Whatever we are, you and I
Requires no labels or ties
I'm just the ship in the darkness
And you're just the gleam in my eyes

I sail as though you're my north star
Polaris fair, guiding me home
You look at me as an escape
A moment allotted to roam.

It's hard here on the ground floor, surrounded by the street.
The scenery a still-frame, a cell set to repeat.
I don't see your colors now, that patch of blue's gone gray
I hear your laugh cut through crash of just another day
Time, again, finds us alone...
in the crushing nothingness of the crowds
I just want it to be gone
Want to shed my shadows among the clouds

It's quiet here in the recent past, reliving a silent beat,
An echo too weak to distinguish, yet still moving the Earth 'neath my feet.
Still the subtlety's hard to decipher, the nuance is lost in the stroke
I numb any phantoms that linger, the world is cloud of smoke.
And time and again, it pulls me through
Running headfirst into hell.
Full circle, it seems, in whatever I do
Stopping just this side of well.

It's fleeting here in so-called prime of this distraction known as living
And I haven't asked for more than I have, but I'm taking what they're giving.
A single spark in the midst of a fire doesn't seem to warm the soul
But that same small flame can change the game if you add a little coal
We're hardened now, by time and heat
The pressure's always on
But maybe, when our time's complete
We'll be diamonds before we're gone.

I wrote a little poem,
I wrote it just for you,
to match the way
You make me feel
I wrote it all in blue.

I wrote it on a napkin,
I had to keep it brief,
I swore a bit,
And cried a bit,
It caused a lot of grief.

I pondered on delivery,
pondered til I was sick,
Then settled on
this method here
I wrapped it round a brick.

The next time that I see you,
In person, with some luck,
I'll remember to
give it to you,
And you'll forget to duck!

What glorious chance
That the best bits of stardust
Should coalesce here
With red-hair-blue-eyes
And burn the loneliness
From my soul

We feast tonight!
The fasting's past, and the banquet now is spread.
We feast tonight!
Enough for all to gather and break bread.
We feast tonight!
Because we hunger, in ways we barely know.
We feast tonight!
We dine together, our common ground to show.

We drink tonight!
To battles won and lost at the stroke of a pen.
We drink tonight!
To who we are, and also who we've been.
We drink tonight!
To memories, and those yet to be made.
We drink tonight!
To the future, and the doomed plans we have laid.

We dance tonight!
To music that only we can hear.
We dance tonight!
Together, hands joined, and very near.
We dance tonight!
To let out what's bottle up inside.
We dance tonight!
As though unseen, no caution cast for pride.

We sing tonight!
The songs we wrote when we were younger folk.
We sing tonight!
The words we thought were better left unspoke'.
We sing tonight!
The heavens echo, our voices of single mind.
We sing tonight!
And though off-key, could be no more refined.

We live tonight!
No other night holds portent over this.
We live tonight!
With little fear of what we lack, or miss.
We live tonight!
Because we wish, not because we must.
We live tonight!
And never know, tomorrow we may be dust.

A carpenter was given task;
nobody thought it could be done. 
A bridge that spanned eternity 
was priority number one. 

This carpenter, he had no tools;
materials he had so few.
Yet without doubt he set to work- 
he knew just what he had to do. 

With two great beams of solid wood, 
fastened in a criss-cross fashion,
and three old nails, wrought of iron,
completed his fateful mission. 

He had worked with a crew of twelve, 
but in the end, he toiled as one. 
Regardless, he had kept the course,
and labored til the bridge was done.. 

He never had union backing, 
and was never properly paid. 
Where other workers would have quit, 
this carpenter would not be swayed. 

Now, in the end, his blood and sweat, 
the bridge's strong foundation made. 
The final sacrifice of  life 
made sure its timeless glory stayed.

There is no toll to cross this bridge; 
the price was paid in blessed blood. 
Who'd have thought a bridge to heaven 
could be made from a cross of wood?

You and I, again
Dancing on the edge of love
Pretending we're not

I wrote you a letter in Latin, 
But I couldn't read it. 
I admit, I thought the class
Was an easy credit. 
Not the phrases, but my nuance
Needing mending. 
Felt a lie, and I'm not so good
At pretending. 

You just couldn't see the hand
I was extending,
As into the wallpaper
I kept blending.
Perhaps it's my fault, since
I wore that shirt. 
Standing out's the quickest
Way to get hurt. 

