If the last place
you look
is where
you find things

Maybe
you should
look there
first

There is an old man
got one good leg
don't use no cane
he just hops on
down the road

He got a mangy dog
don't see too good
can't hear much too
it just follows
its nose

And when trouble comes
they got no place to go
they just stand their ground
and bring some trouble
of their own

So watch out
for a one leg man
watch out
for a mangy dog
if you got trouble
on your mind

And when good times come
they still got no place to go
they just hang around
and bring some good times
of their own

Watch out
for a one leg man
watch out
for a mangy dog
if you got good times
on your mind

Everyone lies
except me

Two plus two is four
There's someone knocking
On my front door

When I go to see
Who is it and ask
Who came to visit

I hear "Two plus two is five,
In my opinion"

So I say "Your'e welcome inside,
But four ain't five
And that is no opinion"

Loyalty
Is so hard to find

Because loyalty
Is so hard to do

It’s hard to be true
Every day and night
No matter what might
Have been better for you

And loyalty
Is so easy to say

But loyalty
Doesn’t always stay

When it comes time
To step up to the line
You might be surprised by
Who stays behind

Yet you still have to do
What you know is true
Even if you have been left
Out in the cold

Because loyalty
starts with you

But when it comes through
Nothing else can outdo
That feeling you get
Like you were dying
And yet you’re still alive

So you can select
The ones who will get
That feeling from you
But just don’t expect
The same in return

Because loyalty
Is so hard to find

I will be gone
before the morning comes

I'm going down
where I belong

I've got to fill the night
with the rest of my life

So don't hang around
or you'll be going too


You better stay away
get away from me

Or you'll wind up
in misery


I'm going down
I'm going down

Where I belong

I will be gone
before the morning comes

I'm going down
I'm going down

Before the morning comes

I'm going down
I'm going down


But if you find a way
to get another day

Then I will follow you

I'm going down
I'm going down

But if you find a way
to get another day

Then I will follow you


Before the morning comes
you better find a way

Before the morning comes
to get another day

Or I'll be gone

It's been said
that you can catch more flies
with honey
than with vinegar

But who wants flies?

He put the moon in my hand
     long before I knew
          the measure of its weight

          It felt like almost nothing
     as if floating
above the reach
          of my fingers
    

               It had no special features
          to reward my wandering eyes
     as they continued on elsewhere

And there seemed to be no reason
     to keep it in my grasp
          so I soon returned it
               into my father's hand

                
                       But afterward I felt it
                resting in my palm
          growing heavy and then fading
       in phases without sequence
or boundaries of time

Barely perceptible
     like shadows pulling forward
          it guides me still

               Leading me past emptiness
          lifting me past hope
     rising highest in the darkest hours

I see its face again

I am a rock
in the middle of
the Mojave desert

And you
are a figment
of my imagination

Though it takes more lifetimes
than have ever been
for starlight to cross the universe
and be embraced by your gazing eyes

It only takes an instant
at the pace of its own rhythm
for the heart of its heart
to find its way into your own

A thousand dancing cats
mewed in wild cacophony
with whiskers tangled
and bells that jangled
amidst and among
their tails and their paws

The wide-eyed dogs
could only leap
and bark at the chaos
in their noses and their ears
their empty jaws held dripping tongues

