What can you say
out there in the fog
in want of your old flame
you burnt your last log.

The memories are hot
the pain you remember
beneath all the ashes
that last glowing ember.

Don't bother to fan it
there's no fuel to burn
let it go out
save the ash for the urn.

Turn your attention
to the wood
that needs chopping
do something worthwhile
like sweeping and mopping

Sweep out the soot
and mop up your tears
clean out the attic
let go of your fears

Put on the blues
then something upbeat
get on your warm clothes
walk out to the street

Follow it down
to the steaming creek bed
the mineral water
is something it's said

Melts away saddness
and heats up your head
without all the smoke
without all the dread

Don't need a fire
the water is good
cleans away everything
and better than wood

The Word is water
still living and true
all that you need
all that you do

Lie back in the warmth
pulled free from the mire
be free and be healed
and forever on fire

He liked to say he had some shrapnel in his head
but I'm afraid that's not the only thing he said...

with his working arm he wheeled his broken body down the hall
pushing buttons of the nurses, you could say the man had gall.

he said, " Hey, you little blond, I don't believe I caught your name,
but I could shoot my AK rifle", then he talked about his aim,

"I'm not kidding, were it fitting, I could take you out right now,
and you'd never see it coming, 'Special Forces'"; I said, "Wow!"

He said " I can tell you stories that would spin your head around,
cause I've seen a lot of action, 'fore the shrapnel took me down".

Then he pointed to the helmet, that sat high upon his head
" I'm an invalid,disordered,yes, but surely not brain dead".

Had I met this man some other way, say walking on the street,
I'd be running for my life, 'cause you know he'd pack some heat.

A better man, though he would say the shell of what he'd been
not to listen to his story, would've truly been a sin.

I believe I caught the glimmer of a hope within his eyes
that I'd ask to hear about it and be shocked beyond surprise.

So I smiled at him and said, "I've got some time to **** here, Guy,
do slay me with your story and in detail, please, don't lie."

"Army, Special Forces, sent to Nam to guide our men,
I knew the lay of jungleland, believed that we could win.

I taught them what I knew to stay alive and get it done
without a leader they'd be dead before the setting of the sun.

And so I led my troops in battle and I kept them all alive
taught them everything they never learned in boot-camp to survive.

and everything went well until one night it went to hell
when on a mission I was ambushed and this story I will tell:

taken prisoner, beat and blindfolded, then forced to walk for miles
they took their turns at night guard, while they tried to sleep a while.

but all along I waited, for I knew the stupid one
would look away, then turn back looking down the barrel of his gun.

and sure enough it happened, that the ****** looked away,
and I was there, right on the trigger, and I took their lives that day.

and I broke out of the darkness and ran south for several days
though I knew the landscape well, by then my head was in a daze.

When suddenly I heard them, distant voices. English speaking,
and I came upon a hedge in which I hid but did some peeking.

And what I saw, believe me, was the best dream of the day
I burst right through and ran to, waiting arms, the USA!

That was not the last time, I came back to Nam again
caught some shrapnel in my head, you know, and here I am, the end".

I do believe this soldier is just one of countless men
who spend their days in nursing homes confined, without a friend.

for years before and years to come, there will be guys like Guy
who need to share their war stories with folks like you and I.

and when we stop to listen, to appreciate the cost
we honor not the killing, but the living and the lost.

we validate the struggle, and the things they've overcome
encouraged in the battle, 'til the final war is won.

He liked to say he had some shrapnel in his head
but I'm afraid that's not the only thing he said...

Home, you are sweet
you are loving and warm
never judging or lonely or haunted
Home, off the street,
both in spirit and form  
you're the shelter that I've always wanted.

I've had many homes
they've been awesome to me
they call from the living room window
"bring wood won't you dear
I am waiting, up here",
says the fireplace, longing to kindle.

So awkward, this home
though it's all that I'm needing
I'm only a guest for a while
my confidence shaken, I've taken a beating
embarrassed and faking a smile.

Jesus you're sweet
and you're truth is forgiving
make yourself right at home in my heart
you stood there and knocked
I opened, you walked,
now you're building a fire at the hearth.

And Lord though I've wandered
in search of a life,
and regretting the place I was in,
You drew me back home
without anger or strife
and so quick to forgive all my sin.

from afar I could see you
right at the door
with that fire alight in your eyes
you came out to meet me
and brought me back in
to that hearth, where I'm safe from the lies.

From the mounting confusion
a crazy delusion
old thoughts
which controlled vain decisions
but at last I delight
in my Lords shining light
and am home thanks to God's
sweet provision!

Home, you are sweet
you are loving and warm
you are everything I've always wanted.

well she could sit around all day
and rot her poetry this way
just put it all rot down and say
"I've done my duty"
done let the cat out of the bag
done with the hairball that old nag
all gutsy green this rotten queen
just cut a cutie.

she'll change the word to what it's not
and that ain't wrong, it's all she's got
but just like garbage turns to rot  
the road untrodden
she'll long the rod, like rodeo
these words are ridden, time to go
so get the horse and don't be slow
it's time we're ridin'!

We're ridin' errors then all day
poetic license paves the way
don't know quite where but that's okay
our rot to ramble
and what this rutted road has got
is what the dusty novel's not
the long and short of every rot
poetic bramble.

"I think we try too hard, he said
we need to laugh much more instead"-
"I think we cry too much, she laughed
we're starved for love until we're fed."

"I think we spend too much he reasoned
need to save for rainy days"-
"I think we leave too much unseasoned
spice it up with mayonnaise!"

"I think we eat too much, he stated
we've got all this fat to shed" 
:and I think walking's overrated
lets just ride our bikes instead."

"I think I'm talking to a wall
you cannot hear a word I say"-
"but I've responded to them all
just maybe not in your own way."

I think he thinks too much she pondered
I can't read his mind at all
and every time his eyes have wandered
spikes are sharp before the stall...

