Oil runs through my veins and into my heart. The loss of your love has made my blood run thick and it is difficult to breathe. As if the cold has thickened my life's essence to oil that my heart cannot pump. I grieve for you but my tears have dried up. I sit quietly trying to move, but each joint aches. Though my blood thickens, it does little to help my motion. I sit as a machine incapable of action, until the warmth of your love gives me life again.

Three Iron Nails could not build much you see, but they were enough to hang a man on a tree. Three Iron nails did not seem to count for much, but when they went through his hands and feet, they became part of history. The three Iron Nail were ordinary, but when they were used in a crucifixion they became extraordinary. For you see, they were used to sacrifice Gods only son. By the three Iron Nails his precious blood did run. Upon the tree where he was crucified, the Son of God bled and humanity was sanctified. If the man who made three Iron Nail could have seen how important they would be, perhaps he wouldn't have made them, but then there would not be salvation for you and me. So be thankful for three Iron Nails that put Jesus on a tree.

Cold alone and unwanted cast away like so much garbage. I shiver alone in the wet and cold. I don't know why no one wants me. I can't figure out what I did wrong. I tried to be good, but apparently I wasn't. If I was then I wouldn't be here. All I wanted was to be loved, yet I was abused and rejected. Now I am abandoned and I see no hope for tomorrow. I just want someone to love me.

Through the Poppy fields and down a rabbit hole, to crystal waterfalls and Candy Cane forest I go. On cobble stone roads made of silver and past a Ruby wall, in golden slippers I walk. I stop for a while and talk with a Blue Unicorn and ask which way I go to get out. He says climb on top of a giant Dandelion and give it a shake, then grab on to a seed pod and see where it takes you. So up I go and with a mighty shake, the Dandelion's fluffy head goes ****. I grab onto the seed pod but I have a hold of two. One wants to go left and one wants to go right. So I let go of one and hold onto the other then off on a Raspberry scented breeze I go. I finally land on a white sugar beach next to the Pink Lemonade sea. Trying to find my bearings, I look up at the Lemon Drop sun and get blinded by it glowing light. I see a swan shaped boat and I ask it for a ride, the head of the boat says it wouldn't mind. So I jump in and off I go over the Pink Lemonade sea, I see Rainbow colored Dolphins splashing around me as I approach the Blueberry cove. There sitting under the shade of a 4 leaf Clover, I sip on a glass of Blueberry punch. Then in a quiet moment I awake back in my own bed, but I can still taste the Blueberry and my teeth are a darkened hue of Blue. So did I ever leave my home or did I actually take a beautiful journey into another world.

Soft and gentle as the morning dew. A gift of light in a darkened world. The bringer of kindness and mercy. A person of strength and gentle courage. Able to walk among the thorns of despair. Wise beyond formative years. A beautiful soul is  like a rare flower, blooming out of season and in a remote place. It is given to blossom into a gift that will touch many, but first it must be nurtured and allowed to grow, less darkness blot it out and take away harmony from the scheme of life.

Let me live as I see fit as long as I do not deprive you of what you believe. Care about what happens to me, even if we do not always agree. Remember that we are all humans and children of humanity. Even if we live separate lives, at let us live in peace. Do not oppress me and I will not learn to hate you. Do not impose what you believe on me and I will try not to preach to you. Perhaps if we can do these things, then we can begin to see, that we are not different after then maybe you can abide with me.

In human years the world seems to move by slowly, but in truth mortal lights flicker and fade out. In one moment we are here then in another we are gone, while the earth moves on without us. To hold a belief that we can make a permanent change to the environment is an illusion. We may pull up dirt and rearrange a few stones, but in the end our attempts at change will fade. Just a mighty kingdom and it's treasure will be split when it's king is gone, so is the way of humanity. The best we can hope for is to make a positive difference in our limited sphere of influence, for the world upon which we live will only abide so much change before nature corrects the imbalance, so let what ever change we make, be for good and not ill.

Oh colorful song bird that whistles and chirps with little in the way of a care. How I do envy you and all that you must not worry for. To some you seem so simple, yet you are more clever than they know. You need only exist and be as part of nature. Everything is given to you and many scorn this, because it seems too easy you see. To be born with a song and all that you shall need to know, a simple yet wise existence. To fly around and flutter, until it is time to move on to warmer parts of the world. Then when the earth turns, you know to move again and return back to where you have already been. No map is required for you, you simply know the way. Eating, drinking, flying and singing hold the better part of your day. Until you must move on, I shall envy you for you are wiser than us all. We huddled masses of flesh that scrounge for prominence and gain, while all along you realize that you have all that you need.