But speaking from the diaphragm
I can bellow, 
And orate like some old dead
Roman fellow. 
Standing out and looking 
Like a plain fool
Reciting broken Latin 
Learned in high school. 

My only benediction is
The violence of my voice, 
To compensate the losses of
The silence of my choice
Standing naked 'fore the masses
Flawless Latin being read,
Without the slightest clue as to
What any of it said.

Then you looked at me with pain
In your dark brown eyes, 
When at last,  my folly 
You had realized. 
You said that, though my effort
Brought you much joy,
"Latinas don't speak Latin, 
My dear, dumb boy. "

You and me. 
Me and you. 
Doing things that
Children do. 
Lightning bugs
And double dutch 
Grownups think
We talk too much. 

But you know, I think
We did alright.
Those endless days
That never turned to night. 

Me and you.
You and I.
Watching summers
Pass us by. 
Year by year
It seemed so slow
Watching one
Another grow. 

Falling in love
Beneath the silvery light
Of carefree days
And endless summer nights. 

Two of us, just
You and me. 
Working on
a family.
Trying hard to
Get it right. 
I mess up and
Then we fight.

Sleeping on the
Couch again tonight. 
But I still believe
That I was right. 

You and I
All I know, 
Love is such a
To and fro.
Seasons come and
Seasons go. 
Remember when it
Moved so slow? 

Wish I had another life or two. 
Another 150 years with you.

I do a little ditty, a little ditty-doo,
A finger-snappin'-somethin'
That I dittied just for you.
It may not be an anthem,
A ballad for the times,
It may not be the bestest words
Or have the slickest rhymes.
It won't make sense or flow so well
Or tell a lovely tale,
And if you seek inspiration-
Sad to say, it's sure to fail.
But still I did the little ditty,
Little ditty I did do,
And typed it up for giggles
And put it here for you...
And if you find my ditty
poorly made or lacking class,
Rest assured, this poetic ****
Was pulled straight out of my...

I take a breath and close my eyes
And whisper "please, just let it pass".
My heart beats fast, my chest is tight, 
I feel I'll break, I'm made of glass. 

I want to scream, but lack the air, 
The best that I can do is cry
And in the midst of all of this
I'm certain this is how I'll die. 

I just need you to give me room
I just want you to hold me tight
I need silent reassurance, 
I need to think I'll be alright. 

My legs are weak; my heavy arms
Can do little to calm the storm. 
My mind, my trap, my prison cell, 
My oldest foe in truest form.

I close my eyes, I clinch my fist 
And take another heavy breath, 
And silently, I pray for peace, 
Some cadence or merciful death.

Daylight broke the night in two
Forgot to pay the bill again
I can't believe I'm calling you
with drool and anger on your chin
The night was split, and you don't care
It's like we never got the note
I like the way you pulled my hair
Hence, the insults that I wrote.

Stupid me! I nearly faded
twisting knuckles in the wound
I worry that you've become jaded
and your harpsichord is tuned.
Look at how you look at me
when you're so certain that I'm dead.
I've never understood the glee
that comes from such an empty head.

Still you judge as though you know
the way we were in ancient caves
You collared me with thorns and grace
and took me to the sickest raves.
So now, so long, and fare thee well,
I only wish I could've met you
Catch you in my private hell!
If you want to paint the town, I'll let you.

Last night I wished upon a star
That I could split the night,
but wishing didn't get me far
the star was just a satellite
So I hung my head in disbelief
where I knew that you would find
my love of life is rough and brief
and my third eye is blind.

She spoke a lot of mercy
Though she hardly knew the word, 
And it echoed in her heart
In the verses she had heard. 

She smiled in spite of logic, 
Braced herself with quiet grace, 
And not a line of worry
Could be seen upon her face.

She sang aloud Amazing Grace, 
And it saw her soul unbound. 
With tear-filled eyes and longing smile
She loved "how sweet the sound".

And though her days were numbered, 
She refused to count and wait. 
She composed herself as though
She had no fear of fate. 

Though gone, never forgotten, 
Every sunrise bears her face.
Her voice is always echoed 
When they sing Amazing Grace.

Wasn't it almost a perfect life?
2 and a half children,
Loving husband and wife...
A little slice of country
With a future so bright?
Wasn't it almost just right?

Wasn't it almost your schoolgirl dream?
Like a Kincaid painting,
Little house by the stream...
Where forever seemed like a real long time,
Wasn't it almost sublime?