"I think I'm needing something more"
and she knows what he's thinking of
"Be my guest, don't let that door
besmirch your tender side, my love."

"I think I'm made for bigger things
than being saddled here with you"-
"but oh be sure those bigger butts
are gonna buck your system too!

She thinks "he has it way too easy,
thinks I want to hear this stuff!"
tells him that she's feeling queasy
"heard it all, enough's enough!"

She thinks it hurts too much to talk
about the things he puts her through
her tendency to shout and balk
has raised the foam up from the brew

and seeing clearer, painful truth
his disregard grew from that day
mistook the *** for love in youth
and clung to that which came her way

Daddy never knew his daughter
never built her up to know
how she was loved above the water
that he drank or his big toe.

It's sad the man that she admired
never knew how she'd be burned.
because the love from Dad required
words and  lessons never learned.

and to the wounding add some salt
the failure of the best to choose her
now she sees it's not her fault
she cannot tell the best from loser.

Mum was quite the same you see
a distance there but never spoken
always mediocrity
discontent, lines blurred and broken.

"I think I'll wait another year
before I set my course to sail"-
"why wait, just throw me off right here
this roller coaster's off it's rail"

to this He says, " You're here beside me
for the long haul as they say"
" I think it's best we keep on riding
tell me later, in the hay."

Lots of pain in barbed sarcasm
each has blocked the other's heart  
words in action killed the passion
boundaries blurred and torn apart.

Respect, protect your precious boundary
that which makes you who we are
love yourself and then each other
shining love and sparkling star.

When the boundary violator
makes you feel less than dirt
tell each other now, not later
how that word or action hurt.

I think we try too hard, he said
we need to laugh much more instead-
I think we cry too much, she laughed
we're starved for love until we're fed.

XO

The hillside before me rolled out like a wave
awash in my thoughts 'til I noticed the grave
the headstone was tilted and covered in rot
a memory of someone forgotten, but not.

The scene triggered feelings which drew me way back
to a time when I dwelt in a one bedroom shack
the love of my life had grown cold, and despairing,
my heart shriveled up like an unpickled herring

I remembered thereafter, and oh, what a mess
I led me to places too dark to confess,
dying for flowers from somebody dear
I'd fill up my window box year after year.

and soon the depression grew into a hedge
though flowering plants kept me back from the ledge
"I'll never be happy! " I quite often thought
a forgotten old headstone all covered in rot.

I swore if I ever recovered again
I'd wait for the right one, the Boaz of men
but for all of the damage, the shape my heart's in
be blessed if he'd notice, so how could I win?

With all of these memories weighing me down
I slapped myself silly and turned up the sound
and opened the windows to let in some air
the sun on my face and then suddenly...glare!

I veered off the highway which cut through the land
a two lane construction of asphalt and sand
took the embankment at an ungodly pitch
and suddenly airborne, shot over a ditch.

Landing my vessel across the divide
I hoped for the best for it's brave underside
the dust settled soon, and how foolish I felt
Thank God I'd remembered to buckle my belt.

And there in the front seat, assessing my plight
dazed, but amazed at this beautiful sight
as 'Love is a Battlefield' blared in the grime
Wildflowers grew in the trenches of time!

You the forgotten who languish for years
ditched and bedraggled and drained of your tears
thinking you're nothing, a sunset that's fading
grieving love lost while your best years are waiting

Tend to your gardens wherever they are
keep yourselves fresh with the watering jar
Remember, like flowers, the wild ones too
your maker, your husband, will take care of you.

For your Maker is your husband--the LORD Almighty is his name--the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.
Isaih 54:5

I'm not alone though many times it seems
so much alone and often in my dreams
just like the one who calls me 'Dear'
you speak my name and draw me near
but leave me hanging way up on these beams

Awakening, the dream remains quite clear
I'm climbing on this bridge from there to here
eternal space surrounds me
while a sense of love confounds me, when
in reasoning, I think ought to fear

It's gonna be alright you say, I oughta know
We've never been a stranger to the show
You play the song, I know the score
we wrote the music long before
You'll never leave, you say, come on let's go.

I think too much I'm told, I know it's true
but that's okay, this traveling mind will do
it's time to put this girl to sleep
my thoughts will settle in the deep
but slumber stirs the climber in us too.

I think i'm gonna go
right out this door
right now

i am sorry

sometime I can't
stand no
stinkin' poems anymore

please forgive me

I can't take
any more
of this nonsense

and it's getting

old

somtimes I can't
believe this is all
that there is

and you are with me

this is yours
that is mine
written to a song

and it's getting

old

and it gettin

old

and it's getttin

old!

An ordinary day arrived again
and ticketed talk
it cost me just to say 
"one second
more-
let's go for a walk"

"Yes-
if you will promise-
to see me as yourself
and not the thing
you made of me
that clock upon your shelf"

we strolled through misty meadows
and hand in hand that day
I learned to love my freedom
and the things which come what may

we had our  day together
I cannot say the date
I want to say an extra-
ordinary day
but wait...

"Why can't an ordinary day
be just this  like today?"
and Ordinary looked at me
and pointed towards the sway....

"That same old wave is NOT the same
no ordinary roll
and waves through placid water
seem to change the water's soul
the ins and outs
the ups and downs
of every single day
are separate parts of sameness
but unique in every way"

"try not to over think it
be quiet, or you'll miss
the things you take for granted
make for silence, calm the hiss!"

and so my ordinary date  
had tried set me free
to wander down the road without
a single peep from it to me

a silent celebration
seemed no ordinary day
reset my pace for living
and now no fine to pay!

Hey!
"Where do you think you're going?"
as the sun sets in the west
"I've got to get a move on
but you've been a splendid guest

I'll be back tomorrow
just an ordinary mate
but if you care to have some fun
we'll make another date!"
.