While flocks of birds
fell laughing from the sky

When the springtime
drank the winter snow

And brought back
the petals and the leaves

The fields were calling
for those waking

Or those chasing
what had disappeared


But when the blossoms fell
and the wells ran dry

And the sun’s roar
chased away the night

We left behind
when we were young

The schoolyards
and the bells


We were loose
upon the lakes

And fields we
made our own

It was our time
That was our time


Those summer days


And now the winter
is taking everything

That survived the fall
I feel it taking me away

But I hold on to summer days

That was our time
it was our time

I’ll be there once again

It was our time
that was our time

Running loose
upon the fields

Of summer days

I got no love
to fill my heart

And nothing left
to warm my blood

I got no wings
I cannot fly

No way to go
until I die

So bury me
in a shallow grave

Let the wind
take me away



I got no love
to fill my arms

And nothing left
to ease my mind

I got no joy
I cannot fly

No place to go
but where I lie

When my last breath
is hanging low

Let it find you
in the wind

I don’t know when
I’m going to change my ways

I don’t know when
There will be better days

But I’m all right now
The winds have blown away

I’m all right now
I said goodbye to yesterday

And I don’t need
What never came

Anymore

And I don’t need
Words never said

Anymore


I don’t know when
The tide will turn my way

I don’t know when
I’ll be standing where I lay

But I do know now
That you are here with me

And I do know now
That you are all I need

So if you stay
By my side

Forevermore

I won’t feel
Where I have bled

Anymore

I’m all right now
I’m all right now

There you were

above the chaos and the sound
of fury on the ground

There you were

above the shadows and the fog
when everyone had gone

There you were

a floating river
to carry me away

The rain is falling down
it’s trying to take away the ground

But there’s a place for you and me
above the rivers and the sea

So let the rain
come pouring down


Let it soak into the hills
let the lakes drink up their fill

Until the sky
has emptied all the clouds

And the sun
shines over what has drowned


‘Cause there’s a place for you and me
above the rivers and the sea

Let the rain
come pouring down

when you are down
you must be stronger

than those around
who try to help

but don’t see
what’s got you down

or what you’re doing
to get up

and only see you
on the ground

you must be stronger
than those around

to help the helpers
look up at you

stronger

When I die
and am buried
in the ground

Don't cry
upon the site
where I am found

But mark my grave
with a familiar cheer

"I'd rather be sailing"

Remember all the joyful years
that we have shared

And know that when it is our time
I will be there

To venture past
horizon's end
with you

Once more.

I was cruising right along
with the radio on
and my favorite song
was playing
in my ears.

I had an open road
with the sun at my back
and the wind
was flying
through my hair.

And I felt like the sky
when it touches the ground
and is everywhere
it wants to be.

But that feeling
didn't last
'cuz I was running
out of gas

So I think I'm
gonna be staying
here for a while.

I need someone
to help me out of this place,

I need someone
to look at my face,

I need someone
to get me going again.


I'll be sitting in my car
with the radio on
cranking out songs
by the side of the road.


I'll be looking around
for the nearest town
and try and make it
on my own.

But I think I'm
gonna be staying
here for a while

And I need someone
to see where I am,

I need someone
to understand,

I need someone
to get me going again.


Won't you
stay a little while
with me?

Won't you stay
here for a while?

In a garden where young roses bloom
and wildflowers find their way,

she walks along a path
where thorns and thistles lay.

Her silhouette adorns the sky,
her shadow floats above the ground,

she weaves silk and velvet
from petals fallen down.

She charms the swirling wind
with calm and gentle sway,

and gazes past horizon’s end
as night turns into day.

Each day on the TV
I watch as the newspapers die
I say to myself
"You're about to go blind"

To have a country like this
Should be a dream come true
Out of all the nations in the world
We have democracy
　
So is it just my imagination
Running away with me
Or is the freedom of our nation
Running away from me?
　
Soon I'll be married
But I won't be employed
I'll dream about a home in the city
But there's none I can afford

I ask you
Am I losing it all?
This American dream
Is it too good to be true?
　
So is it just my imagination, once again
Running away with me
Or is the freedom of our nation
Running away from me?
　
Every night, in e-mails that I send,
"Dear Congressman please
Don't take my voice away from me
Or I will surely die"

Ooh, their speeches assure me
When they appear on TV,
I hear their concerned sympathy,
But in reality, they could care less about me
　
And is it just my imagination, once again
Running away with me,
Or is the freedom of our nation
Running away from me?

I once had it and I can't forget it,
Just my imagination
Running away from me
Just the freedom of our nation
Running away from me

I once had it and I can't forget it
Was it just my imagination?

