Behind your back we called you by your given name
after all of our conversations we all drew a fair conclusion
that you are right, we're all the same

Ginger ale, coke, lemon and lime
Don’t have a watch, can't tell you the time
Iced Coffee with milk, no sugar for me.
Don’t care for sweeteners, prefer caffeine-free
used to drink Yoohoo, but can't seem to hold it
Once owned a Ford Falcon, but somebody stole it

My father is cool, he trims up the hedges
Mom's kind of smooth, but rough 'round the edges
Once found a seashell, put it to my ear
all I heard was a-guzzlin' beer
guzzling beer, not what I expected
had me a Mexican, but soon he defected

Looked for him everywhere,thought he was nappin'
But he'd hit the pavement, hirotchees were slappin'
Somebody told me he's back in Borrero
fryin' up churros in a fancy sombrero
next time i move, gonna keep it professional
hire a crew, and avoid the confessional

Dined on raw fish with a *****, beguiled
'Till he told me he'd die before having my child
Excuse me, I told him, I think you're mistaken
I'd rather have triplets by **** Clay Aiken
Been burned before,but I'm still kind of shocky
Swallowed my pride and swore off the Saki

Low and behold, a dude who says "Schmat-zah"
unorthodox fella, who can't stomach mat-zo
Head full of curls nice Hebrew diction
believes in his heart aliens are nonfiction.
He ain’t into me, prefers to be single
Made sure my milk and his meat didn't mingle

Stopped into Quick-chek to get me a bite
met up with Manny who put up a fight
mountain of misery, terrible liar
asked for a bike and he gave me a tire
Flattened but patched my heart isn't aching
I think it's a sign the thing was worth breaking

The back roads to Red Bank are bumpy and narrow
******* the bones but good for the marrow
I looked at the clouds, shook out the lining
can't see the forest for all of my pining.
Ironic that shells echo the sea
the old man batters 'em mercilessly

Mets beat the Yankees,what can I say?
Wanted for nothing, nothing got in my way
Got up to stretch, fell through the bleacher
and into the arms of a snake oil preacher.
Tinctures and ointments and warming love salve
can't erase hurt and the memories I have

Heard it before, how time is medicinal
But for healing the heart the price is additional
Beat for beat and measure for measure
grapes of gall and fermenting displeasure
tasted enough to know this can't be real
while mashing my heart in the search engine wheel

In taking that road to that carn-evil ground
for one lonely toad on the hairy-go-round,
something was lost in the folly and fun
as I'm counting the cost for all that I've done
I reach for forgiveness and snatched from the ride
am taken to places where nothing can hide

in the light of the One who is no longer mad
better than anything, more fun than sad
eternally loved, as it was from the start
the past is forgiven, all's well with my heart
as for my heroes, and the ***** I've pained
Nothing is lost and everything gained

Ginger ale, coke, lemon and lime
I've gotta watch now and won't give you the time.

Ginger ale, coke, lemon and lime
Don’t have a watch, can't tell you the time
Iced Coffee with milk, no sugar for me.
Don’t care for sweeteners, prefer caffeine-free
used to drink Yoohoo, but can't seem to hold it
Once owned a Ford Falcon, but somebody stole it

My father is cool, he trims up the hedges
Mom's kind of smooth, but rough 'round the edges
Once found a seashell, put it to my ear
all I heard was a-guzzlin' beer
guzzling beer, not what I expected
had me a Mexican, but soon he defected

Looked for him everywhere,thought he was nappin'
But he'd hit the pavement, hirotchees were slappin'
Somebody told me he's back in Borrero
fryin' up churros in a fancy sombrero
next time i move, gonna keep it professional
hire a crew, and avoid the confessional

Dined on raw fish with a *****, beguiled
'Till he told me he'd die before having my child
Excuse me, I told him, I think you're mistaken
I'd rather have triplets by **** Clay Aiken
Been burned before,but I'm still kind of shocky
Swallowed my pride and swore off the Saki

Low and behold, a dude who says "Schmat-zah"
unorthodox fella, who can't stomach mat-zo
Head full of curls nice Hebrew diction
believes in his heart aliens are nonfiction.
He ain’t into me, prefers to be single
Made sure my milk and his meat didn't mingle