Wasn't I almost the hero of this tale?
In my shining armor,
How could I ever fail?
Brave and unshaken, with a will and a plan;
Wasn't I almost your man?

Isn't it almost a beautiful life?
Sometimes you've the pleasure,
At others, the strife.
If I could take it all back
I'd unbreak your heart...
Isn't that almost a good start?

The exhale that followed
The gasp that was you
Left me blue, dying
For another breath
That will not come

When I couldn't see the light,
You would show up with a candle.
Now through darkness I must fight.
Night is something I must handle.

Not just light, but warmth you brought
An arm around me, shared my pain
Such comfort, to this day I've sought
I'd give all to see you again.

I am human.

I was born, just like you.  I crawled before I walked.  I was small once, looking at the world with wonder.  I believed what I was told, and didn't bother myself with what was hidden.
I grew up.  I got in trouble.  I made mistakes.  I was good and I was bad.  I made them proud.  I disappointed them.  

I knew everything, and I was invincible.
I am Human.

I have bled, and I have drawn blood.  I have broken hearts and had mine broken.
I've watched the sunrise at different times, and thought "So beautiful" or "Not again" depending on what life was giving me.

I have lied, and I have told the truth.  I've owned up to my responsibilities, except for the ones I've abandoned.

I am Human.

I am a man, but that is irrelevant.  I am a brother, an uncle, a cousin, and a friend, but in these things I am not unique.  

Beneath the skin, past the flaws and the ego, past what you don't like about me and beyond what I hate about myself, I am human.  Nothing more, and nothing less.

I am human, and you are human, and in that fact neither of us have the upper hand.

America is bleeding,
her streets are running red.
They're running out of places
to pile up all the dead.
Uncle Sam is smoking,
pockets fat with oil and gas;
when will Lady Liberty
hold that flame under his ***?

America is bleeding,
a badge stuck in her chest,
can't defend a head wound
behind a kevlar vest.
And Justice wears a blindfold,
but it works kinda funny.
She can see right through it
if you have the money.

America is bleeding,
and now her children see
right on through the smokescreens
into her hypocrisy.
While high atop the flagpole
Old Glory's Stars stained red.
If we don't stop the bleeding,
We're gonna end up dead.

Will you see me to the river?
I fear that I have lost my way.
Could I find her muddy waters
Then I know i would be okay.

This path, I cannot recognize,
The shadows here are tall and fierce,
The lights that used to guide my steps
This twilight haze they cannot pierce.

Lead me to her raging rapids
Waters cool and unrelenting,
Let her hear my last confession
Close as I come to repenting.

Let her take me to the ocean,
Let her bury me in the sea,
The salty air to soothe my soul
On the warm sands of memory

When it's slow,
when it's quiet,
my mind grabs a shovel
and digs up things
that I keep trying to bury.

Today another human
was buried in the dirt,
and other humans gathered round,
and cried because it hurt.
And nothing in the time that he
had spent upon this earth,
could, in those tear-filled mourners' eyes,
diminish that man's worth.

No label he had ever worn
could sway their human hearts.
With no conditions, they loved him,
the sum of all his parts.
Now under six cold feet of ground,
he lies before his time.
And other humans wonder if
the sentence fit the crime.

Another human was his mom,
another was his dad.
Some others still had been his friends
since he was just a lad.
They had laughed and cried with him,
been true through thick and thin.
Now they've thrown handfuls on the box
they buried the man in.

Now the streets are burning-
other humans, filled with rage,
lash out at OTHER humans,
with the city as their stage.
Man and woman, boy and girl,
bear witness what you're seeing-
the aftermath of the wrongful death
of another human being.

Keep me today,
the day is long
and I'm a bit tired
of being strong.
I want to hide here,
but I have to press on,
so give me a hand,
for my strength is gone.

Guide me today,
that I will not fail.
This world may rise up
my heart to assail.
I know that, big picture,
my burden is small,
but it's still hard to carry
when reduced to a crawl.

Lift me today,
I'm feeling too low.
Let your reassurance
be the one peace I know.
Put a hand on my shoulder,
arm around my neck,
and help me stand strong,
though I feel like a wreck.

Help me today,
so I know you're not gone.
Just a pat on the back
and I could carry on.
Believe me, in body,
I can stand on my own.
But my heart needs the love
that only you've shown.