I’m on my way
to see the Devil

I’m almost there
I’ll be there soon

‘Cause what I need
ain’t in Heaven

Got to sell my soul
to ease this pain



It’s been a long
and troubled journey

And all my roads
have been dead ends

But I go on
takin’ on

Whatever comes
with the turning day

I go on
takin’ on

What comes along
with the turning day



I lost my love
a long time ago

Chasing what
I still don't know

When I looked back
all I saw was black

Every good thing was gone
and she was too


So now I'm on my way
to see the Devil

I'm almost there
I'll be there soon

'Cause what I need
ain't in Heaven

Got to sell my soul
to ease this pain

Then I’ll head down
a new direction

Until I find
my love again

And when I do
I’m gonna face the Devil

I'll break that hold
and free my soul



Then we’ll go on
takin’ on

Whatever comes
with the turning day

We'll go on
takin’ on

What comes along
with the turning day

If I had all the time in the world,
I would accomplish amazing things.

I could climb Mount Everest
Many times,
Starting from my bedroom
And even in my sleep.

I could learn a hundred foreign languages
And make up a hundred more,
Or teach everyone to understand each other
No matter what words they hear.

I could build cities with vitality and care
For all people who live in them,
For a lifetime,
Or a day.

My deeds would be
Of biblical proportions,

Or better yet
Of astronomical dimension,

Or better yet
Of infinite importance,

Since I would have unlimited time
to venture past all boundaries

Beginning with my own

Even if I hadn't taken my first step
Until today.

Or better yet,
after my nap tomorrow.

I Will have my cornflakes
and eat them with a fork

so I can save the milk for last

and sometimes there are berries
and sometimes there is jam

In the end
your'e there,

So there you are.

He rises every day
before the sun,
thinking about
the people who will come,

What maladies they bring,
what aches and pains,
what ailments and sorrow,

He wonders
what there is
inside of him,
and if there is
inside of him,

Something
that can bring comfort to
the people who will come.

Yet when they arrive,
one by one,
or in twos or threes,
or maybe more,

He doesn’t question
who he is,
or isn’t,
or what he can
or cannot do,

He simply greets
the people when they come

And lets the way
find him,
the way that touches life
in every one he sees.

I spent so much purpose
determined, without knowing
perhaps instinctive
surely stubborn
but not blind

Being the center

because I could
bring direction
to the spin

for a while

But then my time had passed
or so I thought when I felt
the ground dissolving
without forewarning
turning solid into
nothing
and knowing
into uncertainty

leaving me an empty shell
or so I thought until I learned
that my time had actually come
but I was unprepared

I reached out for you
too late without forewarning
in ways unrecognizable to you
and hopelessly misguided by me

but you looked away
because of who
I had become
and who you wanted
to be after all you
saw of me

And yet you stayed
near but not close
present but not here
just out of reach
by either one

So now I struggle
determined, and well knowing
against my nature
surely stubborn
but not blind

I feel the warmth
of your fingertips
and soon I'll grasp
your hands

if you keep mine
in yours I will find
some way to make
these battered legs
take me to you

Out of the craven sky
the flow of molten bittersweet

-- no purity in these
that catch your lashtips
as you wrap your arms
around the blanket fog
and breathe in dew
from distant mountaintops --

You gaze beyond my eyes,
beyond my tethered dreams
to pierce the wound that bleeds
with molten bittersweet,

And from these drops
a rhythm beats
'til nothing more,

Only you
Only you

I sailed a laser
in the horseshoe bay
of an island
in the San Juans

The wind was blowing
from the south
at twenty
knots or so, it felt
like fifty on my cheeks

As I headed upwind
and felt the vessel heel,
my toes dug past
their strap,
I leaned to level 'til

My face was sprinkled
with the spray,
my hair was trailing
in the wake

And geese did glide
not far away,
just above the crests,
honking as I flew along
and just behind them

Skipping now and then,
my windswept face
like a stone

It happened in a memory,
not so long ago,
one that had escaped me,

a glimpse of
what I used to know

Far off in the distance,
a thousand dreams or so,
a winged syren beckons
of land, of hope, of home 

An alluring vision rises,
between port bow and port beam,
above the windward gunwale,
above the Devil's seam 

