Howdy George -
Here I am in sunny Arizona,
the heat is fine and mellow;
it warms the bones real nice,
I'm a fortunate, happy fellow.
The sky is very blue and clear.
I can see for miles and miles;
the people here are friendly,
they're tanned, full of smiles.
The women, are most lovely,
light-browned, very charming;
and their smiles are best of all,
totally disarming.
In the distance, purple peaks,
twice as high as here;
in the clearest air I've seen,
they seem to be quite near.
There's something special here,
that old-time places lack;
I'm already indoctrinated,
and I might not make it back.
See, I've put all cares aside,
and I'm drinking ice-cold beer;
but still I say to you, old friend,
sure wish that you were here.

- Dave.

The weather's mild for winter
like a January thaw
perhaps a quirk of some kind
of nature's improbable law.
We get rain instead of snow
we get snow instead of rain
it happens frequently
****,  here it is again.
A t-shirt & long-sleeved shirt
they keep the chill away
I hike a spotted muddy trail
as morning leaves its stay.
The sun plays hide and seek
with cotton colored skies
the lake is hosting mallards
I hear their winsome cries.
It doesn't seem like winter
in fact, it's more like spring
and as always, I'm enchanted
by what the weather brings.

Must we go on like this?
no embrace, no kiss?
must we fight once more?
when will you walk out the door?
Leaving me and love behind
with someone else for me to find
can't we reconcile the past
and rescue out lost love at last?
Must we go on like this?
ignoring things that once we missed?
passing each other in silence
all that's left is violence.
First the slap, then the push
no more beating round the bush
leaves a sad and tragic ending
that is way past mending.
Must we go on like this?
what happened to the marriage bliss?
I sit and ponder, think and muse
the day it all went down the tubes.

Look to the distant stars at night
see the handiwork of the Lord
see how the sun and moon do hang
by the might of invisible cord.

Watch the four seasons changing
with beauty and simple grace
and look to the heavens above
everything's in its place.

Take the baby in your arms
and marvel at human birth
that came from the dust of ground
shaped by the tendrils of earth.

Watch the love of the mother
with affection for her child
with the touch of kindness
with hands that ever so mild.

Think of the passage of life
and ask if something is odd
that some still fret and doubt
the very existence of God.

A new year Lord -
to open up our eyes
to cleanse our hearts
to stop the lies.

Lies they separate us
from the King above
lies that break apart
the ones we know and love.

A new year Lord -
to stop the sinning
that keeps us losing
instead of winning.

Siding with the darkness
shutting out the light
making wrong our choices
ending up in plight.

A new year Lord -
to rectify our badness
that destroys the soul
and always ends in sadness.

I repent of all my sins,
greed and lust and malice;
give me grace and knowledge,
to enter in Your palace.
I repent of anger Lord.
of lies, of hate and cheating;
make them problems of the past,
let the memories be fleeting.
Forgive my carnal mind Lord,
wash clean,  the heart of me;
remove the veil from off my eyes,
so that I can truly see.
Let me be Your shining light,
for others that are lost;
let me spread the truth of You,
no matter what the cost.
I repent of all my sins,
make my creation new;
alive instead to Jesus Christ,
one of His chosen few.

in the chill of morning,
when the sun is at its rise,
and light grows in the east,
in the west, the full moon dies.

my cheeks are touched by cold,
with my fingers feeling numb,
I raise my arm above my chest,
blotting moon out with my thumb.

the trees are black and barren,
now stripped of any leaves,
they still have symmetry,
though they have lost their "sleeves."

outlined against the sky,
they're still a lovely sight,
dark in the morning's glow,
they're shedding off the night.

the silence of the coming day,
is refreshment to my soul,
gaining peace in solitude,
fulfilling my own role.