Eb pulls back, he holds his peace
he's done with Flo, he's wined the beast
and as it's said, 'don't tread where sands are shifting'
ebb and flow, they come and go
ebb draws us out, the tides are low,
but as we yearn, return, and stop our drifting.

i stand on rock, alone at last
and mourn for what is done and past
but still, with broken heart, recall the surges;
the times when you were out at sea
and when you finally wrote to me
I laugh at how you satisfied my urges.

The words we shout from distant shore
the ones which fall on heavy oar
which make the trip back home far less than pleasing;
far better are the words on wing
which land with olive branch and sing
a song of love which keeps the flow from freezing.

but even in the closest knit
where scarcely will the piece not fit
there's comes a rhythm known as ebb and flow.
and marriage is a special bond
and Eb and Flo they looked beyond
and understood the way it had to go.

and through the laughter and the tears
and late night dances, sharing beers
they always knew the highs would lead to low.
and now Flo waits on lonesome shore
for time apart was forced before
as time would have it, 'twas Eb's time to go.

i'm cryin' a.a. for my b.b.
and so is c.c. d. and  e.
i'm cryin' a.a. for my b.b.
and so is c.c. d. and e.
if we can't f. g. h. i. j. k.
then we can't  l. m., n. o. p.

just an a. a. without b.b.
and that's the alpha-betty blues
i said an a.a. without b.b.
and that's alpha-bitty blues
short on words but long on rhythm
that's the bye bye b.b. blues.

I've got a Q R S T  baby
don't need no U V.... W
said I got a Q R S T  baby
just keep your U V...W
think you know your alfa better
check your XYZZ too.

Capitol AA, BB!
Capitol AA BB C!
Capitol DD E F!
Capitol DD E F G!
Capitol H I stinkin' J K!
Capitol LMNOP!!

I've got a Q R S T baby
don't need no U V W
said I've got a Q R S T  baby
don't need no U V...W
think you know your alfa better
check your XYZZ too.

Some folks say and some will disagree
what's true for you may not be true for me
from what I've seen of what is shown
and what I've gleaned from what is known
we draw our own conclusions, naturally.

Some folks say I'm simple in my mind
and childlike, gee thanks, you're all too kind
tongue in cheek I'm kind of mean,
a rotten streak lies in between
the **** of jokes whose heart was left behind.

Some folks say "You're better off alone-
sleep in late and don't pick up the phone"
I say NAY! it's better still
to sweeten up that bitter pill
go find yourself a lover of your own.

Some folks say my mood swings are severe
much less though when drowning in my beer
I say nay and here I am,
up and down and round again
life's a ride, don't hide, the Lord is near!

Some folks say poem is just a song
lyrics without melody, which beg to sing along
I say nay, Le ding without
Le **** leaves more to think about
and in the end, my friend, shalom shalong!

Semolina!
your'e the queena my cold morning
Sweet Farina!
Cream of Wheat without adorning
and no one makes it like my mom
who has a knack
for food transforming
she melts the butter in a lake
and the mountains are so warming

Semol----ina,
Semolina I love you

Sweet Wheatina!
how you stick with me
all morning
in the steama
from the ***
us kids were swarming
and we loved the one who
got us up
and sent us bundled off
to school
well you made us feel
much happier
since the lunch was not as cool

Semoli----na,
My Semolina
I love you
Semoli----na,
My Semolina
I love you

Semolina
well you're the queena my cold morning
and i do dreama
'bout how far you came
to warm me
cause your the creama
all the crops
grown out
in Italy
and I'm thankin
' God for
every grain
from you to me.

Semoli---na
Semolina, I love you
Semoli---na
Semolina, I love you

Semolina!

Replacement. That's what it said on the inside of the card.

Not a nice thing to wish on someone, and yet an awesome thing if you need one and get one and after rehab it works out better than the one you were born with. No more pain. Mobility is great.

Happy Hip Replacement. IF you need one.

this body of poetry lacking
drafted white, out of sight on this backing
and oh such a wallflower it has become
and it's author, a nut for the cracking

the content within, also slacking
each sentence seems more like attacking
defensive it's true, and she won't let it through
so the message is lost in the packing.

she knows this in spite of her yacking
to reach you requires skillful tacking
to find you or bust, she'll say what she must
with dis gust in da sails, words are smacking.

A ***** in her mind needs some tightening
'twas loosed by emotional lightning
as for what she won't say, her heart gives away
but it's lost in the frost of this whitening.

When my mind tells me "Yo, time to work,
there's that pile in that aisle needing work
you've got stuff to *** done
while we still have the sun
and no reason to live here but work."

I'm inclined just to do as I will
but that calling to work holds me still
I feel guilty as sin, it's a state that I am in
to relax means it's time that I ****.

I have worked long and hard to recline
just sit back here and type the next line
and convinced that my soul
cannot bear to be whole
I just told it to shut up or whine.

and it did that indeed, yes it's wined
on a glass of RELAX and then dined
on some club crackers doused in the applesauce housed
in the bottom fridge drawer, what a find!

Now I'm not gittin' anything done
yet my life is a barrel of fun
I can do as I may ,I've got no hell to pay
Thank my Savior, this battle is won!

And my work will just wait to *** done.

I am sick but I don't want to be aggressive
about my treatment. I don't want to step
outside into the cold, I don't want to
to go anywhere today....just stay
inside bundled up in my soft
pajamas and with a cup of
tea and listen to some
music in this warm
place and dream
about where
and  when
I will be
well.
:)
I only want to stay
inside and rest.
just let it be
okay for
me to
rest
my
<3.
I
hope
you are
feeling better
than me today and
that you are well rested...
but if you are not than I think
it best you remain inside with a cup
of tea all snuggled in your PJs too my friend
life is sometimes a delicate balance between you and me
and it is of the utmost importance to support and care for one another.
and in caring for another we are free from vanity, as long as we have cared
for our own souls too and not forgotten to deal with the thing that are
bothering us. It is important when considering the other
guy that we are not putting our own thoughts
and expectations upon that person but
simply allow them to be separate
while we pour up the tea
of consideration and
respect the line,
since it is the  
boundaries
holding
every
one
of
us
accountable to
each other and
where we will be able to discern
if the cup is actually half empty of half full.

