Chime, ring, jingle, clang, ding ,**** and so goes the symphony of bells ringing in my head. The echo of each glass of cheer as I toasted to so  many things last night. The symphony of hang over bells does ring. If I hear not but silence, for a full week of the new year, to me that will be a tiding of good cheer. So in a dark room I will lie quietly, if it is humanly possible to do and I will listen to the symphony of bells ringing in my head, chime, ring, jingle, clang, ding, **** oh my aching head.

I walked out on to open plain and I saw the mid-day sun. I watched my brother the Eagle soar into the sky. I looked at the lonely mountain and I began to climb,on through the day and into the evening past many clinging Pines. On to the top of the mountain from which I saw my brother the Eagle fly. I watched the sun go down and I saw the stars fill the sky. Shining down as the souls of the ancestors watching me down on the Earth below. I sat down by a roaring fire and began to chant and listen to the night, when I was taken by a vision in to the heavens and there I saw many wondrous sights.  I soared into the clouds with my brother the Eagle and I watched the ground pass below. I saw the tops of mountains and the clinging Pines as I went on. I came to the birth place of the river and saw how it is given life, as it pours up out of the Earth and begins on its long journey. I asked the rushing water where it had come from and where it intended to go. It replied I came from the Earth and to the plains I must flow. I followed the raging river until it became calm and at peace. I saw the great Buffalo grazing beside it's banks and they stopped by it to take a drink. As I poured out my soul into the heart of all living things, I ran with the Buffalo as they thundered across the open plains. I went to so many place and saw so many things, I heard the stories of the mountains and of all living things. When at last I returned to my own place on the lonely mountain top, I knew that I had been changed inside and many new lessons I had been taught. I saw the world through new eyes as I completed my Spirit Walk.

In a kitchen full of laughing children with a yard full of sunlight. I dance around my duties to make sure everything is just right. A cake must be cooked even and golden brown. Cookies that smell divine must cool before they can be devoured. In a bustle of sweat I swish about and clang pans. While little helpers stand idly by waiting to lick a spoon or bowls when I an done with them. Some say it is too much labor, but I say that when it is for the joy of family, that I am wrapped in love and there is no greater comfort that I can find.

Once one nation was under God, now we do not know what God is. Once God was invited to all of our activities, now there is no room or him. At time was when we filled the churches, mosque and synagogues , now we worship sports idols instead of the holy one. Where did we go wrong? Where did we get off track? Why do we seek to cast out God, why don't we invite him back? Into our school and homes, into our daily lives. Perhaps if we seek to let him in, we can find peace again in time. For not it is not politically correct to mention his name. What a shame we are casting out God once again.

Courage in a syringe that keeps me focused. Something I buy just like a cup of coffee. It looks glamorous in a movie, but the reality really *****. I surrender to the need that keeps me going. I deal with people that look ok, but will hurt you without thinking. I pay for the habit anyway I can. Doing what I must to keep it together. All I think about is how it hurts sometimes. I can't make it off of the Merry Go Round, believe me I have tried. Clean and Sober is just a saying, the reality is that I am addicted. No end, no glamor, just a truth of a cycle that I have to maintain and hope I don't crash before I can find an exit to my dependence on drugs.

Words are spewed forth by mindless talking heads. All things are subjective and open to change. What I hear is not what they said, so it goes on in a spin cycle of misrepresentation. Wordsmiths have replaced, blacksmiths in the creation of things. Metal is now drawn out from the iron that is in ink and not from the heated forge. Though both can be hot, as rhetoric burns and ignites passions, just as oil ignites coals to forge metal. The truth is shaped and skewed from it's original form, until it is bent beyond recognition, into what ever the presenter wants it to be.

Drip, Drip, Drip goes the ink from my quill. Splotching the paper as I sit frustrated with myself. Scribble and scratch as the writers block stifles me. I push to find the words but they will not come. I squeeze the pen in frustration only to stain my face with the blood of my trade. I then come to understand how easily the ink can flow and that for their work a poet must sometimes bleed.

I saw a blue bird today. As blue as a Saphier the bird flew by. In a landscape that had gone dreary and Grey a splash of spring came my way. Landing on a fence post the bird just looked around, like a painted fixture out of place . I did not wonder why the bird came by, I only know that I had found unique beauty in a dark winter scape.  Like joy you find in a morning sunrise, after a night of rain. My soul was lifted up in knowing beauty has not left the world around me.