It won't be forgotten
How you fed me
When I was hungry
Played music for me
When I was down
And we'd share a buzz
And a few blue jokes
Whenever you came 'round.
When I listen to Jerry Garcia sing
About a Mission in the Rain
You won't be forgotten
And what you've sown,
We will maintain.

In your name, we will maintain.

The way you bend moonlight
Around your frame
Draped like satin from your curves
Is enough to shame the sunrise
And turn monochrome
Her fiery red-orange skies

It's been a long day, my dear friend
But it at last has seen its end
Lay your head down, and let if fade away
You can only hold on til you have to let go
So let it go, because you know,
Tomorrow's another day

You've come a long, long way
and you're far from where you planned
And how you ended up here
You may never understand
And the days and years slip from grip
Like tiny grains of sand
You can't count the squandered moments
That fell right from your hands

You've had a long day, my dear friend
And to say it is over, I can't pretend
For now, close your eyes, and let it fade away.
You've done all that's in your power
You've earned repose at this late hour
And tomorrow's another day.

I'll sit here, and watch the night for you
Protect you while you sleep.
I'll keep the whole world quiet for you
It won't make a peep.
And if I could carry your load for you
I'd take it off your hands
But all I can do is hope for you
I hope you understand.

It's been a life-long trip, dear friend
And this is just another bend
A rest stop along the road you have to take
Tomorrow's another day, it's true
And you'll do whatever you must do
Your way through hell and high water to make.

But for now, lay down your head
Close your eyes, and fade away
No burden can't be laid down
And picked up the next day.

She loved the world too easily,
She had no way of knowing
That life will wait to strike you down
When your soft side is showing.
She gave of self, such sacrifice
And when little else was left,
Twas cast aside most heartlessly
Left broken-down and so bereft.

Now bitterness her sword and shield
She wields with silent fervor,
And keeps her love from light of day
And those who don't deserve her,
And trust, it seems, the stuff of dreams,
She's buried far too far down,
In self-defense, it makes no sense
To ever let your guard down.

She has forgotten how to love
As she did way back before,
Before heartache had worn her down
Until she could take no more.
Perhaps someday she'll find a way
Her heart can again be free,
Til then, trust seems the stuff of dreams
Of some faded yesterday.

I ask you not to keep me, Lord,
I've no fear for the coming storm.
My life has led away from harm
My resting place is safe and warm.

Instead, my God, I beg of you
To keep all those that seem but lost
The broken, sick and destitute,
The battle-scarred, the tempest-tossed.

If some great blessing you had planned
To cast on me, I don't deserve.
Instead bestow that act of love
On those the world sees under-served.

I saw an old friend today.
She'd aged 30 years
in the few she'd been away.

Her former glow is all but gone,
No spark behind her green eyes.
Little more than skin and bone.

Time takes us all for a ride,
And leaves the marks on us
To check our faith and pride

But the woman I saw was not
A victim of time, no,
Her fate has been hand-wrought

My heart is broken, I fought tears
While she stood there
Recounting addiction that had added those years

I saw an old friend today
That time and ****** have taken away.
She says she's clean,
Trying to get her **** together.
Her face is skeletal,
The track-marks got her arms like leather.
But she says she's better.
It's hard, but she's better.
She just needs a break,
And if the world will let her
A chance to come back,
A chance to start over,
She says she's clean again,
She tells me she loves me,
And that last part is the straw
That breaks my emotional back,
And the pain in my chest
Feels like a heart attack
And I hugged her as if
I'd never see her again.
And begged any God that would listen
To prove me wrong.

I cried out to God for answers
While waiting for his reply
I forgot to do some living
'Ere I fell down to die.

Beheld I no great majesty
In wonders he had wrought
But pitied self for circumstance
That time and life had brought

Forbid that I would ever look
Beyond my meager station
And witness those at deeper lows
and show appreciation.

Hence, the twilight of my life
Has come, and shadow's fallen.
At last, across the great divide
I hear His voice is callin'.

Our answers come in all due time
And so little time is given,
So while you wait you might as well
Go do a little living.

Some folks aren't thirsty
til there's a line at the fountain.

There is no tomorrow where
there is no yesterday.
We all came from somewhere
and we're all going away.
Forever is a long time
that encompasses the past
Forever keeps on going,
no matter what won't last.
How can you hate the rainfall
yet love what it may grow,
or hide out from the light
in spite of what that light may show.
The future holds more of the same,
don't even play pretend-
joy and pain walk hand in hand
only the dead have seen the end.