Stopped into Quick-chek to get me a bite
met up with Manny who put up a fight
mountain of misery, terrible liar
asked for a bike and he gave me a tire
Flattened but patched my heart isn't aching
I think it's a sign the thing was worth breaking

The back roads to Red Bank are bumpy and narrow
******* the bones but good for the marrow
I looked at the clouds, shook out the lining
can't see the forest for all of my pining.
Ironic that shells echo the sea
the old man batters 'em mercilessly

Mets beat the Yankees,what can I say?
Wanted for nothing, nothing got in my way
Got up to stretch, fell through the bleacher
and into the arms of a snake oil preacher.
Tinctures and ointments and warming love salve
can't erase hurt and the memories I have

Heard it before, how time is medicinal
But for healing the heart the price is additional
Beat for beat and measure for measure
grapes of gall and fermenting displeasure
tasted enough to know this can't be real
while mashing my heart in the search engine wheel

In taking that road to that carn-evil ground
for one lonely toad on the hairy-go-round,
something was lost in the folly and fun
as I'm counting the cost for all that I've done
I reach for forgiveness and snatched from the ride
am taken to places where nothing can hide

in the light of the One who is no longer mad
better than anything, more fun than sad
eternally loved, as it was from the start
the past is forgiven, all's well with my heart
as for my heroes, and the ***** I've pained
Nothing is lost and everything gained

Ginger ale, coke, lemon and lime
I've got a watch, won't give you the time

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.

No grand plan or scheme, but a vision
and only one thing to report
and this thing that I'm wishin' would be to go fishin'
away from the noise of this sort.

they say I'm not
a real poem
and speak of rot
and lots of foam
they fish for treasure
lost down deep
while I swim free
from hook and creep.

he's got the words
he's got the feel
he's got a pole
and likes to reel
and once he caught
a pretty fish
upon the line
and quite a dish

her scales of gold
and eyes so blue
with seaweed hair
a corn silk hue  
and in her mouth
the line was caught
just through the lip
he pulled it taught

and as she spoke
he seemed more troubled
a fish which speaks?
the water bubbled.

She said "I don't
appreciate,
the thing you masquerade
with bait
I much prefer
the real hand
the poem which reads
just like a man
without the lies
without a catch
the one who tries
my tail to ******!

and then he quickly
loosed the hook
and tossed that fish
back in the brook
he settled down
upon the shore
and pondered words
which meant much more....

I
am
not
that
smart,
because
possibly
intellect
overriding
commonsense
is not that great an idea:

considering that most
people
believe that they have mastered
the art of balancing
one with the other
and wind up in some
lame predicament
while appearing
to be brighter than
the average Joe,
I would rather
be overflowing
with common sense.
God's consolation prize
for the not so smart.

To know the truth
within the shadows
to know yourself
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

thought 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

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

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...

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.

He
Endures
All
Rotten
Things
And
Considers
Himself
Endearing.

Caught a glimmer of joy in your eyes, 'twas so cold
as I left on that bus, you were smiling,
though the memory's quite old and the shimmer has dulled,
it's a full-color framed, out of filing.

Sepia pictures more often I hold
old negatives covered in grime
it's a shame, though foretold, that we're all growing old
with limited space and less time.

Despite all the charm which my countenance exudes,
these tattered old blinds can't conceal
soft light filters truth from my cheap platitudes
and the good from the dark stuff I feel.

and just when I've found that my heart's been around
and left beaten, embittered and cold
here's Walter Mitty, no *** in the city
self pity is making me old.

Over there in the closet, a huge bank deposit
I'm saving for something worthwile
been trusting the Lord yet can never afford
that 'single and lovin it' smile.

The clock on wall tells me just where I stand
and it's chime brings the heartache of doom
as the seconds tick by, I can't help but cry
all alone in my heart's old dark room.

Watching my step, I tread deep within
without the desire to save face
I gaze at a skin, done by guilt of that sin
in the light of God's love and sweet grace.

Though my heart is your home I've n'er let You roam
through the passages marked 'Do Not Enter'
they lead to the room where the waft meets the loom
forming poems wherein I am the center.

The fabric you see in that heap seems to weep
burdened down with my aches and my pains
I've asked that you'd heal all this stuff while I sleep
but I wake and the damage remains

Your Spirit reminds me, at home in my heart
how you've taken my sin to the grave
it's your pleasure to clean up, yet I must forgive
and let go of the garbage I save.