I started out the night with a few cocktails you see. I meant no harm, to no one, not even me. I saw a pretty girl and began to talk her up. I thought with my four leaf clover I might have a little luck. Well with my Irish charm and boyish face, it wasn't long until I was invited back to her place. From there it gets kind of blurry, but there is one thing for sure, I won't be celebrating like that anymore. The rest of the night disappeared and turned into mid-day. I rolled over to see where I was at, and the lass that had decided to stay. I stumbled out of bed and pulled the curtains open wide. I found a desert oasis was on the other side. I washed my face in the sink, and tried to get awake. I wondered how much liquor I really had to drink? I made it back to try and find my clothes, when the pretty lass woke up and ask where I was  going to go? I said I am not sure what the situation is, but I had a really good time and perhaps we can do it again some night. She just smiled at me and said we can do this all the time, for now I am not a stranger, but we are husband and wife. She showed me the shiny new ring and the wedding license signed by both of us I think. So now I am a sorry sod, working my fingers to the bone. To support a wife and soon to be child, in this apartment I call a home. So the next time you want to party and take a pretty lass home. Remember not to drink too much or to kiss the blarney stone.

In a city filled with want and streets full of despair, children sat idly with not much to do. Then someone came alone and ask do you like to read? Then a few books were given out. When young minds were opened and imaginations began to grow, the world changed over time. Those who had noting in which to believe, suddenly became aware of a world outside of their own. As they grew their love of reading blossomed and a city once dark became full of light. Hope took root and poverty and despair were driven away. Knowledge became empowerment as barriers were  broken down. Education came from a book that changed everything.

Reading opens a door to a different world. Knowledge expands the vision beyond brick and mortar walls. The pages are cobble stone in a path to ascension. Words of inspiration remove the veil of ignorance. A book lends itself to new ideas and oppertunity. An educated child can lead the world to a better place. A book is a cure for poverty even in the most hopeless place.

Sitting on an old creaky porch wrapped in a shawl. I open a faded photo album and begin to look at the pictures with in. I see images of youth where I had great beauty. I see toothless smiles of children. I look at birthdays and weddings and pick out who was not there. I remember the laughter, joy and sorrows as if it were yesterday. I turn each page with care looking at each one as if  were a priceless gem. I relish my book of memories as a treasure to be kept and passed on so others may relive the days gone by and keep a part of their life with them when they to have grown with the passing of time.

My job isn't going the way I planned so I have a drink. I got in a big fight with my wife so I have a drink. My kids are having problems at school so I have a drink. I got behind on my bills so I have a drink. My family keeps telling me all their problems so I have a drink. I then turn and look down into the bottle, and it sits empty. I'm forced to face the morning sober and my life really stinks. All the answers that I had are gone, and now I'm just left to think. Did drinking really solve anything, I'm not sure that it really did. Though when I wasn't sober, the alcohol kept my problems hidden. So now I have decision to make, do I face my life on my own or do I buy another bottle full of answers?

Aged to perfection in a dank dark cellar. Made from dark purple grapes from Spain. Soaked up by Oaken barrels until it is of a fine Amber hue. Spirits given to warm the heart and lighten the spirit. Some bear a sweet flavor while others burn like fire. Bottles of cheer for the weary and poor of spirit. Something to be embraced with caution, but to be sought when good friends come near.

Long, tall and dark made of glass or plastic. Bravery in a liquid form, 100 proof or more. Like a shot of fire going down, after two or three you don't even feel it burn. Whiskey, *****, Gin, or Tequila, all loosen inhibitions. The lines between wisdom and ignorance are blurred. What in one instance could be courageous, has now become fool hearty. It is amazing how many hero's there are when a bottle of courage is around.

I am weary and tired of the battle. Everything that I try to save seems lost to me. The emptiness sometimes makes me feel like an echo of myself. My soul is shattered into pieces. Doubt becomes my constant companion and I simply lose the strength to go on. In times of utter darkness, comfort is not often easy to find. So I must look for purpose in order to renew my strength. Looking with in myself, I see what I was born for. I see the path that I have walked and the battle scars that cut deeply into my heart. In these moments I examine my own soul and put the pieces back together. I then look or another who feels as I do and try to help them mend as well, thus restoring my own sense of purpose and helping my own soul to heal.

