pure summer days
With nothing to do but let them pass in a daze
A fog over my mind, past worries but a whisper
Looking forward to good memories  with my brother and sister

Whether school-age or not, what a great time of year
Visits await with friends and relatives; vacation is drawing near
Take a moment just to savor it and let that feeling stay
For life will roll in like the tide and try to take it all away.

05-15-2011
Since my grandson was little, he is now 6, and we would read a book or two at bed time, I would kiss him goodnight and say, “Love you forever and always Tony Boy.  See you in the morning.”  Last night when the books were read, the evening was winding down and quietness had settled in… I kissed him and said, “love you forever and always Tony Boy.”   This time Tony for the first time said, “I love it when you say that grandpa.”  It took me back for a moment.

I have been thinking that must be the way it is with our Heavenly Father.  He tells us over and over He loves us “forever and always”.  Some day we will tell Him “I love it when you say that Father.”  It confirms the bond between us and Him.  Unbreakable bond that is forever and always.  There is no greater love.

“See you in the morning” has always had two meanings for me.  For Tony it is 8 to 9 hours later.  For me it is also the New Day, New Morning when we wake up in the presence of Jesus.   Some day Tony will understand the second meaning.  The most important meaning.  That will be a glorious morning indeed.  The bond of love is never broken.  It lasts forever.

Did anybody tell you 'bout them Bourbon blues,
When you're walkin' in the gutter,
Where they guess 'bout your shoes,
When you ain't got no hope,
The greasy Easy isn't fair,
The only sunny side
Is that you haven't got a prayer,

When you done ****** it all away,
When you don't have another cent,
Your too old to be pitied,
And your strut has long since leant...
Ain't no more - bright ideas - left to come?

Oh, the sultry morning due
Makes your damp clothes cling to you,
And the only thing you want
Is to find a place to lay...
You rack your mem'ry hard
To see which way to move your feet,
Cause you used up - your last -
Free mission day...

You need a hustle, boy,
Because the day is at an end,
Your feet are bleeding badly,
And you haven't got a friend
Who can get you an overnight
At the Jesus Do-Right Inn...

Got to keep a-moving,
You are one-hundred sixteen thin,
You know they're looking,
But  your not quite ready
To turn your sorry *** in,
Well, you know, that really is when...

You're in a ******-up - state of - mind~

came a day  and it was autumn
green ran to where summer went
yellow and crimson  turned grey
covered the world in cold winds

thus, midday on thursday a day
the sun burst through  intermittently
making autumn look beautiful

when down fluttered
the prettiest gold leaf

right beside me
said hello

I stuttered

a leaf is mute.

the tree that sent her to me said
no,
you are just out of tune.

Keeping time, then with
the old tree I rhymed

rhythmed  
played  on autumns breeze.

I woke up then to
see, I had fallen fast asleep and it was winter.

I wake up to the morning groaning
The moment I raise my head
Never heed the daily warning
You'd be better off staying in bed

I stumble my way to the mirror
The lines on my face look like a road map
That has taken me from there to here
Although I can't remember where that is at

What parts don't droop are sagging
Making their way to places unknown
A matter that's not worth laughing
When was it that I got so old

No longer can I tie my shoes
But thanks to the magic of Velcro
I used to only gum my food
But thanks to new teeth from an AARP loan

I have both a cane and walker
Depends on the mood my limbs are in
I used to be as limber as Luke Skywalker
Now I'm only as angry as a scene from Gunga Din

Believe me I used to be hot in my day
Now everywhere I go I'm cold
Not sure I asked but by the way
When was it that I got so old

"I should write lighter things hey", I giggle nervously.
"No. Just write what you feel", She shrugs
"And what I see", I grin like an idiot
"But yea, what you feel like writing", she looks at me.
"Oooh I should write a happy poem!" I squeak and jump profoundly
"I could never", She laughs
"Why not? I find them hard to write" I furrow my eyebrows
"Le Nna felt jalo ( same here)", she shrugs
"We should try though", I press
"I'm never truly happy", she laughs
" You know the one emotion we all understand wholeheartedly is pain? It will always be pain because it's the absence of one of the most feared emotions in the entire world and that's happiness. We don't understand being happy and that scares us yet we so want to feel it, to the extent we draw it and try to write it. But there's always a flaw in that, most of the art that is filled with so much happiness contains a hidden image of unexpicable pain.", I tell her softly.
"You're weird", she laughs
"Hey!" I scold her
"Why can't we just be happy though", she sighs
"I don't know", I say just barely above a whisper.

Now that it's over
Now that we're through
I'll look after myself
You look after you
Let's try not to take
With us the mistakes that we made
Now that it's over

Now that it's over
We can both breathe
I'll take mine, you take your half
Of this sigh of relief
As we turn and walk away
And not look back on this day
Now that it's over

Now that it's over
We've had our time
You go your own way
I will go mine
No sign of it left
What together we had
Now that it's over

Now that it's over
Now that it's done
Count us both losers
As our lawyers have won
Justices scale has been tipped
There's no getting over it
Now that it's over

Now that it's over
There'll be no reconcile
The dream we had counted on
Left with our smiles
Clearly it had enough
Packed up and left with our love
Now that it's over