When you are away, I cannot eat and have trouble breathing. When you are near me I feel elated and lose all interest in other things. When you smile, my heart beats faster and faster until I think it will explode. I have ask many people what is wrong with me, even my doctors agree. I am suffering from an addiction this is true, but it is a healthy one because I am addicted to you.

When the heart seems lost, it can be rescued. When the heart is broken, it will heal. When loneliness overflows, comfort will come. When loss makes us feel empty, the void can be filled. When hope seems lost to us, love will find a way into our lives.

They may not show their wings or walk around with glowing halos, but that does not diminish their work. People who walk among us everyday going about their normal business, but who affect the lives of others in the most extraordinary ways. It may only be a word of kindness to someone who has lost all hope, or a handkerchief to someone who needs to blow their nose. They may give a few dollars to someone who is in need or perhaps they will give their time to teach a child to read. From preparing a meal for a stranger, to helping out a neighbor or friend, the miracles are miraculous if you could truly see their end. Each person who lends a helping hand, sends kindness and hope along the way. These ordinary Angels who walk among us, working not for fame or glory, but simply seeking to make the world a better place.

Will you watch me when I sleep, will you my heart keep? Can I count on you to order my steps? Will you stay by me and never leave? Will you protect me from the storm? Oh say that you will watch over me, will you be my angel please?

Sorrows and love all through adversity. My life is written in a book for eternity. On each page a day is recorded. Kindness and mercy shown on my journey. Each trial I go through strengthens me. Making me better than I used to be. I reach higher even when I fall. I want to do better and leave goodness behind. Perhaps a better world for others to find. Each day that passes I add another page to the book of my life.

I caught him with my best friend now I am ******! I'm turning up the heat and it goes something like this! Putting on my highest heels, and sexiest little skirt! I'm stepping out tonight and I don't care who I hurt. I'm hotter than a flame thrower and madder than hell. By the time that I am done, he will remember me well. I posted my friends naughty pictures all over Instagram. I didn't bother to hide the web address, so she knows who did her in. I rented a limousine and I'm going out with best his friend. I am not really sure how this nights gonna end? I'm taking the hottest selfies and posting the updates. When he sees what I'm going to do, I will be the one he loves to hate! I tearing down obstacles to my happiness, and setting fires a light! I am dam hot and angry, and I'm gonna burn some bridges tonight!

Our souls have been sold for instant fame! Now you can be famous for no reason at all. Post your life online, for all of the world to see. Depravity has become the norm and piety has been cast aside. For thirty pieces of silver was once the price, now thirty seconds can gain you a million followers. As what cost have we sold our souls at what price have we forsaken any form of virtue. To open our homes and our lives to scrutiny once reserved for only the most infamous among us. Now for fame and self adulation, we will forget the golden rule, and teach ourselves and any who will follow how to be mean to others. Only to find out in the end that no life matters. For we have become, a empty and virtue-less world.

Listen to the drums beat and to the flutes play. Hear the chanting of a people from a land far away. Jump up and down and let the ground shake beneath your feet. Show that you feel the music and let your heart leap. Share your exuberance for life and give others a chance. Exchange cultural idea through the joy of dance.

Iron brought out of the dark earth, pushed into a crimson forge. Coals heated beyond white hot, metal liquid then cooled. Over and over the process is repeated, each time the hammer falls ringing on the metal. The breath of a red beast is poured into the steel that has been wrought from iron. The seething venom of a hell spawn with red scales like glistening red jewels. It spits its flame into the forge as the coals become hot beyond reason. In goes the steel out it pours into the mold. Clang goes the hammer as it is folded and formed. Back into the fire, the dragons breath hot on the blade. Bang goes the hammer to the anvil. Muscle and sweat are poured into the blade with blood spattered on it for good measure. Hell spawns breath heats the forge as it roars to life, putting the final touches on the sword. A weapon that will cut through the night and make women lament and weep for they are widows and their children are orphans. What a terrible thing, this Dragon blade that thirst for battle and wills itself to drink blood.

I narrowly escape my own destruction as temptation looms ever present. I wrestle with a demon that torments me relentlessly. Each day is a struggle and each night I lay in a cold sweat as it whispers to me to succumb. I feel the aching in my bones as the demon rages to be set free. Barley did I escape the addiction that ruined my life, and each day tries to reclaim me.