Open my arms to the bright noon day sun, gasp in awe as butterflies flutter around me. Walk barefoot in the grass and feel the earth between my toes. Step into a shaded grove of trees and listen to a brook as it runs by over smooth aged stones. Step into a shallow pool where minnows dart about and let the cool water run over my feet. Sit on a bed of Moss and smell the damp odors rise around me. Watch squirrels run about beneath large Oak trees, as they play. Sit back against a large cool stone and listen to birds serenade me with melodious songs. Separate myself from the ordinary grind of the daily life that I call progress while immersing myself in natural wonders that are often ignored, an yet exist all around me.

I walk past a garden apartment each morning. It faces the rising sun. In the window seal sits a cat looking out as the world goes by. I stop and look at the casual observer who gives me little thought. He stretches his paws forward and closes his eyes. He settles into the warm rays of days first light. I feel somewhat slighted, but then envious, for as I just trudge on into the world, the cat in the window seal lounges quietly, not caring what the world thinks as he watches the it go by.

Acceptance of another is never easy, it often takes changing a point of view. Being mindful of another persons feelings or ways of doing things does not mean that you condone what they are. It simply means that you recognize that the person is like you an imperfect creature. It means that you become comfortable with yourself and with who someone else is. When you can accept others for their ways and their faults, then you can truly become comfortable with who you are.

Don't hate me for who I am. Sometimes we are just made a certain way. Don't judge me for how I live, my choices will lead me to their own end. If I displease you, then we can agree to disagree. If I fall down then please offer to help me up. I am not perfect yet, but I am trying to get there. Until I make it to the place I am meant to be, please just accept me for who I am .

Laughter and innocence are qualities that children posses. Imagination and wonder are seen through fresh eyes. A hundred questions they in an hour and 50 more before lunch. What a blessing it is to watch a child, what a wonder to have the gift of influence a young life.

Unicorns talk from the pillows that lay upon the bed. Butterflies come off of the wall paper and tea parties are the in thing. There is a villain and a hero and always a happy ending. Fantasy is everyday and rainbows are fun to slide down. The world is full of imagination and wonder as the ordinary becomes extraordinary. All dreams are possible if you only see the world through the eyes of a child.

Spread upon a table lays a white and silver table cloth, upon it are golden candle sticks lighting the buffet. Cakes and Pies laid out in rows, surrounded by cupcakes and sugar cookies. Grand maw's famous fruit cake is a centerpiece unto itself. All wonderful treats abound, enough to put a diabetic into shock just by looking at the table. So tonight we dine and indulge, on a feast fit for a Ginger Bread king. For tomorrow, we will feel the sugar hang over and curse our pallet for now we cannot fit into our skinny jeans. So in repentance we will purge, all the week long, high fiber low calorie meals designed to cleanse our colon and our soul, but this is only a brief respite from our culinary debauchery, for news years shall come and once again we shall binge out on too many sweets, only to be forced to the church of fitness by making atonement at the alter of pain so that we might fit into those favorite jeans before spring. We shall live in food piety, until another holiday full of treats tempts us again.

A flower taken from poverty and planted in the fertile ground of freedom. Watered with love and sacrifice until it takes root and blossoms. Nourished in the warm sun of opportunity and given the chance to bloom. The flower taken from a tropical paradise that felt the hand of oppression, became a vibrant Orchid full of life and generosity that spread its beauty and fragrant love over many, giving encouragement and hope to all who came in touch with it, as it plants other seeds that become flowers in their own right. Creating a garden of prosperity that helps many realize a dream once thought forgotten, all because of A Cuban Orchid that blossomed.

So comes the dawn and new challenges arise. So comes the possibilities that renewal brings. The old has passed away and day has broken. Light shines in the place of darkness. Rested eyes have opened and look brightly at the clear sky. Hearts leap with elation at what might be achieved. Doors lay before the traveler that have yet to be opened. The keys to new adventures may well be in hand already or perhaps are waiting to be discovered. Hard labor is perhaps replaced with wisdom gained from past struggles, in the hope of lessons learned that the work will become a little easier, forward we go into the new day.

My veins burn, they are on fire. I feel the rush as the pain goes away. Everything is not all right, I am high once again. I can only go a day or so before I have to get it again. It takes part of my life from me, but I cannot do without it. I have tried to put it down, but it has a hold on me. At first, it was something to do with friends, now I need it to live. What was I thinking when I started this? Someone said let's have some fun. I was all right on my own, I didn't need it, I just wanted to fit in. Now I am addicted and I can't break the chains. I am a prisoner to my own desires to feel high and forget about the pain that comes when I try to break free. Addicted to something, that has taken so much from me.