The main and mizzen struggle
against the howling wind,
the staysails strain
against the sheets
hauled taut and closely in 

But the course we follow
cannot reach our destination true 

We must tack and then again,
until our bow is set dead on,
and find a steady
wind and fair  
to fly above
the pounding waves,
to free the maiden's hair 

Just beyond the bowsprit,
a thousand leagues at sea,
the flying jib will lead us where
our spirits find their peace

somewhere deep
into the burn

a step mistaken
no intention
on a wicked moon

the silent cry
of an abandoned soul

treads lightly by

We have a little tug of war,
my dogs and I

It's about the cushions
where they often lie

The older one keeps moving them
from place to place
and day to day

The younger one keeps chewing them
from top to bottom
until they fray

I wag my finger,
I say "No, No!"

They wag their tails,
They just don't know

And then the sky grows ominous
as clouds begin to form
they are dark and menacing
moving in but slow

So I grab the cushions
and head toward the porch
where the roof will cover them
and keep them dry and warm

My dogs look curious,
Is this another game?
Will they get their cushions back?
Will I ever learn their ways?

But when I put the cushions
where they ought to be
I sit down beside them
and my dogs lay next to me

As we watch the raindrops
begin to trickle
and then to pour

We see what happened to the sky
and wag our tails, happy,
that I did not let
sleeping dogs lie

Drove past a mansion the other day,
high on a hill,
grand and stately,
with manicured lawns,
and wrought iron fences,
adorned with Morning Glories.

Then I drove on,
to a cozy little house,
swingset in the yard
and a trike in the driveway.

It may not be much,
but it's mine.

Walked past a gym the other day,
sculpted forms of the human physique,
active and graceful,
growing strong and healthy,
fashionably decorated
with the latest workout attire.

Then I walked on
to a medical center,
examined and tested
a barely passing grade.

This body may not be much,
but it's mine.

I went to the park the other day,
a cheerful young woman,
pushing a giggling child in a swing,
while another built castles in the sand.

I may not be much,
but I'm theirs.

Fate becomes the bitter night,
devours the Dream
bereft of sight,

betrays the Innocent

Who watches still
the Stars that fall
upon the sill.

And yet within
a Spark alights
in search of Meaning
to enflame

the Passion requisite,

that burns with raging Fury
at its Core,
and shreds all contradiction
with its with Scorn

till nothing stands
but might of Will,

Defeats the foe
who kept us still.

Along the river's edge
a figure bends
to dip his earthen pots
into its vital flow

they sip the precious liquid
shimmering and crystalline
like diamonds floating
above the eclipse of the sun

they become transformed
from dormant vessels
wearing the dull
pallor of mud
to vibrant cisterns
radiating the glow
of polished jade

they breathe away
exhaustion
in frothy currents
rushing
past swollen lips

to join the constant stream

till he bows low
and receives their treasure
suspended from a wooden frame
with frayed and twisted rope
solidified not yet petrified
soaking yet and squeezing still
the moisture dripping
from their fill

he lifts the wooden frame
upon his shoulders
and keeps its balance
with his arms
his back strains
his legs straighten
as they raise their heavy load

he looks up
with eyes set deep
beneath his furrowed brow
thick parchment skin
and thistled hair
are all that shield him
here and now

he sees the road
that he will take
this time around
and sets one foot
before the other

away from solid ground

he goes to bring
to those who
find him
the lading
in his care

he goes to meet them
in that place

past faith
past dreams
past hope

Perfect imbalance
of tumbling sky,

the fairies laugh,
the witches cry,

it matters not
what havoc comes,

the piper sleeps,
the drummer strums,

the boxer lifts his mighty arm

to crush the air
but nothing more,

his foe is gone
and is no more.

Across the hearth
a blazing fire

and chiming embers
as they fall

melting from the logs,

we reminisce
of memories lost,

a scent of dew
a touch of frost.