There's a hole in my pocket where change used to be
for one cup of coffee, the second one's free
do I go where I'm led though I haven't a key
and eat what I'm fed without question of fee?
Across sits a friend who cares for my soul
he fears for my safety, my wholeness his goal
so without any greed or selfish intent
he pays for my dinner and cancels the rent.
He knew what I needed, like father knows best
food, clothing, shelter, a clean place to rest
I call him my savior, my king and the boss
He won't take the glory but points to the cross.
I soon find a job, and a home for my stuff
it's all that I have but it's more than enough
The courage to change what I could was the key
the burden's been lifted, I'm finally free.
Without faith in God I could easily fall back
'cause there's always that vice like a Big Mac attack
tested and tempted I use what I've learned
stick with The Truth and you're less often burned.
So where are you now, and where have you been
did you latch onto God, and spit out the sin?
just take a deep breath, you're here 'til your death
trust in the Lord and then start again fresh.
There's change in my pocket where a hole used be
for one cup of coffee, the second one's free

To know Truth
followed me
shining light
creating shadows
of my sin
shrinking and powerless
in the power and might of His Spirit
come to seek and find me in these rags...

to know Love
and grace
that was given freely
out of Love
from Love.
to know myself
without the veil of sin
like a child
only with the knowledge of
what I have done
forgiven and forgotten
once and for all
no condemnation
in Christ Jesus
once again and for all time
innocent and free
oh such a lovely one
who truly matters

much time spent in useless pursuits
hungry for something more
thought I had to know
the darker side to
truly appreciate the light
thought I had to go there  
to find my souls delight
before I knew the hands which made the vine...
I had to taste the sweetest wine
and dabbled in the works of men
and found it left me cold and shattered

knowing that I had left you
like a prodigal daughter
ashamed and wanting you back
if only...
then you found me here
the only One my heart knew mattered
and came out and got me
shined a light in my confusion
and I asked you to forgive me and
lift me up...

Nothing short of grace
unmerited
what you came to offer
nothing short of beautiful
rising to the task
buying back this misery
and trading life for agony
killing you fulfilled your quest
so prophesied in Isaiah 53.
and rising on the third day
they had come to see
stone rolled away
and there you stood
a miracle and so delighted

there is
now no condemnation
for the heart that you are living in
a walking recreation
now You see me here without my sin
I'm clothed in your salvation and it's
nothing short of beautiful
it's not a thing I've earned or done
you came out here to me...

You are everything I've wanted in my life,  oh JESUS
thank you Lord for saving me
and giving me your Holy Spirit
there is nothing else that cares for me as much as you.

To know the truth
within the shadows
to know yourself
oh such a lovely one
who truly matters

paper waits to take a beating
from this pen, it's raging quest
to deeply drag and tear the meaning
for an unexpected guest.

black and blue across the surface
lines instinctively know their way
forming shapes she can't describe them
hurts too much for her to say.

when it's over hand is tired
smudged on side yet satisfied
nothing gained but something less
than what she'd held so deep inside.

somewhere far
from city's light
the boat tips gently
in the night
he's in the moment
listening
and moon off ripples
glistening
music plays
a distant tune
an old transistor
calls to loon
and settled into
cozy lull
his feathered blanket
lines the hull
safe and sound
he drifts to sleep
in gentle waters
soul will keep
somewhere deep
in waters dark
appears a lone
and hungry shark
and then a tug upon the line
aroused from slumber
sleepy mind
grabs the pole
fast as he can
reels it in
and forms a plan

if this fish is really big
then I will have to do a jig
and that the case the boat will rock
I will not make it to the dock

and if this fish is really small
I will have worked
for naught at all
and then no story would I tell
for lies once told could lead to hell

but if this fish is average size
with no more lightning in his eyes
and tired of the will to live
the fight is gone
got none to give
then I will let this last one go
I've fished all day and
this I know...

the very last should simply be
the one that got away from me
and with the knife, he cut the line
which freed the shark
and saved the wine
which sat beside the sleeping bag
and calls a man to battered hag

Ahoy to fishermen like this
whose spear is certain more to miss
with one eye closed and one eye ope
close the other? I say NOPE!
Leave the one eye always open
best for night fish which need scopin'
keep a knife there at your side
cut them free, and drop your pride
take a hamburger to eat
just the same as fish is meat.

soft star-clustered curls
sweet purple blooms are wafting
hello hyacinth

last chilly night
stars shining bright promising
Easter flowers here

Early morning scent
long stemmed yellow daffodils
waving at the sun

Colors yet unknown
firmly pointed mysteries
Tulips tomorrow!

"Minding my own
making it rhyme..".

                Coming back?
         don't even know
      haven't heard
      can't be sure
   of anything
anymore

"It's all coming out,
there's dust in the drought
but the rain comes in time."

even now
   while the sun sets into this chilly November evening  
      I can hear a song  
         and into the dark starry night
it warms my heart
    memories set loose
       and the ones I keep to myself.

"Nothing held back
I got nothing to say"

I sit alone
on that porch swing
swinging in the dark
hearing nothing but wind
rushing  by
moving through bare
branches.