Allah Akbar, death to the infidel. The cries rise from people covered in black. Symbols of Islam are splashed across a flag, rifles are raised in the air. Photos of their perceived enemies are set ablaze as they dance and celebrate in the street.
People are dressed in white robes as speeches ring out, down with the ***** hordes they shout. Crosses are set ablaze and confederate symbols are raised high. Effigies of a black man are paraded around with a rope around it's neck as people celebrate and dance in the street, guns raised in adulation.
The cross is prominent, as people dressed in robes kneel before the Holy See. The leader dressed in royal apparel gives a blessing unto the faithful. Images of a heretic Moor are paraded around on a pole. Spears and swords are raised in celebration as holy symbols adorn the faithful. All are images of the same thing. All are perceived just causes. When intolerance manifest itself as justice. There is no right answer, only self righteousness that serves a means to an end. So let us learn from what has been and not repeat the same mistakes again.

Woven of strips of wood, and set on a table somewhere. A simple item that was made with such love and care. To some it seems a simple thing, but oh the stories it could tell. How it held flowers for a sick loved one and help that person get well. It once carried home made bread, on a lovers picnic. It was filled with colored eggs one Easter as it was filled to the brim with the excitement that went with finding them. The plain and rather ordinary basket, has been many times to a garden, where it was used to pick fresh vegetables to carry to someone in need. It has been a play pen for kittens and a place to keep pencils and pens. Such a simple thing a woven basket, oh how useful it has been .

I waited long in silence, patient by the bedside. I prayed in earnest until all of my tears were spent. At last I drifted off in quiet peace, then I was shaken from my sleep by the sound of rushing wings. My eyes were opened to a world so bright that at first I could not see. Things were fluttering about in front and behind me. I saw the thing that separated the mortal world from the eternity, then it was ripped asunder and all was laid bare before me. My heart skipped a beat as I saw a mighty king, upon a throne so great that it out shown everything. Then four and twenty elders were gathered around the throne. I looked on as I saw the one for whom I grieved standing on streets of gold. The angels had carried their soul right past me and now I was given a glimpse of what they had been waiting for. I saw them standing tall and bright not in pain anymore. They walked on before me not thinking to look back, they knelt before the might king with a word being said. I saw his nail scar hands placing a crown upon their head. My love one stood and gave praise to the one on the throne. Then in unison every one bowed down and before the feet of the king they all through down their crowns. I was startled out of my vision by some movement from where I did not know. Then I was awakened and I knew I had to go. The doctors and nurses would work to no avail. I knew that my loved one had gone beyond the veil. I understood the gift that I had been given, the day I saw Gods kingdom when the veil was lifted.

Stop tempting me, leave me alone. I can live without you, I am fine on my own. I will work through the pain somehow, just let me be, at least for now. I don't need you anymore, I said I have had enough. Our relationship may seem like a good one, but you take too much. You are to demanding of me, some people say you will take my life. I have to stop wanting you, if for my own sanities sake. I am not sure if I really can live without you, but I guess I have to try. So please addiction let me go, I will find another way to get by.

I was born into nothing, I came from a broken home. My mother had 9 children I had nothing to call my own. I cut my teeth on violence and my best friend was a gun. From the grit and dirt of poverty I fought to become #1. I got my first scar when I was just 11 and by 14 I had made my own rep. I had 2 bodies on a slab and no one would mess with me. I found that money equaled power so I did what I had to do. I bought and sold peoples lives just to make it through. From behind the sights of a 9 I see the world go by. With a few grams of the right ****, I can get the whole world high. In the spirit of capitalism, I live for the dollar that brought me out of the streets. From the war zone that was my neighborhood, I walk to a different beat. At 21 I got caught up because of some weak *** little snitch. By 22 I was walking free because someone found him face down in a ditch. This is not the path I chose, this is just the way of my life. I survived the circumstances to which I was born to rise up from the street and take what I wanted from life.

As I surrender to the will of God, I wait in silence to see what he wishes. As I watch his plan unfold, I live by his daily bread. The word which is the body, nourishes my soul. I feast on his eternal word. Though through trials and persecution I may go, I will let his spirit lead me into safe havens in the clefts of the rocks and the dry places. There in his presence I will ever find refuge.