We all come from somewhere,
every acorn has its tree.
The past may not be pretty,
but it's part of who we be.

It's been a while since I've seen the sun
The stars
The sky
That edge to edge expanse that goes on forever
It seems we've been under a heavy cloud
of doubt, fear and anger.
With the doom and gloom hanging so low overhead
And the tragic condition of we here below
It's hard to imagine that there's a ray of hope to be found.
Such loss and rage reflecting the dark and shallow canvas above us,
and where do you turn to add color to this gray existence?

It's been a while since I've seen the sun, but today, it warmed me.  It illuminated the sky, broke through the clouds, and for a moment, embraced us down here in the midst of all our doom and gloom.  And tonight, if the clouds stay away, I will look up at the stars, so many millions and millions of miles away, and be encouraged in the fact that no matter what happens to me down here, it is all incredibly small compared to the grand design of the Universe.

They called him Wit the Mystic
though his real name was unknown.
Just another John Doe, he,
on the edge and most alone.
But with a dusty derby hat,
and a little dedication,
he became a vagrant wizard,
mastered prestidigitation.

Misdirection, sleight of hand,
the man could do it all.
An expert with a deck of cards,
or three cups and a ball.
And somehow, out of thinnest air,
with magic palpable and real,
he managed to manipulate,
create many a hand-out meal.

Oohs and ahs in multitudes
would shower him with praise.
He plied his trade with pride in spades
on even the rainy days.
Though masterful and powerful,
old Wit still struggled through-
living in the shadows, man,
can be a tricky thing to do.

Old Wit the Mystic had one trick
that he had always feared.
Alas, the man's last bow had come,
and then he disappeared.
Where the wizard ended up,
nobody really knows.
Among the stars and legends, or
with the rest of the John Does?

One nation under assault,
one nation under pressure,
one nation claiming greatness against
an outdated measure.
With liberty and justice stockpiled commodities
and legions of disgruntled youth
left to deal with the atrocities.
One nation under-loved
One nation over-policed
One nation claiming Jesus
wearing the tell-tale mark of the beast.
With hate in the left hand, and hate in the right,
and both hands balled up like we're dying to fight.
A New Day, they call this perpetual night
This suffocating darkness that chokes out the light
And EVERYBODY THINKS THAT THEIR SIDE IS RIGHT.

One nation underwhelmed by the policies they chose
One hypocrisy of a democracy, calling their own stink a rose
One thing after another, no wonder the kids are cynics now,
thinking "You CAN'T make it better, WE don't know how."
Love is lost in the struggle between apathy and hate
America, the beautiful.  America, the great.
America, the fractured paragon,
We cling to ghosts of a changing time
We've fallen for the distractions, and
our pedestal is too high to climb.

Oh brothers, oh sisters, what else can we do?
If you'll look out for me, and I look out for you,
just a ripple in this pool of ****
may clear the waters, just a bit.
But as long as there are white votes
black votes
Latino votes
left votes
right votes
there'll be no vote of confidence
in the future of these divided states.
We'll rip ourselves apart,
tear out our own heart
waving our flags the whole time
and claiming no blame for the divide.
God Bless America,
and do it quick.
All sides of this society
are dying or sick.

I've always struggled with tomorrow
Because I'm stuck on yesterday.
If I had some time to borrow
I'd probably **** it all away.
Because I'm lost here in the present
Afraid that all the best has passed.
It's hard to think about the future
With how long "nowadays" could last.

I've never struggled for the right words
But all too often used the wrong
I tend to sing out with bravado
Not knowing one word of the song
As causes go, I am a lost one,
I'm lack of reason, weight of rhyme...
I'll hit the chords with broken echoes
And fail to ever keep the time.

If I was still the sort to wish on stars
I'd find the one of deepest blue,
And I'd beg it with my everything
To bring my broken heart to you.
But stars, they seldom hear the wishes
Of men who chase their dreams away
And here in "many years ago", my dear,
Is no place you should have to stay.

I woke up today, and the Earth was still turning.  The sky is still up, my home is still here... the world, in all its splendor, still hangs silently in its little corner of eternity.

People are angry, spouting all kinds of vile words towards their fellow man.  They doubt their place in the world.  Yet, the world keeps turning.

