"The End of laughter
And to lies." ~ The Doors

The end of another school year
The teachers and the children cheer
Much was taught, and much was learned
Many bridges were built and burned
Minds were shaped, and plans were laid
Friends were lost and memories fade
Kids grew up, and teachers grew young
The ladder of life was climbed rung by rung
The future is bright as the skies grow dark
Every graduate needs to make a mark
The kids come, and the kids go
They're the same, for all I know
"This is the end, beautiful friend, the end." ~ The Doors
Yet teachers see death around the bend.
"My only friend, the end." ~ The Doors

Sunday is the saddest day of the week
It's the end of a relaxing and enjoyable weekend
And the beginning of the next unwanted
Stressful forever

She thinks
She feels
She ponders
She breathes
She contemplates
She lives in pieces
She wonders
She suffers torment
She remains foot-in-mouth free

"Let's put a band together and make a million bucks."
With that statement, you changed billions of lives
You were a true friend of a tormented poet
The greatest bass player ever, who didn't play guitar
Two hands moving separately, one playing melody, the other rhythm
The leader and backbone of the poetic, soul rock band

The Door gently closed on Ray Manzarek
On May 20, 2013, nearly 40 years after Jim
"This is the End. My only friend, the end."
As the keyboard's melody drifts away
And the bass ***** thunders on
"Riders on the Storm"

On opening day 2013
I wrote a poem
About my beloved
Pittsburgh Pirates
It's called Pirates Fan
That I am
I lamented twenty years
Of losing
And shined in optimism
That change was coming
It's now August
And the Buccos
Are in first place
Best record in baseball
Gearing up for
Playoffs in the fall
After twenty years
Of losing!!!
There is hope
For all losers
Keep grinding it out
One day you
May find yourself
In first place!!!
For the moment
We are
Number one!!!

Bile churns
Evil burns
Desires yearn
I never learn
Smile

He's a knife with no bullets.

But I do know what time it was.

I write like a bull in a Chinese Restaurant.

When in doubt, look up.

Ramblings of a crazy man seem insane.

I'm lost but I'm not unlisted.

Why aren't cell phones permitted in jail cells?

If one looses his mind, does he find his keys?

Why are you reading this song?

If rabbits multiply, do cats taste good with pickles?

If this doesn't make sense, does it make change?

If the glass is half empty, who drank my beer?

If language is fun, explain French class.

If a dog is man's best friend, why can't he buy me a gift?

If I'm having a stroke, should I go swimming?

If I have a heart attack, should I fight back?

If two heads are better than one, why doesn't anyone want two heads?

If love feels like a punch in the gut, I'll ouch you lovingly

I never told

You

I love you

Because

I don't

There's a bomb in my head
That is about to explode
It was there when I went to bed
Still there at the morning commode

There's a bomb in my head
That will end it all
It will make me dead
It will make me fall

There's a bomb in my head
That can help me sleep
Put me in a coffin bed
And burry me deep

There's a bomb in my head
I won't let it hurt you
It will make me dead
It will make you feel blue

There's a bomb in my head
That can't stop my flow
It makes me dread
But will is stop me? No!

Clocks     tick,      tick


M
y

hands

a
r
e

tied


Time                      still                         flies

YOU ARE:
Boorish and bellicose
Calamitous and caustic
Defamatory and dowdy
Garrulous and guileless
Insolent and irksome
Are you busy tonight?

(SAY)
Welcome! Come in. Stay for awhile, friend.
Tell about your wonderful life.
How are the kids and the wife?
I'm glad you are well, friend.
I wish you the best.
Friends to the end.
You always
Pass the
Test.
Pest!
Listen
To yourself.
I hope you die!
Annoying wee elf!
Please, poke out my right eye.
Kids are brats and your wife's fat.
The best days of your life passed by.
Get the Hell out, fiend! Go on! Get! ****!
(THINK)

When humanity gets you down
Look under the rug
Cry

You are my uniform
You give me confidence
You make me look sophisticated
Professional, and sovereign
I sport you with pride

At the end of the day
I crumple you into a ball
And toss you in the hamper
A new uniform awaits
Pressed in the closest

Chest tightens
Breathing restricted
At first, frustration
Next anger

Overwhelming need to write!
Deadlines, pressure, paperwork
Meetings, phone calls, computing
Children, dinner, errands
Building frustration

Explode!!!
Read, write, read,
Write!

Relaxation
Hello, stress relief.

Verbiage

Sagacious humans would concur
Salacious verbiage is trenchant
Verdant language withers a guileless soul
Hubristic linguists deem limpid oratory irksome

A Didactic, petulant, boorish, garrulous, nefarious, obtuse, and insolent
Overtone is not my intent
Puckish, risible, mannered, jocular, antic, and adroit
Reverberations I am manifesting

TRANSLATION

Words

Smart people would agree
Healthy words are sharp
Unripe words die naive spirits
Self-confident word users find simple language annoying

Moral instruction, rude, insensitivity, wordy, wicked, blunt, and contemptuous
Feelings are not my purpose
Impish (silly), laughable, artificial, playful, clownish, and clever
Reactions I'm hoping to create

Bobbin my head to Public Enemy
Lookin' like a misfit Chuck D
Sittin' in the corner  clickin' keys
Drinkin' honey green leaf, not coffee