I wake up in the middle of the night to annoying cries. I haven't known what sleep is for nearly a year. All I get is complaints no matter what I try to do. Nothing goes right, and now I can't find my shoes. I am walking around in a sleep deprived fog, dazed and confused. The milk is to hot and the potatoes are too cold. I didn't move fast enough to catch the spill, now breakfast is all over the floor. The watch only changes once in a while, when the grand parents come to call. They stay and play silly games until it is time to go to the bingo hall. I haven't had intimate attention since before the end of the Cold War, I don't even bother folding clean clothes, I just throw them in a pile on the floor. I toss and turn all day and night, afraid to sleep to deep. Not knowing when I might be needed when something disturbs our babies sleep. Why did I say yes to this, only heaven knows, oh wait I remember I had 3 cocktails and we were both out of our clothes. As I suffer a mental break down I ponder what we have done, then as the morning breaks the child finally sleeps with the rising of the Sun. I want to pass into a coma, but there is too much to do. Things must be washed and cleaned so at sunset we can start this a new. As I turn to leave the babies room, I see a little angle at rest and I pray to heaven for the strength to change one more runny diaper and to make me glad I said yes.

There are no more selfless ******'s only self centered people. Once self debasement was considered an act of courage, now it is a way to stardom. Posing in the ****, has become passé. When a great woman did, it was her form of protest. Now it is too common and piety has been lost. Our society is flooded with vulgarity and we must bear the cost. So to any woman who seeks to give up her self respect for the sake of vanity, remember that intent of ideals may come with a high cost, but shamelessness for gain has a cost all of it's own.

I can hear your cries for pity, I can hear your pleas for mercy. I hear your voice and I cry for you. I can hear your sorrow and broken heart as it cracks into. I can hear your suffering from so far away. I can hear your hopelessness. I can hear your want for a better life. I can hear all of these things, and I will try to give you a voice. I can hear you.

I have cried the tears of disappointment. I have wept through the long night. I have been wounded and I carry the scars. Through all of the anguish, your hand has been with me. Even when I thought I was alone, I was being guided by the unseen love that you feel for me. Now after the long journey, I have come through to the other side. The burdens have been lifted and the pain is fading. I see the new day dawning and now I realize what true love is. For despite my mistakes, you have been faithful. You kept your promises and did not forsake me. Always you were present with loving kindness and the strength of the nail scared hands.

Accept my way or die. They are to blame for your problems. God loves me and hates you. These are the messages that are delivered everyday. These are the things that our children hear and see, ignorance and intolerance, close mindedness and bigotry. Blaming ones neighbor for our poor decisions. Saying that what another has is ours by some imagined right. These are the messages that stir up strife. These are the words that people use to create divisiveness. These are the tools of the messengers of hate.

Though I lay on the floor broken and ******. Though I suffer a temporary defeat. I will not surrender to your will. You can crush my bones and rend my flesh, but I will rise again. I am an ideal not just a person. Though I am trampled down to the ground, I will find another way to grow. I am the thoughts of freedom and justice and you cannot destroy me.

Sinking my toes in the sand as I sit down on a deserted beach. I look at dark clouds and the overcast sky I close my eyes and hear the waves break on the shore, I hear the Sea Gulls calling around me. The cold wind blows in and sends a shiver down my spine. I lay back and open my eyes to look into the endless sky. The Steel Gray clouds mirror the color of the water or is it the other way around. At some point I cannot tell the difference as I reflect on many things while sitting by the sea.

All that I hold dear and all that I am is ever evolving. I hold core values, but I am open to change. Though I choose a path, I am not above being mistaken. Not all things are true as I might have thought. Some ideas need improvement. I can only be true to myself and still my resolve to continue to learn. Often my lessons come from mistakes and missteps. Through experience, I can become better and strive to improve on my beliefs. Perhaps I can then accomplish what I set out to achieve and be at peace with others while holding to my own core values.

When the world makes no sense, we call upon his name. When we are frustrated and feel defeated, we call upon his name. When we lack the answers, we call upon his name. When our enemies seem to be winning, we call upon his name. When the darkness surrounds us, we call upon his name. Oh what a privilege it is to call upon Jesus name.