People are scared.  They don't have power, and it's getting colder.  They don't know when things will get better, they just hope it happens before it's too late.  Still, the world keeps turning.

People are sick and dying.  People are losing loved ones.  They're incarcerated, they're unemployed, they're in trouble...  They're staring down the end, they're staring down death.  Things are tough all over.

But the world keeps turning.  It turned for eons without us here, and when we are all gone, it will keep on turning.  All empires rise and fall within its revolutions.  Any mark we leave on it will be lost to time and tide eventually.  Many hundreds of thousands of years passed without us and many more will pass after our departure.
So think REALLY HARD about our place here.  In the grand scheme of things, we're a really small part of the story of this planet.  You can choose to believe that it doesn't turn without you, that it is "the end of the world" when things aren't going according to YOUR plan.

You have a brief time on this planet.  Spend it on love, not hate.  Spend it helping, not hurting.  Spend it reaching out, not retreating inward; because after all, we're here for but a few breaths... why waste them?

It's hard here on the ground floor, surrounded by the street.
The scenery a still-frame, a cell set to repeat.
But I don't see your colors now, that patch of blue's gone gray
I hear your laugh cut through the crash of just another day
Time, again, finds us alone...
in the crushing nothingness of the crowds
I just want it to be gone
Want to shed my shadows among the clouds

It's quiet here in the recent past, reliving a silent beat,
An echo too weak to distinguish, yet still moving the Earth beneath my feet.
Still the subtlety's hard to decipher, the nuance is lost in the stroke
I numb any phantoms that linger, the world is cloud of smoke.
And time and again, it pulls me through
Running headfirst into hell.
Full circle, it seems, in whatever I do
Stopping just this side of well.

It's fleeting here in so-called prime of this distraction known as living
And I haven't asked for more than I have, but I'm taking what they're giving.
A single spark in the midst of a fire doesn't seem to warm the soul
But that same small flame can change the game if you add a little coal
We're hardened now, by time and heat
The pressure's always on
But maybe, when our time's complete
We'll be diamonds before we're gone.

Crazy?
Maybe. Possibly.
In spite of what crazy's costing me
I can see no reason NOT to be
just a little bit crazy.
It takes a lot to amaze me,
but I'm amazed for days
at the level of insanity
disguised as vanity
that I see, individually portioned
smothered in bigotry and
dispensed freely, thumped
out of various ancient tomes
and called Sovereignty.
Crazy?
I was crazy once.
Invited Jim Jones out to lunch,
and I threw him a couple bones
dared him to spike the punch.
And his reply was hazy,
like a busted eight ball.
Something told me that guy was crazy.
But what was really gone
was how they all gathered on the lawn
to egg him on. Didn't dawn
that they were going to go
too far til they were gone.
Nobody caught on.
Crazy?
Yeah, just a little bit.
I'm what happens when the fan
hits the ****.
I've hit this **** and that, a bit,
and held the smoke of a thousand
miscreant rips, scales tipped
til we slipped out of the tray,
a gram shy but well on our way.
Hey, put that **** away,
the NSA is on the phone today,
and they hear you coughing,
keep coughing that way
and they're going to put you away
in Guantanemo Bay,
and there you'll stay,
for forever and a day,
or until you roll doubles,
or have the money to pay.
Monopolizing the cheap properties
with new hotels every day.
Crazy?
That's a matter of opinion
and in this day and age
opinion is public dominion.
Digitized before our eyes
and with a simple keystroke
we've broken the fourth wall,
and every imaginable flaw
has come to be our downfall,
gliding through reality
at breakneck speeds
then crashing into the firewall,
before we fall, right down
into the cold, hard ground
around the feet of what used
to be called discretion,
that is now open confession
coupled with cries for attention,
but don't mention criticism,
that's a schism! and we all want
to go down in flames together,
thick as a brick, but brains like a feather.
Crazy?
Yeah, but what can you do?
Look inside your mind,
I bet you're a little crazy too.
We're all just outright animals
in this ***** human zoo.
I'm a **** chimp, it's true,
I ain't monkeying around with you.
Just chilling, killing time,
instilling madness in the rhyme
to keep my mind refined
or just stick a finger in it from behind
stroke the cortex, bless it all,
now I'm blind!
I must be out of my mind.
It was a mistake to think
I could take a headache
out without some serious
long term repercussions.
No more discussions, as I've
left myself with a fingerprint
and a concussion.
I'm feeling a little lazy...
Crazy?