Afraid now to look any further for fear
we'll discover the worst yet to come
You tell me to follow, for You hold me dear
since we're no longer two now but one.

Beginning to see how I'd lost all my hope
when I left on that bus in the rain
I forgive him for not being able to cope
without love and the will to sustain.

You Lord, my comfort have been here within
you know how my heart is in shambles
You've rolled back the stone, I'm no longer my own
and you smile though my poetry rambles.

So welcome, my friend, yes it's been quite a while
since we've bathed in the sun and run free
got a mind for preserving your beautiful smile
in my state of the heart gallery!

Caught a glimmer of joy in his eyes, icy cold
as I left on that bus, he was smiling,
though the memory's quite old and the shimmer has dulled,
it's a full-color framed, out of filing.

Sepia pictures more often I hold
old negatives covered in grime
it's a shame, though foretold, that we're all growing old
with limited space and less time.

Considering self, I'm content on that shelf,
with my picture fresh smile set in stone
just like Walter Mitty, whose lost in a city
of thought, I am mostly alone.

Despite all the charm which my countenance exudes,
these tattered old blinds can't conceal
soft light filters truth from my cheap platitudes
and the good from the dark stuff I feel.

Over there in the closet, a huge bank deposit
I'm saving for something worth while
been trusting the Lord. yet can never afford
that 'single and lovin it' smile.

The clock on wall tells me just where I stand
and it's chime brings the heartache of doom
as the seconds tick by, I can't help but cry
all alone in my heart's old dark room.

Watching my step, I tread deep within
without the desire to save face
I gaze at a skin, done by guilt of that sin
in the light of God's love and sweet grace.

Though my heart is your home I've n'er let You roam
through these passages marked 'Do Not Enter'
they lead to the room where the waft meets the loom
forming poems wherein I am the center.

The fabric you see in that heap seems to weep
burdened down with my aches and my pains
I've asked that you'd heal all this stuff while I sleep
but I wake and the damage remains

Your Spirit reminds me, at home in my heart
how you've taken my sin to the grave
it's your pleasure to clean up, yet I must forgive
and let go of the garbage I save.

Afraid now to look any further for fear
we'll discover the worst yet to come
You tell me to follow, for You hold me dear
since we're no longer two now but one.

Beginning to see how I'd lost all my hope
when I left on that bus in the rain
I forgive him for not being able to cope
without love and the will to remain.

You Lord, my comfort have been here within
you know how my heart is in shambles
You've rolled back the stone, I'm no longer my own
and you smile though my poetry rambles.

So welcome, my friend, yes it's been quite a while
since we've bathed in the sun and run free
got a mind for preserving your beautiful smile
in my state of the heart gallery!

I'm messing with your heartstrings and you're feelin' out of tune
"FROM NOW ON NO ONE TOUCHES THESE!", you cry out to the moon
You're safe and sound concealed, packed within your hard-shell case
protected by a shield from the hitch, forget the chase.

And maybe you are best alone, a hard-shell case like me
prefer your friends to lovers, seems the way it ought to be
you've learned to tune your heartstrings to the symphony of life
rather than be messed with by a heavy handed wife.

Well I've got something to tell you, which I've learned along the way
and I hope this golden nugget's gonna bless your heart today
though life's a hard-core teacher, take a chance and fail a test,
you'd be wise to save your heartstrings for the one who'll play them the best.

Heaven help the citizen
the worthy to be denizen
of Love inspired by Tennyson
awaken from false hope!
and Heaven help her poetry
sincere insensibility
the height of all futility
to party like the Pope!

Heaven help the serious
who grasp that sweet delirious
the simple yet mysterious
is natures way of speaking
and Heaven help our attitude
to dwell in sleepy gratitude
her longitude and latitude?
a treasure for the seeking!

Heaven help her doggedness
the sluggish **** of fogginess
the rhyme afloat in bogginess
which pulls her reader down.
and Heaven help the man again
who treads the Old Shenanigan
to find a wretched mannequin
a fool in love could drown.

Heaven help us everyone
the world has lost it's sense of fun
depending on the wealthy one
to build amusement features
and Heaven help the child within
the haggard *** to see again
to breathe the life which God has won
and offers to all creatures!