"Let it roll off my shoulders
puts less on your mind and it's easy that way."

coming back?
     i don't know
from here I
      can't be sure,

"I said nothing at all
it's that horse in the stall..."

no human voice
no radio
no tv
just that old record in my mind
wind through bare branches

"my foot fell asleep but I'm not gonna weep
I can drag it or crawl."

just as well
liking silence
never mind
it's okay....
it's silence
I need
in my heart
    
"distracted it's true
idle chatter won't do"

the matter of me
the matter of us
the matter of time
never mind me
just wait
and see

i don't know

"better nothing to say
put the music on play
and be quiet with you."

old hands :(
cold dry unseen
can't remember when
these hands were touched
when the last time
they were held
clasped
MISSING the music of these hands
the music in my ears
the plans I need to make...
hope rising
feeling...like I need to buy myself a guitar and a cello.
and some hand lotion.  :)
I have beautiful young hands!!!

What are the rules in the war against terror~
Did we foil their plans or was it simply their error?

How do we know when we've won the big fight~
Will they run for their lives? Raise a flag that is white?

Does someone announce when the suicide bombers
turn a blind eye to virgins, or whatever they're promised?

Can we sweeten the deal, make them an offer~
live belly dancers...season tickets... gold coffer?

So what will it cost us to buy back a brain
to turn a sick mind back to thinking again?

These 'holy warriors' choose death over reason
to back out on Jihad would sooner be treason

believing it's Allah that leads them to take
their own precious lives and far more is at stake~

The innocent victims we can not defend~
who daily live not knowing how it will end.

How can we justify, how will it look~
when all this is put in the history book?

What have we gained by the loss of their lives?
We **** for our cause, but the maddness survives~

We've stood up for freedom and bravely gone in
not once, but two times and then over again~

The Jihad, and what not, and now look to Zion,
where Jewish extremists hate the Almighty Lion~

Terrorists plot for the end of the West
while we who are faithful are put to the test~

What ought we do then, when challanged with threats
the further we dig, the hotter it gets~

Over thirty four hundred have paid with thier blood~
not counting civilians, who've died in the mud.

On innocent soil, the war will continue~
If you think this will end, then the truth is not in you.

The Brave William Wallace, he raised up his men~
to fight for their freedom, and won in the end.

He built up their pride and the love of their home~
picked a fight with King, and thus ends this poem.

penetrate the mask
with Gods own Word
gently lift the lie away
and power off the dirt
wash away the malady
today a new reality
love yourself and  
live without the hurt

I don't have a clue what to write in this song
the chorus is fine but the words are all wrong
although it's been said that these lines should be read
thought it best if you sung them instead, dear Ed,
drag a comb through your darling bedhead

Well I came home to find you asleep on the couch
and tiptoed around you my big hungry slouch
if I knew you were home I'd a planned something nice
but this chicken's still frozen on ice, anyway
let us pray that you'll take my advice.

Don't say you do when you don't
Ed I'm talking to you honey
Don't say you will when you won't
you know it really isn't funny
Don't say you'll come when you know that you can't
and I won't say a word when you rant
no I shan't, not a whisper from me when you rant!

Last month I told you my car's rather beat
the muffler that's hanging? it dropped in the street
the cops heard me coming and followed me home
on the back of my ticket, your poem- it's a tome
on the lips of my lover is foam

Paint me a picture, I'll pay for your time
Inspire one stanza, I'll write the last line
if you'd bring me some hope for I'm failing to cope
we could spice up our rhythm with rhyme, one more time
give me something worth more than a dime

Don't say you do when you don't
Ed, I'm talking to you honey
Don't say you will when you won't
you know it really isn't funny
Don't say you'll come when you know that you can't
and I won't say a word when you rant
no I shan't, not a whisper from me when you rant

I saw Him first or He saw me
and fear struck lonely in the knee
and I did stumble, but then caught
compose yourself', the guru taught

Still the urge to run and hide
lest someone see what lacks inside
I took six steps and then back three
this war between self-help and me

and he took nine from where he stood
the other way, but that was good
the farther off, the less the chance
that lonely would be asked to dance

Now hidden in the second aisle
my strength returned and I could smile
and feel the heat come to my face
and as I looked, my heart did race

For he too lingered in this aisle
the other end and for a while
perusing through the magazines
should I be wondering what this means?

I tried to think but drew a blank
what to do, then my heart sank
around the corner came his wife
with 4 small children, yes, his life

Of course, you fool, you can't be thinking
everything that tics is winking
stop the nonsense, drop the strife
count your blessings, get a life

Bound by lonely? Just get free
kick it in the other knee
get a dog and take it out
and don't forget, you're kind of stout

Lose the weight and get some style
feeling fat? An extra mile!
take your self-help to the bank
get some money, fill the tank

Bring your fear out for the ride
drop it off the other side
fear found lonely in the brew
Find yourself and lose those two

don't be waiting on the show
'cause when it's meant to be you'll know
Pack a bag and take a few
drive all night to somewhere new

but self-help, where we going to?
time is short, you cannot stew
but why the running, why the haste?
Why, can't you see? Your life's a waste!

trying all this new advice
I'm on the rocks, please hold the ice
i just can't fix these strange new drinks
and I don't care what that one thinks

I took that ride out to the cliff
and if's that's true, then what's the diff?
I've spent a lot of time on these
and burned my eyes right down to peas

And so I opened up the door
and took the books out, from the floor
and THREW them off the cliff that day
dust to dust or come what may!

To the woods, from whens you came
before your words would cause me shame!
before they bound you into books
and scarred your spine with fonts and looks!

you had no say in what was done
but someone gained a pretty sum
and all well meaning, surely so
but in the end, a heavy snow

And spring has come, and all things new
I'll try not to remember you
but hope to God that come the thaw
I'll not be sought out by the law

for dumping is illegal here
and though my conscience, fairly clear
at least I saved another soul
from thinking self-help makes you whole

when life is just one smaller part
of whats to come, what's in the heart
and how you act and what you do
the evidence of what's in you

As human being, we tire and fall
and need the strength of someone tall
but not a man, a loving God
who knows just how our feet are shod.

who wore our shoes and walked behind
who bore the sin of all mankind
and took the beating for the worst
the ones who hated, those who cursed

And asks us just to trust in Him
to wash the stain of human sin
to let Him carry, be the Lord
a Savior we can all afford

Whose perfect Love cast's out the fear
the lonely hearts club band is near
and knows the pain, he's led the herds
he wrote the music and the words

the sheep can't really help themselves
though self-help books have filled my shelves
but when I trusted Jesus Christ
he gave me more, the BEST ADVICE!

