When I hold your hand,
Only then I do not wonder,
About the meaning of it all.

In life we are alone.
Only death touches all.

I can't find the logic,
In a life lived in fear.

So I fantasize.
And pretend to conquer all the ghosts.

Inside me there is a madness.
A calm, calculating insanity,
That prowls for weakness.

I must be strong or die.
There are only two choices.
Ever.

I've reached a certain point in life,
Where nothing matters much,
I play with words and pontificate,
As age becomes my crutch.

In my head I'm still awake,
The world a simple place,
Get up, get dressed, get moving dude,
Beware a fall from grace.

So what's been learned in all these years,
What message can I give.
Empathy is god's special gift,
It is yourself, you must forgive.

Can an ****** be an apple,
A shiny bright red treat,
Or is a ****** all alone,
A way to calmly cheat.

Love yourself, the collective says,
Touch you own heart first,
I must have missed the understood,
Let loose with my outburst.

Is being single such a curse,
Should I dance alone at dawn,
I miss her every day, I do,
She was the one that I count on.

Is it enough to be desired,
Must we always be first kissed,
Can a smile and a nod,
Tell us we exist.

I walk amongst the strangers,
Shadows on a wall,
When will I now realize,
That my fears are oh-so small.

Talk to the others,
They are tired and alone,
Find a new friend waiting,
And put away your phone.

Scream and shout, let your feelings out,
Curl and winge, let your body cringe,
Hide your eyes, smile wide within,
Head up boldly and  take it on the chin.

But most of all, there's no more pretending,
The world isn't cold and it isn't upending,
There is more good, more right than wrong,
So stand up tall and be iron man strong.

Why do we bother, where is the win,
Can we ever be happy, is pleasure a sin.

I'm sorry, not sorry to strangers and kin,
My battle is fierce and always within.

Soon we are gone and eternity wins,
A scarecrow, a lion, a man made of tin.

Why do we fear,
Those who come near,
The suspect of guile,
In a careful coy smile,

How can we  tell,
Who casts the spell,
Clever impostors
Suspicion well fostered.

**** the so cautious,
**** all of loves' losses,
I'll take my chances,
On life's reckless romances

Advised to read and write and count,
Told by all I would amount,
Abstract knowledge was the gain,
The life you lead will be less pain.

Educate my grandpa said,
Study life until you're dead,
Critical thinking means a struggle,
Your options always will be a juggle.

So I ventured out into the world
Assuming truth would be unfurled,
And I found a madness that prevailed,
I stumbled often and usually failed.

Until one day a princess said,
Just do the next right thing instead,
And since that moment wakened me,
Being kind has set me free.

There are 43 quintillion atoms in a single grain of sand.

That's a 43 followed by 18 zeroes.

In one grain. Of sand.

So when we set off a nuclear bomb.

Which is 150 lbs of uranium.

All the atoms in the uranium will burst open almost simultaneously,

Like a gigantic  horde of little gas filled balloons.

A Billion times a billion of exploding firecrackers

That will create a 100 million degree fireball,

Which is five times hotter than the center of the sun,

That will blow through your neighborhood at 1000 kilometers per hour,

Leveling every man-made structure and vaporizing every living thing.

So size really doesn't manner.

Who we choose to lead us does.

The solid inner core of the earth
Grows by about a millimeter each year.

Wish mine did the same.

There are over 2 trillion galaxies in the small bit of the universe,
We can observe.

Each galaxy has a billion stars, probably more.
And yet the night sky is dark. Why?

Because most of the universe is empty, void.
A quiet vacuum of unoccupied space.

We are not alone.

Odd place for  funeral, She said, as she took her seat on the merry-go- round.

Life is a carousel, He replied, and sat down beside her.

The seasons and the wheels go round and round, She smiled.

And in the end we send in the clowns, He remarked and leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips.

I walk head up, with shoulders back,
A stride with pride, bold eye contact,
Don't ever doubt my will or flair,
I have no fear and I will not scare.

**** me now, I bear my thoughts,
Threaten me, take your best shot,
I will not bend to hate or shame,
Each is equal, each the same.

Can you tell me your story in one word or two,
Have you lived a best life with a sharp point of view,
I will summarize mine in a quick turn of phrase,
I longed for each Friday, dreading Monday's malaise.

Have you ever killed anyone?

Not knowingly.

Have you ever hurt someone so badly that they wanted to **** themselves?

Yes.

Have you told more than 1000 lies in your life?

Yes, I'm sure I have.

Have you ever turned your back on someone who needs help.

Every day.

How do you live with yourself?

I rent space in my head. The lease is up soon.

My mother told me she spent all of her life with the wrong person, He said to her casually.

Your father, She replied with her eyebrows raised.

No, herself, He responded and finished putting the groceries away.

I cannot stop the slip and slide,
I pretend a choice, no place to hide.
The world spins round the same each day,
I sit and wonder, my thoughts at play.