Statuesque and curvy, ample in the right places. Seductive and foreboding, with hair that is full of highlights or dark streaks depending on my mood. Skin soft as satin and eyes the color that suits my  mood. I draw you into my web of desire. You willingly surrender to my wiles and are a willing party to my seduction. Sin is of no thought to you right now. In the proper pair of shoes, that accentuate my body, I surrender to you as a garden of earthly delights. Any pleasure you could desire I can give you. A soft warm touch, with painted nails. Full colored lips like the warning of a deadly butterfly. You seek to possess me and to show others what they cannot have. I am forbidden fruit and delicious to taste. I am ****** and all the things you desire me to be.

Baseball games have been replaced with a smart phone. Arguments are not settled with a dare but with a 9mm at school. The government is going to take care of it. So the father is not needed in the home. All we see on t.v. is the thing that is imitated in the streets and rebroadcast on the 6 pm news. Likes and hits have replaced true friends. The grownups have crawled into a pill bottle and let someone else deal with their problems. A child must be given everything but the one thing they need. Then when our baby goes off of the deep end, we try to blame society. The politicians say it is the objects that did this, the kid is not at fault. Let's give them a pill and it will solve everything. So the cycle repeats itself generation upon generation. Our children have lost their identity and are not sure who they are. Finally we sit down and look at a photo and do a hash tag for what we have lost. When the answer is simple enough, all we need is a mirror to answer the question where have are children gone?

Handing out sandwiches in the poorest part of town. Giving words of comfort over the phone. Helping to find a place for someone who has lost everything. These are the building blocks of hope. When a life is destroyed and torn apart. These things are what will put a foundation back under someones feet. To know kindness still exist and to see unconditional love removes suffering and pain. Despite all appearances, even the smallest thing can light a candle in a dark room When the spark of mercy is ignited, the light will dispel the darkness. This leads to healing, which is the way to begin mending a broken life.

Life lays in shattered pieces, pottery to be returned to the dust. Dreams have fallen by the wayside, old pursuits have come to nothing. Sitting among the ruins of things once hoped for, I look up to heaven and ask what is next. I do not know where to go from here or what road I must take. I sit idly and contemplate all of these things. I wait on the Lord and hold my peace, waiting for him to guide me.

A heart knows when it has been hurt. A heart knows what sacrifice is worth. A heart can know courage and a heart can know fear. It can also know love and when true friends are near. A heart knows it's own desires and it can know how to give and sometimes a heart can know how to truly live. In single moments a heart can know memories that will last a life time. In all things that we as humans start, we should always take a moment and listen to our heart, for it will know what is best it will always tell us the truth.

Let me out I want to play, no I have to work today. Eighty hours this week alone, I am not sure when I will be back home. I fight with myself in this grown up rat race. All my inner self wants to do is play. At the end of a decade I see the wear and worry. Lines in my forehead and lines in my face. It is time for us to switch place. So I let the inner child come out and play. We get to work on time and leave early once in a while. I see the world in a different light that I used to do. I wonder why it took so long for me to let you back in control. If we let our inner selves out more often, perhaps it would be a better place to live and play.

Across Green valleys over snow capped peaks, and through scorching deserts I walk on a journey home. From distance lands I come, bringing back my weary soul. In the name of a country that has all but forgotten me, I return to my greatest treasure. As I walk down stone streets wet with rain, I hear laughter and see a familiar door. From inside the sounds  warm me. The cold of duty recedes from my weary soul. I open the door and I hear every creak and groan. As I step through I see the reason I kept my oath and fulfilled my duty. I see all that I hope and believe in as I realize a forgotten dream and let my soul rest in the love and safety of my home.

There has been a long dry season. A drought has been in place. My spirit is thirsty and my soul is an arid waste. I have walked in the parched landscape and planted many seed. I have watched for clouds of spiritual refreshing to come. Now the season of trial and sewing has ended and the growth has begun. Soon the harvest will be at fullness, lord please let it now come. Let fall the anointing, let that which has been sewn prosper and give gain. Oh lord refresh our soul through the abundance of the harvest. Lord send us the latter rain.

There once was a dark haired maiden who was very pleasant when she was quiet. She had a delicate smile and fair skin, but when she spoke it became quite a riot. Though her looks were that of an angel, she had the screeching voice of a Crow. So what was lovely to be seen was a horror to be heard. So she always walked quietly and smiled politely and was seldom ever heard.

