Come morning,
when darkness lifts
its veil of mourning,
the warm sun gifts
her day to praise
with sweet refrain
on a grassy grave
in the mountains.

r ~ 5/10/14

Do you at times find yourself going this way and that
Moving rapidly to the right and the left
As you travel roads from the East to the West
Out there placing life's bets

Do you generally take the ups and the downs
As well as the ins and the outs
Looking ahead as you leave it behind
Figuring out what life's all about

Do you tend to take the good with the bad
Righting the everyday wrongs
Willing to take the happy as well as the sad
In the humming of your life's song

Do you hide yourself out in plain sight
Not speaking unless spoken to
Are you right now reading this silently out loud
As it points its finger at you

Hey Dad,
It's been some time since we last spoke. I miss you, still. I'm writing to ask that you pass a message on to Mom for me. She never was one for sentimental stuff; but you know that, already.

Tell Mom that she is missed by all of her children; we miss her especially on this, her first Mother's Day away. I will miss not calling or seeing her. I missed sweating over what to get her this year. I miss her voice those times when I just needed to hear it; the first time that Noah had an ear infection, those times that I needed to know what was wrong with my roses. She always seemed to have the right answer no matter what. Just like you.

Tell Mom that I'm doing well. I've stopped drinking. I know she never liked that. Tell her that Noah is graduating from High School next month. You both were always so proud of him. He misses both of you very much. You should see him now, Dad. He's as tall as I am. As tall as you. He has grown into a good man; he is a lot like you in many ways. Noah sends his love to you both.

Well, I just wanted to say hello, and ask that you tell Mom that I love her. Tell her that I understand. It was time. She missed you. You were waiting up in the high pasture for quite awhile.  I'll let you go, now. I know that you two still have a lot of catching up to do.

Hugs to Mom.

                         Love,
                         Rick

r ~ 5/11/14

Bought ourselves a ticket on a Greyhound bus
We're both are outta here
Just me and my baby which makes the both of us
The way ahead is clear

We watched the city as it passed away
Reincarnated into wide open plains
She told me, once she'd heard this song
And would I like to play the game

So we played with the faces on that bus
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I told her these days you don't know who you can trust
So be careful of his Bow tie

We traveled from one side of America to another
Then we did it all over again
Where we lived a life time from cover to cover
Two in the Mid West

We finally settled where we both felt free
Out on that wide open plain
We like where we're at but if we ever feel the need
We'll get back on that bus again

You said I love you.
I say I love you more.
But love is a prime number,
and zero squared is still zero.

r ~ 5/10/14

Sent out the invitations
Up and down the party line
With a tweak of the imagination
The party to end all times
If this don't get you misbehavin'
That right there would be a crime
So come one in fact come all, we'll help you spend your dime

Leave behind all your senses
And inhibitions at the door
Pull yourself up a lawn chair
All you drunks pull up a floor
This is the party of a lifetime
No one can ignore
And when it comes down to it, ain't that what a party's for

I knew there'd be a slight crowd
But I had no idea
That it'd be so eclectic
To include zombified midgets
Along with Henry the VIII
With a few beheaded wives and kids
That guy's a lady killer like nobody else's Biz

There's bearded circus lady's
Hanging off the chandeliers
Politicians kissing babies
Spreading a message for all to hear
The only problem is the message
Never is quite clear
Still the crowd stands on it's feet with the loudest cheer

I saw both the Bacon brothers
Eating a ham sandwich by poolside
As a plane flew overhead
Writing a message in the sky
The end of the world's tomorrow
You can kiss it all goodbye
Might as well continue partying if tomorrow we're going to die

At the stroke of midnight
Marilyn Monroe steps through the door
With a bag of party favors
And Elvis Presley in tow
No more need for the Disco ball
With his rhinestones all a glow
We hang Elvis high as the rest of us hang low

The party got so rowdy
The neighbors called the police
Who saw it as beyond control
So they called the local priest
The only ones that need saving
Are the drunks down on their knees
Ocefier arrest them then please help me find my keys

It's now the morning after
And everyone is gone
The biggest mess I've ever seen
And more out on the lawn
It's all one big blur to me
Of who, what, where was going on
But I best get busy cleaning before Mom and Dad get home

i want to glitter
like dust does in
sunlight