There's no free will, it isn't there,
The physics firm, no why, no where,
The past is the only past allowed,
The future set, the science proud.

So if your life is just a map,
The route laid out,your death the trap,
Then worry less and laugh out loud,
Your date is set, no tears allowed.

I used to have a cause.
But now it's a because.

Doubts are dreams we all cast aside,
Wishes are friends we invite inside,
Regrets are moments frozen in time,
Joy is a collection of pennies and dimes.

Love is a hat, worn smart with a tilt,
Fear is bite of anger and guilt,
Sorrow is a song, sung all alone,
Grief is wound from a very sharp stone.

Undress me, she said.

My pleasure, he responded.

I want to stand naked in front of you, she offered.

I won't be able to control myself, he countered.

You must. Enjoy me, devour me and once you are aroused and wild eyed put on the blind fold, she instructed.

With pleasure, he replied.

Accept the darkness as you explore every inch of me with your hands and your lips, she added.

Is there any forbidden territory, he wondered.

None. I am yours, she declared as the first buttons came undone.

We love to fight, our favourite thing,
**** and slaughter, God save the King,
War is when we do our best,
Medals pinned on each brave chest.

Will it ever end, our anger gone,
Can we ever say we all belong.
I think, I dream, be still no more,
Make love,be kind, say no to war.

Krista makes me want to dance,
Rob paints words with circumstance,
Victoria smiles, the kindest eyes,
Melancholy knows that love is wise.

Bones is searching for a hopeful heart,
Emmanuel smiles, all humour's art,
Solange sees others first and pure,
Melissa's kindness will pearl endure.

So why is now the only time,
Surely things will always rhyme,
Is dawn a beginning or a sweet revenge,
A time of day to think of friends.

We walk alone, it's our sealed fate,
We search at night, we consummate,
Your naked body pressed to mine,
Love is our boast, your lips divine.

If I make a donation,
I get a standing ovation,
Yet scrimp and be stingy
And I'm treated as cringey.

Or maybe I'm lost,
And my work just gets tossed,
A lost poet who pouts,
For sure on his way outs.

Let the little things go,
Let your thoughts run free,
Yes, ghosts will appear,
We won't always agree.

Beliefs are assumptions
Just a branch or a twig,
When grafted all together
Our kindness will grow big.

Now I'm not naive
Nor a sweet and silly bean,
I know evil is a shadow,
As it creeps along unseen.

So smile at a stranger,
Whisper in an ear,
Listen first and then reply
Our words cause all the fear.

Do you believe in God, he asked her.

Of course not, she replied.

Do you believe in free will, he queried.

Physics says it's impossible, she responded.

Do you think time is irreversible, he insisted.

Time is consciousness. It simply informs us that we will die someday, she countered.

Pizza or chicken wings tonight, he asked.

Can we eat in bed, she replied.

Sure, he said.

Then both, and she smiled at him.

Can we walk and talk, all memories,
The past so light and feathery,
My life now love and revery,
Your smile so complimentary.

Kiss me, tickle, tease a bit,
How many years did we commit,
So willingly did I submit,
Love is our bond with innocence.

Come and butter my croissant, she said.

A little dabble is just what I need, he replied.

Pinocchio is a bad, bad boy, she responded.

Damsel in damp distress, so many ghosts and goblins, he answered.

How long can fingers grasp and hold,
The things we did, we were so bold,
Doubt was never at our door,
Each day was simply more and more.

How lucky was my search for love,
To find you there, a gift above,
We will reach our end together,
Devotion is the perfect tether.

Tell me, taunt me, tattle tales,
Catch me, clench me, countervails,
Ask and answer, ache all over,
Hover, hasten, head hungover.

I like teasing you, she said,
And lifted her tube top up,
Half way down aisle 6.

They were searching for mung beans,
To make soup,
To drink out of a cup,
While they swing in the hammock,
On their porch.

How did I ever find you, he said,
As he turned her around,
Kissed her neck,
And hugged her warmly from behind.

Do you think we will ever be in love again, she asked.

I think we are beyond love and always will be, he replied.

What comes after obsession with another, she responded.

A preoccupation with the unknowns, he suggested.

Death, quantum entanglement, how birds fly, she laughed

And how I can't stop thinking about you every second of every day, he said.

Isn't that love, she teased.

I don't know what it is and I don't ask anymore, he replied.

Kiss me, she said and captured his hand in hers.

A poem a day is not cure,
It's lollipops and green manure,
So hold your nose
And close your eyes,
The smell of cheese,
Is my surprise.

We were not innocent.

The desperate choke of religion,
A Jesus with our ham and cheese,
Jammed down our throats everyday,
Alliance with Satan implied and guaranteed,
If we deviated even one degree.

But then, to be honest,
We weren't that afraid.
And we were not innocent.

The offspring of war heroes,
We mimicked battles,
Received toy machine guns as gifts,
We joked endlessly with each other.
Babbled on in rushing rapid ramble,
About killing the enemy,
About nothing,
About school,
About the Maple Leafs.
About castles in the sky.