Captured there in orange
beneath the old street light
a cloud of breath exhaled
hangs heavy in the night.

Waiting on the 409
has never been this bleak
the fierce wind nips your ear lobe
and ice cold stings your cheek.

I watch you turn your collar up
your back against the bite
one hand on that coffee cup
the other out of sight.

Each morning
getting colder
the forecast is for snow
in fleece and wool you face the frost
and how I'll never know

I see you’re green
my blue faced friend
the green before the fall
you've never been about the perks
it's conscience above all.

The last thing on your mind just now
would be to get a Lynx
traffic is lame
road rage insane
And air pollution stinks.

Don't EVEN get you started
on the SUV
spews out nitrous oxide
and guzzles Texas tea.

Public parking,
another rare find
for what you get,
they rob you blind.

and what they miss
the vandal takes
leave you with migranes
the car alarm makes.

better for all
we all take the train
or one car per family
'stead of one car per brain.

Watching you stand there
with ice crystals forming
I despise all your stubborness
you NEED global warming!

I know you're no girly
my Ever-Ready mate
but my Duracel is waiting
and the 409 is late

I get out of my car
and approach you from the rear
my work cut out, without a doubt
the ice lymric is near

poetic license pending
I call for a herione's ending
like a frozen filet, without word or delay
I can lift you without even bending.

Once inside and thawing
you start in about the gas
I turn down the heat,
but turn up the seat
that's warming up your ****.

I'm all for the planet, I tell ya
and doing whatever is best
but for mornings like these
with your jewels in deep freeze
come with and we'll heat up the Quest!

he waved her down to where he stood
but lost her in the neighborhood
of several hundred thousand other people
and by the time she found him there
his drink was lost, she couldn't care
she stood there drenched in sweat beneath the steeple

and never mind the dusty ground
with legs to watch, and Stanky Brown
is dragging through his medley, nasty fella
next time, carry her own chair
and iced cold water, put it there
a shady spot, not hot, beneath the 'brella

whining eyes,
like her mother
he never knew it, but she cries
like no other
he'll see her through it
'til she dies
oh no~

it's better now, she doesn't care, he'll find her here, or meet her where
the mist is cool, and nearer to the porties
she only wants to find her place, a laggard in the human race
and rather cold, she's old, for in her forties

sometimes it takes you years to learn the smartest way is not to burn
though some folks like to hang out in the trenches
next time she will plan ahead and carry her own banner head and wave it high above the other wenches

these whining eyes,
like my mother
I never knew it,
but
she cries
like no other
I'll see her through it
'til she dies
oh no

This is the year and I know that I know
that I know as if someone has told me
you've heard it before and you doubt that it's true
saying somebody selling has sold me
I'm telling my folks and they're making the jokes
with their well-meaning words and those all-knowing pokes
I've been leaving for years but what nobody hears
is that often my fears tend to hold me

You can shout it all day, but your actions relay
more than anything else, if you mean what you say
You can stir up the salsa, while mixing the dip
but as for the chips let 'em fall where they may!

So heat up the grill and slice up the steak
green peppers and onions, fajitas we'll make
and as for life's spices,whatever you wish
we all like a kick, and chipotle's delish!
cilantro is fine, tomatoes and lime,
get the measures all wrong? No matter, they rhyme
The fixings are great, life sizzles and steams
let's have us a plate and then roll in our dreams!

You can shout it all day, but your actions relay
more than anything else, if you mean what you say
You can stir up the salsa, while mixing the dip
but as for the chips let 'em fall where they may!

when I was a child, heard many a thing
about God in His Heaven and angels who sing
of streets paved of gold, and the one at the gate
whose keeping a record of me on a slate

the things that I do and the things that I say
It scared me to think that I'd sin anyway
and I wanted to know how the God of great love
could measure our worth by the things we think of

not knowing Him then, well I listened to men
who knew less about God than they did their own end
so I prayed to the One, asking right from my heart
tell me true, are you there, have you been from the start?

can you please help me sort through the myth and the magic
the lies of religion, the hopeless and tragic?
can you meet me right here, just where I am
in my darkness and failures, are you really I AM?

and what of the others who labor for nothing
who have not and hunger for turkey and stuffing?
on the streets, in the cold, stumbling drunk in the alleys
red-handed, white lies, and deep blues in dark valleys?

at our weakest, and numb from the heartache of losing
the ones that we love, left behind with a bruising
will I find you in throne rooms in the back of my mind
like some Wizard of Oz that I'm seeking to find?

A whisper, an answer, a thought I just had
was it me, was it You, could it be, that I'm mad?
But wait, there again, as I stifle my pride,
"Open the door and invite me inside".

"Ask Me, I'll tell you, I'll lead you along
NOT ONE WORD WAS WRITTEN, disproven or wrong"

"And as for the poor and the weak and your past
Your sins are forgiven, the first shall be last."

"I've chosen the weak things to confound the wise
I turn it around for the greatest surprise"

The ONE that I love, the dearest of all
the babe in the manger with the horse in the stall
He grew to a man and we know him as Jesus
fulfilled the great plan and wow, how he sees us

He bore all our burdens and gave us the ring,
we are his bride and HE is our King
and the more that I trust him, the more I debate
I need to ask questions regarding our fate

Is God all around us, is heaven for real
does He care for our flesh and the way that we feel?
is one day like a thousand, as thousands are lost
in the floods and the fires and the wars and the frost?