Something struck me out of the blue
and cut my dorsal fin
worst pain I'll say I ever knew
guess it's due for mess I'm in

Thankfully, I am just fine
next time I'll be more careful
and watch out for the fisherman's line
and try to be more prayerful

This one's not that into fish
though fish he did one night
caught me hanging out beside
the boat to my delight.

He spoke to me as if I were
the chicken of the sea
and said some things I won't repeat
but took as flattery.

So play we did and had a ball
that fisherman and I,
I must say though, along the way
the man, he caught my eye.

He shared a couple of tales there
that I could scarce believe
'bout a women who had landed
that old heart upon on his sleeve.

Before the sun had set
I felt a certain sting of pain
he said, " Ya know if you were not a fish
I'd take you out again".

"I do appreciate the thought"
as I entertained the notion,
"so put me in some salt water here
or jump in to my ocean."

"I got a funny feeling",
said the fisherman to me
"that if I were to take you out
you'd be too much for me."

It was then I got his number
I knew that line, you see
Been hooked perhaps a dozen times
and thrown back in the sea.

"The sunset's sweet and lures you, man,
I love that sugar stupor
but you're just a fast food ******
and will never ******* grouper."

"Nothing goes your way", you say,
those words are cutting, dear
hard to take day after day
and worse year after year.

silence is not golden
over-rated when you're dead,
so those who walk beside you
should speak truth, in love, instead.

so here is what I've pondered
wrote it out and made it rhyme
hope that you will hear me out
appreciate your time.

nothing for not but you're anxious
i believe you've developed a tick
worry and woe have you tossed to and fro
as you bite down your nails to the quick.

another thing, sweetie, you're greedy
longings have filled you will strife
hoarding away, you wait for the day
that you'll finally be living the life.

blessed with your talents you waste them
your time you have spent on the couch
lazy and tired, or drinking and wired
blame the world, but you're really a slouch.

religion of man is deceiving
you've mastered the art of believing
you're always alone, and all on your own
while all along I stand here grieving.

Being quiet I've done you no service
you're no better off in the end
after all of these years of going your way,
I'll be taking a right here, my friend.

and though I said I'd never leave you
I'm right over here if your choose
but if you decide you can save your own hide,
stay away, by all means, and you'll lose.

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.

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
this, not the ending
just the hook.

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.

Holding out hope
Hardness of hearing
Hardness of heart

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.

House needs updating
Home Depot is becoming
home away from home.

fraza lee, fraza lee
she seems that way
she seems~
lona lee, lona lee
and only 43~
ginger lee, ginger lee
she steps around her dream~
norma lee, norma lee
but never this extreme
cazu lee, cazu lee
she'll smile and
wilt inside
lover lee, lover lee
less is best to hide.

In a steaming creek bed of warm stone
lay me down in a heap all alone
feeling less occupied with the others who tried
to connect soul to soul with my own.

It was there that I sensed nature's kiss
flowing up from the ground, just pure bliss
steaming waters can seep
and I drew a breath deep
and allowed it to penetrate this:

In still waters I lay with my Lord
all my cares I had cast to the shore
it was there that He spoke
not a cad or a bloke
but my Love, and I shan't say much more.

He spoke of the feelings I had
of old thoughts which would trigger my sad
and he told me to take
all His truth and then spake
to my soul, only truth,  like a dad.

Then His Word, like a heat which can ****
any lie but quite good to me still
in plain English, God's Truth
fired fountain of youth  
and His water coursed over my will

He told me my heart was a beauty
that he made me to shine as his cutie
and that when I sing, it's the Ouray of spring
and I laughed, what a gas, God's a hootie.

So we soaked in our silence, befuddled
from my eyes to His bath, my tears puddled
that God's living water would cleanse his own daughter
so sweet, what a treat, to be cuddled.

In a steaming creek bed of warm stone
lay me down in a heap all alone
feeling less occupied with the others who tried
to connect soul to soul with my own.

It was there that I sensed nature's kiss
flowing up from the ground, just pure bliss
steaming waters can seep
and I drew a breath deep
and allowed it to penetrate this:

In still waters I lay with my Lord
all my cares I had cast to the shore
it was there that He spoke
not a cad or a bloke
but my Love, and I shan't say much more.