We shoplifted on a dare,
Bought cigarettes as ten year olds,
A full pack was twenty five cents,
We blew smoke rings for hours
While lying on our backs in the long grass,
Giant jumbo clouds floated by,
Our circus in the sky.

We peeked in windows, hid in bushes,
Learned about women's bodies
While she brushed her teeth,
And examined herself for lumps and bumps.
It was exciting beyond our wildest
******* fantasies.

We were young.
We were eager.
We couldn't wait to live each day.
We were boomers on the rise,
Life was meant to be exciting.

Look ahead.
We are at the end of work.
Everything we need or want,
Will be produced by technology.

Food, medicine, law, therapy, things.
All done without us. For us.

So what will you do?

Talk to strangers.
It's ok.
We need answers.

I will not cry.
I'm a man.

I will not complain.
I am free.

I will not ****,
I will protect.

I will not be a victim.
I have choice.

I will be kind.
But I will not lie.

I will never abandon.
Ever.

We weren't poor.
Not neither rich.

We were kids who played outdoors for hours.
Days.
Had to.
Indoors was dead, dark and dry.

Bee stings, marbles, kick the can,
British bulldog,
Hop scotch, hide and seek,
War, sneak peeking in windows,
Firecrackers, red rover,
And we rode bikes everywhere.
Just left them on the ground.

In 1960 HALF the world was under the age of 18.
Boomers owned the dog!
We were so sure of ourselves.

Don't get me wrong.
Life is getting better.
But wow did **** go by fast.

What would I tell a younger me,
Buy Apple, Amazon, be a franchisee,
Make money'd be my drab and drone,
Abandon passion with its tiresome moan.

But if you are trapped inside a dream,
With no escape from the poet's scheme,
Then let go now of all trepidation
And live your life in anticipation.

For an artist is a soul that's lost,
Curious, carefree, despite that cost,
And if you member with rogues and jesters,
Then death scares not and fear sequesters.

I like talking to boys I do not know, she said.
I like *** except in hammock, I responded. And swallowed my tongue.

What is the fastest ******* have ever had, she queried.

With a girl I met in a cross walk. We stopped in the middle of the street. I said wanna, she said yes. My van was parked at the Safeway. I never knew her name. Nor her mine. It was pure.

If you buy me dinner, you have to marry me, my angel responds.
And I thought about apple pie for desert.

If you were standing on the side of the road,
With your thumb out,
I'd pick you up,
She said to me.

Strangers can be dangerous, I replied,
Acting all give and take.

It's never the hitchhiker that commits the crime,
She responded and batted her raquel L'Oreal mascara eyes directly at me.

I'm rowdy that you are even going my way, I retorted, nonsensically, my best poet's nose at precisely 45 degrees in the air.

We are going all the way mon petit chou, she said and slipped her hand down the front of my jeans.

I believe in science, evolution, matter can neither
Be created nor destroyed.
I have the t-shirts, I follow astronomy,
James Webb, quarks, neutrinos, black holes as giant bathtub drains,
And ok, string theory is a bit of a stretch.

But for 3 billion years all of life on earth was single cell creatures,
That got along.
We cooperated with one another,
Shared the space,
A gentle *** bump was as harsh as we got.

We can do it. We have the know how.
Deep inside of all of us,
We just wanna dance.
We can do it.
Yes we can.

Look, I'm in a rush.
I'm trying to make profound observations,
Before I hurry to a workout,
Where I'll  devour a protein bar,
Sweat rivers and streams,
Huff and puff like the little engine that could,
After witch,
I'll stand sideways and look in a mirror.
I don't know why, people just do it,
And then for a few seconds,
I'll pretend that I'm  17.

So.
You can often trust a stranger more than a friend.
If you want the truth ask someone you do not know.

You know that way you look at me,
With your seductious, come hither, taylor eyes.

Well, I experience a kind of reverse nostalgia,
When you lust and oggle,

And I realize that this is the moment,
The exact moment,
That one day,
I will yearn for,
As I stare out and through an uncurtained window.

She likes to ask me a question,
When she kneels down in front of me,

Which one of the Beatles would you have been,
Her hands on my zipper,
The button on my jeans set free.

Let me take you down, she winks at me,
Causing I'm going down and she laughs.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Windows open night and day,
Snow melts into waterways,
I breathe fresh air, a rich bouquet,
A time to laugh, my child at play.

Each day a brighter setting sun,
A full moon's promise, Spring's begun,
Dawn is destined, new life has spun,
I sleep well knowing, love has won.

You want honesty. Truth. Tabernacle.

First we dance, hoppa beat.
Then we clap, two times rhythm,
And finally we sing, four levels of harmony.

Love is action, never reflection.
Move those feet.
Sweat, smile, swoon, sing.

Wicked weather, storms all night,
Snow white world, now sun so bright.
Solstice is life's shortest day,
Winter is our chance  to play.