The sirens were no match
For the pounding in my ears,
Or the hurried breaths I gulped
To exhale nervous bursts of air

Into the lungs of one
Who gave life to me

My eyes were no match
For the scene when they arrived,
Their uniforms obscured my vision
As it began to blur,
And colors slid past shapes
Like views through vintage glass

And though I couldn't see him,
I knew that he was there

My breath still in his lungs

The sea came rolling in,
On beads of foam and glass

It licked the grainy floor,
And chased us to the sand

We turned 'round and laughed
To mock its reaching lips,

Until a tidal wall
Came tumbling upon us,

Grasping our knees,
Curling our toes,
Stiffening our spines,

As it suprised us
With swiftness and with cold

Then just as quickly it retreated,
Hoping to take its prize
But we stood still and steadfast,
Digging our feet into the shore,

While the ocean's edge rushed past us,
To regroup,
And renew the chase
Once more

"Not today!" we shouted,
With victory in our eyes,
As relief turned to defiance,
And truth returned to lies

Perhaps tomorrow
We will dive into the crashing waves,
And spread our limbs
To cool ourselves
From fires that burn within

But today
We will stand tall,
And watch blazing hues
Of amber and magenta
Dance with cobalt blue,

As the sun melts
Into the seam

Where the sea meets the sky

j
       u
         s
          t
        a
     l
      i
       tt
          l
            e
                b
                     l
                       u
                     e
                s
          i
     l
   v
    e                        
         r              
              w  
                    h                    
                        i           p
                             s           e
                                            r
                                           f
                                            u
                                                l
                                            o
                                       f
                               s    
                   m
        o
           k
   e
      blew
          from
              your lips
                     to wisp
                           right by my nose

and though it put the candle out
          it drew
                my lips
                      to yours

i lost you in a crowd,
down along the quay

you were jubilant and laughing
from the easy spill of day

your dress and hair
were playing with the wind,
your eyes and lips
were smiling with the sun

you said something
that i couldn't hear,
it sounded like a whisper
that floated by my ears


you found me all alone,
on the broken side of day

i was torn and listless,
like driftwood from the bay

my clothes and hair
were tangled with my skin,
my eyes and lips
were closed and thin

then i heard something
that you said before,
i recognized the sound
once smothered by the roar


it was the promise
that you whispered,
down along the quay

that we would sail past
the tides of time

and then another day

When last we danced
in dark of night,
no moon, no stars
no other light

Than your eyes
to catch my own


When last we walked
along the shore,
no earth, no sun
and nothing more

Than your hand
to catch my own


When last we lay
upon the ground,
no laugh, no cry
no other sound

Than the whisper
of your heart

To catch my own

In a corner
a quiet corner
he passed by every day

it stood
unnoticed
solemn
proud

in silent dignity

unobtrusive
content
intact

Until by chance

the light of dusk
skipped off its latch
and caught his eye

He paused
and turned midstride
without a thought
unsure of why

and then amongst the shadows

its silhouette appeared
familiar lines and shapes
like voices in a dream
that drew him close and near

He paused again
and wondered
if he dared
to touch its shell

He paused again
and wondered
if he dared
to reach within his shell

And then he heard a melody
played so long ago

a tune
too simple for a symphony

a song
too beautiful for him alone

But there was no sound

only a memory
of a time that used to be

only a memory
of someone he used to be

He closed his eyes
and held his breath
his hand outstretched

Until by chance

he found its latch
and opened
its protective case

he peered inside
and saw a vision
he once knew

blushing in the fading sunlight
glowing from its inner hue

He reached inside
and cradled softly
its slender neck

then raised gently
its graceful body
to rest beside his neck

he found its bow
still loose and supple
without tension
held with ease

and then he stroked its hair
on strings untuned beside the bridge

as fingers rose to dance
on strings untuned beside the bridge

the Lotto

I bought a Lotto ticket
on the day my child was born

After months of
hope and trepidation
research and preparation
practice and anticipation
dreams and realization

After hours of labor
intense and slow
expanding
contorting
pushing
blowing
crying

My wife gave birth

our child
our life
our future
our union

After days of rest
we went home
and down the road
that he would lead

After days I checked
the numbers
on the ticket
and they matched

the bundle in my arms