Not the normal old dude in a coffee shop
Shakin' his head to old school hip hop
Writin'  poetry and he just can't stop
Hope the baristas don't call da cops

Soon be closin' time in dis five and dime
Kicked to the curb, but I'll be fine
Got my tea, my raps, and my rhymes
They killed the wifi, coulda lost lines

Waiten' for my daughter outside dance
But I'm da one jamin' out my pants
Refusing to listen to dance moms' rants
Bein me, that's always my stance

The sylvan
Creatures
We're alive
With the
Exhilaration
Of an alien
In their
World.
The crisp
May morning
In the hills
Of West-central
Pennsylvania
Echoed with
The
Celebration
Of life.
As, I
Strode
Towards
The summit
Intersecting
The
Allegheny
River,
The brightest
Blue
Eye
Stared at
Me from
Above.
I
Exalted
In its appeal
And fell
In love
At first
Sight.
Just when
I felt
As
Omnipotent
As Zeus,
Nature
Revealed its
Illogical
Bliss.
My eyes cast
Upon a cotton
Carpet
Hundreds
Of yards
Beneath me
In the valley
Below.
I was walking
Above
A cloud,
As if I was,
At that moment,
God
Looking upon
My
Creation!

Wanted: her words!
Her inspired, breathless,
Sighing words
Needed for motivation
Desired for an elixir
Of broken hearts and corrupt minds

Wanted: her words!
Her mellifluous panacea
Breathing life into the inanimate
Defining the undefinable
And finding felicity in the fugacious

Wanted: her words!
Her intransigent, sagacious,
And judicious lyrics
Publicly educating and passionate
Privately  life's denouement
Her words are wanted

Lilting from the Heavens
The Lord's quintessential gift
An opulent nutrient as pure
As the Lamb Himself
Of all the fulsome endowments
Nothing compares to thee
Water

We pass on our memories to generations to come
Will we pass on all of our failures, along with triumphs?
Or will we be the omniscient evaluators to filter out pain?

People's victories and defeats spon individuality
The only "sameness" in our lives is that we are all humans
Colorful and beautiful in our smiles and well earned scars

We are "The Givers" of our lives to future generations
Don't hold back! Don't revise. Don't disguise wounds.
Be "The Giver" of the Truth. Be "The Giver" of your life.
Celebrate you.

"What can I write a poem about?" - student
Anything you see, feel, or think about. - me
" I don't feel or think anything."
O.k. Then, write about a strong memory.
"I don't remember anything."
Write about something you love.
"Nothin."

Just a part of a ten minute conversation on poetry topics.
Poetic justice?
Teaching is easy!?!

The student held a stone (used as a hall pass).

Write a poem about talking to a stone. - in my head
Poetic justice!

Love out loud
Sing in silence
Live in lullabies
White Noise

He's the Raven that's anything but dark
Not mysterious or melancholy
Repetitious yes, but not a negative "nevermore"  
Always a positive and encouraging word
Never met a poem he didn't love
Less black, more white, like a dove

Do you know?
Do you want to know?
Why ask a question not answered?
Is it possible to breath without living?
Can you watch without seeing?
Do you believe what can't be proven?
Why should we keep faith when we've been lied to so many times?
Do you believe everything you read?
What book are you reading?
If one religion is true, will all others burn in some kind of hell?
Why do winning athletes think God likes them more than the losers?
Do people believe what they want to believe?
What? Why?

Wind in my face
Struggling to breathe
Pedaling and free

Calm facing adversity
Reaching within
To emerge victorious
Conquering self

The wind blew
The snow flew
The storm grew
And we didn't know what to do

So we ran inside
The winds died
The storm subside
And we took our sleds for a ride

The rides done
We had fun
Goodnight sun
A new snow has just begun

Poetry conceals the meaning
But reveals the emotions.
It speaks of love,
But lies about the pain.
It shines bright as it exalts,
But shades the motives within.
Poetry cleanses the soul,
Yet releases the beasts within.

I used to drive a toaster
Tiny, not a roaster
It sure was the moster
Car I ever drovester

Then I hit a deer
It ran soever near
Smashed the front to the rear
I forever lost my dear

Ten years I spent in that box
Never looked like a fox
I probably hit an ox
Like gettin' kicked in the buttocks

You are a better person
Than you think you are.
You push me away,
So things don't go too far.
They say, "If you love someone,
Set them free."
That is the greatest gift
You could give to me.
You deserve to be loved
In a special way too.
But I'm not sure anyone
Is good enough for you.

Your
Verbiage
Is
Effulgent.

Your
Fecund
Intent
Is
Luminous.

Bri­lliance!

You are my iPad
I turn you on
With the flip of your cover
You hang on every
Word I type
You see me clearly
With your HD eye
When I'm wrong
You autocorrect me
But I appreciate it
You have many
Advanced functions
I surf your capabilities
With a flick of my finger
Like come hither
You are
Entertainment
And knowledge
You help me smile
And laugh
When I need it most
You are my iPad
An escape from the world
That's not virtual
If your battery fades
I will recharge you
You are my iPad
Now, I don't
Remember
How I lived
Without you

I
Tried to
Go home to
A place I loved
Taste the home cooking
And catch up with old friends
Some people will never change
But the food doesn't taste the same
It used to taste like love and respect
Now
It leaves
A bitter
Taste in my mouth