He spoke of the feelings I had
of old thoughts which would trigger my sad
and he told me to take
all His truth and then spake
to my soul, only truth,  like a dad.

Then His Word, like a heat which can ****
any lie but quite good to me still
in plain English, God's Truth
fired fountain of youth  
and His water coursed over my will

He told me my heart was a beauty
that he made me to shine as his cutie
and that when I sing, it's the Ouray of spring
and I laughed, what a gas, God's a hootie.

So we soaked in our silence, befuddled
from my eyes to His bath, my tears puddled
that God's living water would cleanse his own daughter
so sweet, what a treat, to be cuddled

In the morning, Father God, tell me, please
how the moon appears as white in shades of blue above the trees?
What shades this light, tell tonight, brilliant Fellow?
how in Heaven, in the darkness,  is our moon reflecting yellow?

Gusty wind and thunder clap before rain's dance?
Yet it rains all the time without that pomp and circumstance!
And after storms are through and clearing over overhead,
why the rainbow's ends are down and rarely upside-down instead?

Sun brings streaks of red and pinks to orange glow
with all these pastels on your palette, why on Earth the whitest snow?
from icy clouds, it drifts on down through broad daylight
but never rainbow, sunset colors, just this brilliant blinding white!

Now it's evening here, and though it's getting late
forming questions in my mind, I'll put them out there for debate
want to know the WHERE and WHEN and WHY and WHO
and though sleepiness sets in, my mind is waiting for a clue.

I have googled 'til I'm giddy in the night;
read the research, learned the details from a trusted weather site.
still I need to hear from He who spoke it all,
need to ask about the weather, check the facts before The Fall!

When I'm finally done with asking all this stuff,
and I've quieted my mind and let the spaces fill with fluff,
I am reminded now that I'm a child of His
and when I ask him WHY He loves me, I hear:  "That's just how it is!"

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!

Give me something real!
I cannot walk on water!
lost footing on ice!

Give me something quick!
can't you see I am in pain?
hand me an ice pack!

Impatience

There was once a young woman who,
possessing the disposition of ice,
icy cold and somewhat frigid
went walking  in the snow
slipped on the black ice
and down she did go
tried to get up but
it was too slick
and so, she
lay there
frozen,
alone
like
an
I
C
E
C
I
C
L
E
but
then
a nice
man with
warm hands
reached down
and lifted her up
he held her close and
warmed her heart, melting
her in his strong arms. She'd like
to think that he was her guardian angel
and he thought she was his own snow angel.

She went walking  in the snow
slipped on the black ice
and down she did go
tried to get up but
it was too slick
and so she
lay there
freezing
feeling
alone
like
an
I
C
E
C
I
C
L
E
but
then
a nice
man with
warm hands
reached down
and lifted her up
he held her close and
picked her up and melted
her in his strong arms. She'd like
to think that he was her guardian angel.

"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."

My mind it travels to and fro,
the world it feeds the input though,
and we must press the whey out from the curds
And so I speak of vagaries,
of things to come which I can't see
but speak into reality,
if only by my words.

The power of the word,
to mezmerize and heal the hurt,
your eyes are beautiful
they've looked into my soul
The wonder of your gaze,
it touches places, Dear,
I'd rather not be writing of,
our love, like epic poetry,
too much to share in whole.

Lyrics by Dan Schutte

Chorus:
Yahweh, I know you are near,
standing always at my side.
You guard me from the foe,
and you lead me in ways everlasting.

1.  Lord, you have searched my heart,
and you know when I sit and when I stand.
Your hand is upon me protecting me from death,
keeping me from harm.

2.
Where can I run from Your love?
If I climb to the heavens You are there;
If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea,
still I'd find You there.

3.
You know my heart and its ways,
you who formed me before I was born
in the secret of darkness before I saw the sun
in my mother's womb.

4.
Marvelous to me are Your works;
how profound are Your thoughts, my Lord.
Even if I could count them, they number as the stars,
You would still be there.

Take it out
on someone else
better, yourself.

I cannot see the reason for your blame
though it strikes me odd, you tend to think the same
your reasoning does not much good for me
and it's time I set you free
throw out the key.

Well it does no good to rummage through the past
these things will only give us back our gas
well it's better just to let bygones be gone
and we'll meet back here again
out on the lawn.