Why yes, utterly

I want love like I've never had
Where it feels so good and hurts so bad
Long nights and long fights and we make up
Come hell or high water we won't break up

I want love like it used to be
The kind'll make me forget about me
Somehow my feet never touch the ground
And people wonder why I'm never around

I want love like a fairy tale
You know the old story fairly well
No matter what else we get into,
Love as one, can't be split in two

I want love that's just like me
Comfortable in my insanity
Take it easy as a rule of life-
I find that, and I'll make her my wife.

It sounds like a broken record
Feels just like a revolving door
When another tin-star soldier
Explains what somebody died for
When both sides are crying "justice!"
But when all things are complete
There's another broken family
There's more blood out in the street.

And there's nobody to answer for
The systemic elimination
Of innocent black men and boys
Across this old and broken nation.
When guilt is predetermined
And last resorts become reflex
A whole race of Americans
Are forced to worry "Am I next?"

You don't have to like the truth
In order for the truth to be.
You can cry out furiously
When men in protest take a knee,
But if you deny the evidence
When the truth is brought to light
Then, you're a sucker or a liar,
Either way, you're just not right.

I'm tired, my brother,
can I just take a minute?
I know life's a struggle,
you know I've been in it.
But fighter or not,
time has taken a toll.
More often than not,
I am NOT in control,
I'm just holding on,
that's the best I can do.
So gimme a minute,
or maybe a few.

I didn't stop moving,
when the world fell apart,
and I helped dig the grave
where we buried my heart.
I've been on the front
since I learned how to stand,
and I'm still taking shots,
though it's not what I'd planned.
Don't judge me too harshly,
I'll still do my best-
but I won't be worth much
if I don't  get some rest.

It's harder to sleep now
and everything aches.
I know I'm not special,
and that's just the breaks,
but I'm tired of doing
"whatever it takes"
and I'm tired of living
with all my mistakes.
Just give me a moment,
to break down and cry.
I'm not giving up,
I'm not ready to die.
I just need a breather,
in a minute, I'll rise,
for now, let me sit here,
just resting my eyes.

This is my paper.
This is my pen.
These are my knuckles,
this is my chin.
This is my deep thought,
This is my muse.
This is my rhythm
this is my blues.

This is my front door
This is my street
These are some people
I'll never meet.
This is my corner
This is my block.
This is my culture
This is my shock.

This is my city,
This is my shame.
This is the scene, man,
This is my game.
This is my future,
This is my life.
This is my blood, Cuz.
This is my knife.

This is my one truth,
This is my fact.
This is my promise,
This is my pact.
This is my chaos
I'm taking back.
This is my heart, son,
Under attack.

This is forever,
This is all done.
This is me crawling
When I can't run.
This is me bursting
To flames in the sun.
This is my bible,
This is my gun.

This is not hello,
This is goodbye.
This is where hypocrites
Go when they die.
This is the nothing
That I owe you.
This is the curtain,
This show is through.

My heart hurts, but I'll be alright.
I just won't be alright tonight.
Most of the time my spirit's light,
My silver linings shine so bright.

But sometimes life gets in the way,
And you can't see the light of day;
I know the pain ain't here to stay,
My heart hurts but I'll be okay.

It's a quiet little love,
Doesn't have a lot to say,
But it works its quiet magic
Without penance, everyday.
It listens without judgment,
It shares both joy and pain,
It never hides itself away
When sunshine turns to rain.

The movements are so subtle
That she oft forgets it's there;
still it moves to lift her spirits
Any time and anywhere.
It's not what she's been looking for
But when push comes to shove,
She'll find a certain comfort in
That quiet little love.

I've embraced my nothingness
My cosmic insignificance
And my indomitable will
And drive to make a difference.

So though the world forget my name,
and **** me with no shred of fame
I'll take my chances just the same
To bridge the gaps that leave us lame.

I'm not so vain to need to know
Who'll miss me when it's time to go.
Even if my crew won't grow,
My heart, my fellow man, I'll show.

I dreamed about you just last night.
Woke up, and the world's just not right.
My head hurts from the blast of daylight
My heart hurts but I play I'm alright.
I pick up as the day rolls on,
Chin up although my face is long
Fresh reminder you're really gone
I feel weak from acting this strong.