I'll wait for the answers and try to be still
like the child in the manger and the cow on the hill
I will study to find myself well in Your sight
while we sit by the fire and chat through the night

and when Christmas has finally dawned on our days
and we celebrate giving in so many ways
I must keep in mind how you wiped clean the slate
for once and for all you reopened that gate

and I must not forget though I'm often at fault
that you want me to shine, to be light, to be salt
and always remember that You are the reason
I celebrate Christmas, no matter the season.

Eb pulls back, he holds his peace
he's done with Flo, he's wined the beast
and as it's said, 'don't tread where sands are shifting
ebb and flow, they come and go
ebb draws us out, the tides are low,
but as we yearn, return and stop our drifting.

I stand on rock, alone at last
and mourn for what is done and past
but still, with broken heart, recall the surges
the times when you were out at sea
and when you finally wrote to me
I laugh at how you satisfied my urges.

The words we shout from distant shore
the ones which fall on heavy oar
which make the trip back home far less than pleasing
far better are the words on wing
which land with olive branch and sing
a song of love which keeps the flow from freezing.

but even in the closest knit
where scarcely will the piece not fit
there's comes a rhythm known as ebb and flow.
and marriage is a special bond
and Eb and Flo they looked beyond
and understood the way it had to go.

and through the laughter and the tears
and late night dances, sharing beers
they always knew the highs would lead to low.
and now Flo waits on lonesome shore
for time apart was forced before
as time would have it, 'twas Eb's time to go.

I'm way out of touch
so far out of sync
stuck in this camp
and wow do I stink!

Out of my mind
were rhyming a crime
I'd be heavily fined
and then gone with a blink!

For I'd rather be eighty
a seasoned old lady
who has something worth saying
besides corny stuff

It's my campy old fluff
and I'd leave it behind
if only you'd find
that enough is enough

See I popped out this corn
in what felt like a second
but seasoned for hours
for better words beckon

Come camping awhile
and you'll pick up my style
as we sit popping poems
like old cornballs, I reckon

This is the year and I know that I know
that I know as if someone has told me
you've heard it before and you doubt that it's true
saying somebody selling has sold me!
I'm telling my folks and they're making the jokes
with their well-meaning words and those all-knowing pokes
I've been leaving for years but what nobody hears
is that often my fears tend to hold me!

You can shout it all day, but your actions relay
more than anything else, if you mean what you say
You can stir up the salsa, while mixing the dip
but as for the chips let 'em fall where they may!

So heat up the grill and slice up the steak
green peppers and onions, fajitas we'll make
and as for life's spices,whatever you wish
we all like a kick, and chipotle's delish!
cilantro is fine, tomatoes and lime,
get the measures all wrong? No matter, they rhyme
The fixings are great, life sizzles and steams
let's have us a plate and then roll in our dreams!

You can shout it all day, but your actions relay
more than anything else, if you mean what you say
You can stir up the salsa, while mixing the dip
but as for the chips let 'em fall where they may!

His final passage
all it took
to get this girl
to read the book
he'd asked her twice
before he died
she said she'd started it
but lied

His point was made
she'd do her best
fulfill this day
his last request
for now, what's sure
she's hanging on
to every word
because he's gone

and once aboard
she's hauled to sea
no pleasure cruise
but misery
she stands her watch
from noon till nine
he drinks his scotch
she sips her wine

He holds the course
and surely keeps
the surging seas
from where she sleeps
and once her grieving
eases some
she's finds his voice
a comfort from

the memories
she reads his words
through tear filled eyes
her ears have heard
and now she enters
into his
her mind alive
with images

of life beyond
this mortal soul
of turquoise seas
and sandy shoal
she mulls each chapter
of this book
and smells the sea
and baits the hook

and climbs the mast
up to top
unties the sails
and let's them drop
and pulled into uncertainty
the ship sails through
calamity
but never does
she doubt the man
who said he could
she knows he can

and reading on
she comes to see
the trip was really
meant to be
for all her days
she's been alone
sometimes by choice
though seeds were sown

but landing here
on troubled water
no one found
his only daughter
and left to find
her own way home
to settle down
or wait and roam

she's simply learned
to stay afloat
while others love
and others dote
on children born
to entertain
she'd prayed for babies
but got rain

the wind kicks up
her heart still bleeding
blames herself
for never heeding
youthful dreams
for fear of failing
SUDDENLY
she's out here sailing!

now rising from
the galley door
the smell of fresh
baked bread and more-
sea-salt blends
with airborne yeast
and draws her down
to taste the feast

she swings the rope
from deck to ladder
there's her Dad
a little fatter
the captain calls
all hands on deck
a storm is brewing
still they check

to see what's cooking
time to eat
for work requires
mortal meat
and in the middle
of the story
here's her father's
pride and glory

pictures taped
upon the wall
his two best girls
and that's not all
a golden key
on nail in teak
she'll watch him knead
while floorboards creak

she stands beside
and learns his ways
for he was gone
most of her days
out to sea to make a living
and mama said
he's always giving

now she listens as he praying
for wife and child
what's this he's saying?
"Bless them both
while I'm away,
lead them safely
through the day"

while fishermen
have dropped their nets
he speaks of losses
and regrets
that one small daughter
missed her dad
he never knew
just what he had

and once again
the ride resumes
across a sea
of oil plumes
and men are hardly
scarce she finds
her father's story
now unwinds

he fought this battle
with his crew
while stirring up
a *** of stew
his Guif, the sea,
was once so clear
he loved to fish
and held it dear

the tales within
this mariner's log
Would pull her head
out of the fog
he's taught her how
to sail the sea
to feel the wind
which sets her free

from thinking it's
about the past
to taking hold
of things which last
and using what's
inside of you
to break the cycle
cook the stew

to forge ahead
and let it go
you must read on
or never know
now seeing that
his book will end
she slows her eyes
and takes his pen