Give something you don't need to another who does not have it. Show concern for another person even if you don't know them. Speak out against injustice even if it is not your fight. Be open to new ideas, even if they seem strange at first. Take small steps to change each day, until you are more accepting of others. Learn to speak another persons language, even if you are from the same place. Give something of yourself to the betterment of where ever you go. Learn to share the world with others, that we might all live and  grow.

Oh blanket of darkness envelope me. Safe haven of comfort surround me, hide me from the harsh light of day. Veil of concealment wash over me, let your dark streams take away the sight of things too painful to bear. In the day I must see my own reflection. In the bright light I cannot hide from the things that remind me of you. In the darkness, I do not have to see myself. In the night I am invisible and the pain goes away. So while the night holds terror for some, I welcome it when it comes. To me it is a shield against unwanted pain. In the cool embrace of the night, I can breathe again. It is where I find peace and I do not have to be reminded of you.

The cover is cracked and worn. The pages have turned yellow with age. The tear stains mark the pages that were read most often. The name of the book has faded and only the word holy remains. Inside of the cover, those who were redeemed and those who have gone are written. Four generations have dog eared the pages and yet the words can still be seen. Just like Jesus my old bible has been broken, so that the world could not break me.

I have walked through many lands and seen many wonderful things. I have done things only imagined in my youth. Now that I have wandered far and wide, my heart is weary and I want to go back the way I came. I long for dusty roads and tall Oak trees. I look forward to small creeks and old tire swings. I want to walk across golden grass covered fields. I long to hear the sound of a Whippoorwill . Though I will take many cherished memories with me, I must now return to where I belong. I am going back down a path in time as I long for home.

I want to look pretty for my time with my daddy. I want to make everybody happy. As we walk up to the building with the high fences and the tall towers, I think it looks like a castle. The tall man with the keys talks to mommy and lets us past the gate. We have to put our stuff through a big humming box, then we have to wait. I hear a buzzer go off and we walk through another door. We get our name tags and sit and wait some more. Finally we are taken down a long hall, we walk across the shiny floors and between dark walls with no paint, they are just gray. Out a small window I can see more fences and tall towers, mother motions me to come on. Finally we enter a cold room with more shiny floors, the chairs are made of plastic and there is a mean lady at the door. She doesn't smile, she only turns her key, then rattles them as she takes us to our seat. After we wait some more, my daddy finally walks in. I reach out to hold him and he hugs me and puts me down again. We sit down and we talk or at least he and mommy do. I just sit and smile just like I always do. Soon we get some cookies and a drink from a machine. Then we sit and talk some more, until its time to leave. Daddy has to leave first, then mom and I walk away. I wave at him as he looks back with tears and I wonder why he always cries this way. We go back out the way we came in as I hear the last gate close. I wonder why daddy lives in a castle and he can never visit us at home?

Pushing up against the turning wheel, only to be ground down again. Trying to lift a burden that cannot be borne. Under the weight of the mill stone that has been placed on you. Struggle as you might, the oppressor keeps pushing you down. You grind away your life trying to climb up off of your knees only to be pushed back down. Under the weight of the mill stone that is keeping you weighted down.

A violin sings in the night air and candles light the street. People are dressed in colorful clothes as they celebrate. Wine flows and people drink and dance. Some in bare feet others in ornate shoes. The stones in the square crack and echo as they are tapped by the souls of shoes and slip upon by bare feet. Exuberance fills the hearts of the people who dance with joy on Cobblestone streets in a place where cares do not exist, even if for a single night.

I thought life was all Roses and video games, until the first baby came. Now I do not know where all of the money has gone and I can't sleep because my kid won't leave me alone. He cries to be changed 12 times a day, I go to work just to get away. My wife tells me to work harder, then dumps the kid off on me, as she puts in her ear plugs and tries to get some sleep, I spend 12 hours at work and the real job hasn't begun. I though being grown up was supposed to be some kind of fun. I liked it better when I was back in school. I wasn't really popular but compared to this, that was cool. Now I am begging the kid to go to sleep, I can't believe just how much a toddler can eat. Finally, I am at rest by 3 am, then my clock goes off at 5 and I am off again. I get out the door and leave the problem with my wife. In 12 hours I get to do it all again, what a way to get an education.