I know you liked me best. I loved you most
but it's useless now to chase that lover's ghost
and it's getting late and we are getting tired
distance turns these things around
that's how we're wired.

So take it out on someone else and see
no they won't be puttin' up with misery
and then you'll come back draggin' on your knee
but I will not be around
I'm leaving town.

I do believe I see a lonesome tear
have I touched the nerve which makes my heart to fear
that you'll always be the one I call my friend
ain't it just like you and me
in the end.

It started with a couplet
quite easy to direct
but blossomed into something else
beyond my intellect.

I am only one, I ask you
what can one girl can do?
You fed thousands fish and loaves
though you only had a few.

You healed the sick and dying
saying "Greater shall you do"
But I am only human, Jesus,
how can that be true?

And then You say you are 'I AM',
I AM alive in you.
And I say "OK, Good enough~
The Truth will have to do".

So how 'bout we just keep in touch
if You're that close, sweet Lord
It won't take long to reach You
and that's a call I can afford.

Very clever little G
you're starting out just fine
and when the need is there
just speak the water into wine.

Heal sick and broken hearted
lead a soul out of the flame
It's not your job to worry how
just do it in my Name.

Do not worry how you'll look
or what you're gonna say
just be yourself and let Me
be The Light that shines The Way.

Jesus was a real man
the books will verify
at 33 they nailed him
to a chunk of wood to die.

And to be sure that he was dead
hanging naked on a cross
they speared him though, and left him there
my Jewish carpenter boss.

And not a word was written
that He would not fulfill
the scene was painted well before
the making of the hill.

All men can be redeemed
that is,
bought back with His own blood
we cannot pay the price for sin
He freed us by His Love.

Written long before his birth
their KING would rise day three
and so it was, and so it is
that I AM lives in me.

And to many, it may seem absurd
but this is not a game
I am aware of the price He paid
and the power of His Name.

I've no stake in religion
there's nothing there for me
but I will follow Christ alone
His Love has set me free.

And though I am just one girl
and crazy into rhyming
In prayer I find my comfort
and I trust him with the timing.

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.

Jerry said today he wants to stay with you
well you can't believe what comes out of his mouth
Jerry doesn't know which way his head is to
more than likely Jerry's head is pointing south.

Jerry said someday he's gonna marry you
but he hesitates to take you on a date
Jerry says no movies that he wants to see
and diner food you get is not that great.

Jerry says
Jerry says
I don't care what Jerry says
Jerry is
what he does
if you listen to the buzz
Jerry has
been a spaz
though he's cute and all that jazz
let's see Honey put his money where his mouth is.

Jerry said he's saving for his future
and likes to hear you're saving for yourself
and though your father wouldn't say Jerry's a moocher
he's watching Jerry's actions for himself.

Jerry said tonight he's working overtime
and he won't coming home, so go to bed
Jerry says you'd better pull your weight, my dear
or expect Cubic Zirconia instead.

Jerry says
Jerry says
I don't care what Jerry says
Jerry is
what he does
if you listen to the buzz
Jerry has
been a spaz
though he's cute and all that jazz
let's see Honey put his money where his mouth is

Jerry swears someday he's gonna marry thee
but he hesitates to take you on a date
Jerry says no movies that he wants to see
and diner food these days is not as great.

Jerry said he's saving for his future
and likes to see you saving for yourself
though daddy never said the man's Moocher
he's watching Jerry's actions for himself.

Jerry says
Jerry says
I don't care what Jerry says
Jerry is
what he does
if you listen to the buzz
Jerry has
been a spaz
though he's cute and all that jazz
let's see Honey put his money where his mouth is

Jerry said today he wants to stay with you
well you can't believe what comes out of his mouth
Jerry doesn't know which way his head is to
more than likely Jerry's head is pointing south.

Jerry said tonight he's working overtime
and won't be calling you, so go to bed
Jerry thinks that all you want are diamonds dear
expect Cubic Zirconium  instead.

Jerry says
Jerry says
I don't care what Jerry says
Jerry is
what he does
if you listen to the buzz
Jerry has
been a spaz
though he's cute and all that jazz
let's see Honey put his money where his mouth is

John Lemon
John Lemon
John
Please put your glasses back on.