and writes a note
on every page
attempting to now
quell the rage
for how could he
who claimed to love
allow her pain
to rise above

the peaceful calm
she's found within
his final passage
'tis a sin
and still, one day
he shouts "LAND **!'
the end approaches
heart in tow

she will not greet
the writer's end
nor leave this place
of make-pretend
She will not listen
anymore

but drops her anchor
just off shore
and won't accept
the last surprise
but stills his voice
and shuts his eyes
she fights against
the frothy foam
while bailing water
from her own

she cannot bear
to lose him twice
his loving presence
his sound advice
on written pages
this the book
about his life
at sea
the cook

for days to come
the text will sit
with marker near
the end of it
for this her only
comfort now
to know he waits
for her somehow

and days will come
and days will turn
to weeks, then months
a year to burn
the only way
for this old lass
to ever move
beyond the pass

to go and read
the final pages
put to rest
her rock of ages
to do the only
thing she can
to free herself
from limbo land

She finds the book
upon her shelf
and opening
it for herself
She'll read the words
the man had written
years before
when he was smitten

on that page
and by his hand
a blessing that
he'd always planned
to read her on
her wedding day
the daughter he
would give away

"Be sure to love
the one you're with,
and this my girl
your wedding gift"
and tucked within
the jacket there
a little clipping
of her hair

a poem she'd done
when she was nine
and two more things
within the spine
a lock box number
and that key
this man, he loved
a mystery...

.@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@>@

Today she rides
upon the seas
and sails around
the Florida Keys
she drops her anchor
swims to shore
the waves won't scare her
anymore

and just last year
she met a guy
a salty sailor
with just one eye
he'd seen the movie
lived the book
not the ending
just the hook.

Sometimes, baby make me
want to scream and shout
Sometimes, baby, make me want to
pull my grey hairs out~
this one means you're hungry
next one means you're tired
if I carried on
like you
you know
I'd soon be fired~

'cause it's a cruel day
comin'
It's a cruel day
at my door
It's a cruel day
Someday
I'll say
"Baby
I can't take you
anymore".

This one means you're hurtin'~
Coming all undone
I'd kiss your hurts away all day
but Babe, it's half passed one~
This one's 'cause you're lonely
Lying in the dark
You slept all day,
It's time to play
but I can't raise my carcass~

It's a cruel day
comin'
It's a cruel day
at my door
It's a cruel day
Someday
I'll say
"Baby
I can't take you
anymore".

If colic were the reason
that you can't sleep at night
Well I could understand it
but there's just no end in sight~

that one's 'cause you're angry
tryin' to get me back
been fed and changed and walked
and rocked
but Babe, I'm in the sack~

And it's a cruel day
comin'
It's a cruel day
at my door
it's a cruel day
someday
I'll say
"Baby
I can't take you
anymore".

Monday morning's dawning
barely slept a wink
up since Sunday morning, Baby
I can hardly think.

Suddenly it's dawning
The answer to my prayer
I tiptoe in and smile at you
asleep without a care~

and it's a school day
coming
it's a school day
at your door
it's a school day
someday
you'll say
" Momma
let me
sleep
a little more!"

Yeah, and a cruel day
comin'
a cruel day
at my door
will be a cruel day
someday
you'll say
"Momma
I can't take you anymore".

My summer pearl fell from the train
       it was a fake, but just the same
sad was the day I left your side
      the season's end , bereft I cried
and waved goodbye without restrain.

        You gave me popcorn and a prize
and I could see it in your eyes
       just like a diamond in the sand
you found my heart when you took my hand
     and gave me ******* Jack's surprise.

I wore that ring as if it were
       a symbol of your love that summer
as seasons go, there came a day
      you asked if we'd come back to stay
we never did, I was a kid and life's a ******.

Long-distance is a lonely thing
       your letters made me want to sing
daydreams and photographs
      time passes trains and laughs
I kept the t-shirt and the ring.

You asked me once how I could cry
        over a plastic pearl gone bye
because I loved you so, you see
       we were like real to me, and gee
it hurt me more that you'd ask why.

Hello I just turned turned forty-nine
        I saw your Facebook page online
you have a wife I see,
       and a growing family
a little girl named Clementine.

Your other daughter is fifteen
        won't friend her father cause she's mean
she met a guy she loves, a cook
        he gave her cashmere gloves, and look
she's posting pictures on the screen.

Don't know you now, you don't know me
        one chapter from our history
although it's long been lost and such
       and though it didn't cost you much
that summer pearl was never free

even if there were to be
something like an EMP
nobody could ever stop the rain
nobody could keep the soil  
from bringing forth, by hands which toil
and harvest crops from field and fruited plain.

nobody could stop the day
and nighttime falls here comes what may
no man-made wind could move the weather vane
winds will blow and sun will burn
wood to chop and butter churn
work till dusk, and sleep to keep us sane.

God, HE IS and always was
came to Earth in flesh because
Love is stronger than the ones who ****
Jesus is the only ONE
the promised Savior, God's own Son
made Father's peace with Man
and loves us still.

Was a time, I di'nt believe
that God made Adam
then made Eve
and though it took me years to realize
He wants us all to know His Love
He's here right here now, the Maker of
the universe, but still this great surprise!

A perfect lamb was sacrificed
God's only son, Yeshua Christ
said he would take our sin, and wash us clean
my heart is flesh where once stone
God raised me up so He'd be known
and I can truly trust in the Unseen.

Yes, even though these eyes can't see
or touch the One who made us free
the Spirit, God's own Voice, does not deceive
We who hear, his precious sheep
the shepherd guides, and wills to keep
and even when we fail, He'll never leave.

and even if the floor falls out
and walking dead all roam about
and then we're forced to find a place to stay
and even if no food or water
Hell on Earth and then the slaughter
God would somehow help us through that day.