I'm doing well enough, you'd be proud.
I've learned to walk against the crowd.
I don't play my music as loud.
Feet on the ground, head in the clouds.
I remember all that you told me.
Each praise, each time you'd scold me.
Trying to live to be an old me.
Trying not to become a cold me.

The hardest part of life is that it ends,
That we say goodbye to kin and friends,
That's why I work on making amends,
Instead of keeping up with the trends.
Though you taught me to be a man,
I feel like a child now and then.
I face life with a will and a plan, but
I'd trade it all just to hear you again.

I move on, man, I'm strong enough.
I've been doing this long enough.
I've sung my old sad song enough;
Now I shut up when the road is rough.
But if it's weakness that I cry at night,
It's not a point that I'll try to fight.
I feel weak, and my chest feels tight,
I need to hear you say I'll be alright.

Amber was an atheist,
she thought the world was dumb as hell.
Britney was a botanist,
who had a fertilizer smell.
Candice was a coroner,
a scary passion for the stiffs.
Diana was a drummer chick,
that knew a few guitar riffs.

Evelyn was evil, man,
all leather suits and chains and whips.
Farrah was a therapist,
got in my brain with swinging hips.
Greta was a gunslinger,
she'd give most anything a shot.
Hannah was a homebody-
shy as hell, but twice as hot.

Iris was an Ivy Leaguer,
thought I was a total fool.
Janice was a juggler,
who liked to play with power tools.
Kimmy taught karate,
who dated me just for the kicks.
Louise was a lyricist,
who wrote about how guys were *****.

Marilyn was mostly mean,
she liked to fight and then make up.
Nancy was so negative,
I had no choice but to break up.
Opal was an occultist,
who liked to gossip with the dead.
Paula was a *******,
that made me pay to come to bed.

Queenie was inquisitive,
the questions were too much to bear.
Rosie was a recluse
who never shaved or brushed her hair.
Sidney was a sinful sort,
with toys and gadgets 'neath the bed.
Tina was a twisted chick,
with thirteen voices in her head.

Ursula was uber-cool,
always on the latest trends.
Vicky was on Vicodin,
and we all know how that one ends.
Wanda was a wanderer,
that left to join a circus troupe.
Xena the exhibitionist
liked to do it on the stoop.

Yolanda was young and fine,
and nearly cost me everything.
Zoey was a Zombie fan,
she got hot when he would sing.
I'd like to say I've settled down,
but since the alphabet is done,
I'm gonna met an Ann or Anita,
and give it all another run.

We tend to land wherever we are hurled.
I lost the will to count on the unseen
when I became a man and met the world.

To tell the truth, it left me caught between
maturity and blind and childlike faith
I lost the will to count on the unseen.

Beliefs and conscience haunted like a wraith.
I struggled with identity and trust,
maturity, and blind and childlike faith.

Alas, in time, we all learn what we must,
and give ourselves no small amount of grief.
I struggled with identity and trust.

Was it for self or kin I claimed belief?
We tend to ask ourselves what we can't know,
and give ourselves no small amount of grief.

Maturity, it seems, just comes on slow-
we tend to ask ourselves what we can't know.
We tend to land wherever we are hurled.
When I became a man and met the world.

Serendipitous existence
in the midst of burning journey-
oh, to die within your hands,
safe from sun and searing sands.

Old Gary Blue made lady's shoes,
from flats and pumps to stilettos.
In every size and many hues,
with lots of closed and open-toes.

He fell for Debra Derby, true,
the smith's daughter, with crimson hair.
He wooed her til she loved him, too,
and wed her in a Spring affair.

Her father, old  and stubborn soul,
had been a smith most of his life.
He had some  issues with control,
just ask his daughter and his wife.

For Debra Derby's dowry,
He had conditions to be met.
Gary's work was too flow'ry
for his daughter.  He was upset.

"Fire up the bellows, Gary Blue!
Now you'll forge a diff'rent course!
You'll never make another shoe,
unless it fits upon a horse!"

Poor Gary was despondent, now,
though love was bound to find a way.
He had to  pull this off somehow,
with his love and his art to stay.

Then GENIUS!  Inspiration struck!
and Gary knew just what to do.
Got paint and felt off his old truck,
and set off, every horse to shoe.

Now flats and pumps, stilettos too,
in pinks and violets, clad in felt,
donned every hoof that Gary knew.
Left many fillies looking svelte!