Running down the highway at 100 plus, leaving a trail of burnt asphalt and smoke is just not enough. Jumping off of a mountain top, plummeting towards the earth, popping the chute and feeling the ****. Racing a power boat down a river and out to sea. There is not much left for me. My drug of choice is something I need. It can't be bought, because I am addicted to speed.

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.

Unpolished and in need of work, you found me and took me in. You focused my reason for being into a path of accomplishment. You were patient and gave me direction. You watched and waited as I resisted the changes that you made in me. Slowly and subtly you influenced me. You gave me a chance when others would not. You believed in me and saw what others could not. In the end, you stepped aside and let me shine. You did not take the spotlight but let it shine on me. A polished gem taken from a diamond in the rough into something more that I could ever imagined I could be.

I look in the mirror and I no longer see myself, I see the man you want me to be. I look behind me and see the ghost of my mistakes and the man I was before you found me. I still struggle with my own demons and I often feel like I fail, but you are there beside me and you see the potential that I do not see in myself. So I will do my best to be patient and let you lead me. I will listen to advice that you give and let your love comfort me. In the end I will trust that I will become what you see that I can be.

In a quiet room in total darkness, I seek to understand myself. Listening to my inner voices, I come to terms with who I am. Taking a journey of self discovery, I look to places beyond where my body lies. In visions of color and through soundless voids, I wander. Looking for a door that will take me to understanding. Trying to open up my inner self. I travel to lands of light and to places of no light, only color. Then into a place of sounds without form. In my mind, I fail to comprehend what I am experiencing. I only know that I am traveling but not moving. From the physical world into the nether regions I go. Not knowing where the journey will take me, only knowing that it is to a different plain than the one I am on.

All of the world is your stage and you are in the grandest of scenes. The life you live is your performance. Shyness, sadness, and anger are just some of the parts you will play. Intrigue and deception will play a part as well. All of the attributes of a great Sonnet, your life will dazzle others with its color. You will not have a script, that you must write as you go. For to truly act your part, ad-libbing will be woven into the daily necessity of living out your story.

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.

Up before the sun filling a chest with ice. Drinks and sandwiches all neatly packed. Out to the lake, wait I forget my bait, turn around and find an open store. Back to the lake and put the boat in the water, head out onto the elusive monster fish. Settling into a quiet cove and begin to drown a worm, only to have the sun rise and blind you. Turn your boat around and reset to fish again. Then a power boat roars by from the lake party of the night before. The birds squawk as they are driven from their morning repose the waves rock your bass boat and churn up the water. You bite your tongue as not to curse, as you wait for the fish to decide to bite. Hours pass and still nothing, perhaps you are in the wrong place. You pull up anchor and move down the way only to find a pontoon boat in your usual spot. Two gorgeous women are laying out in the morning rays, then an old hairy fat man lumbers around the deck. On you go to another quiet cove and settle in again. Then you realize that the fishing time has passed and the sun is high and hot. So you set up an umbrella and settle down to eat and take a small nap. Time passes and the sun moves and you awake to a sun burn. So you amble around and pull your gear together as you begin decide where to throw out a line. As the sun moves toward the west, you finally get a bite as you set the hook and real your first fish in. Behind you the sound of another boat and you turn to begin to curse. You see the fish and game warden smiling as he takes his ruler out, he grins that its too small and you have to throw it back. After a thorough inspection and a look at your license, he bids you a good day. Meanwhile another hour has passed and you are tired but resolve to fish anyway. So as twilight falls, you have three or four good sized catches as the mosquitos begin to swarm. So you decide to call it a day as you head back in, but your motor dies because your out of gas. So with your wooden paddle in hand you head back towards your boat slip that seems miles away and you begin to contemplate the lies you will tell about how your day went and the one that got away.

To draw in a net of righteousness is to understand the first order of mercy. Service above all else is the command for our commission upon the sea of souls that long to know freedom. We set sail on a journey and want to set an example, but we are cast adrift from our true course. The cares and worries that we carry inside of us are often too great to bear on our own, so we must return to the place where we were found and learn how to mend our nets. By following the lessons of the master fisher, we will regain the control of our ship and right our course. Thus we will draw in our nets filled with souls yearning to hear the truth and to be set free from the ******* of the ocean of sin.

Life is a spark then a light then a bit of smoke. In between these moments is when we truly are meant to live. What we do will define us for an eternity. Do we put our flicker of light under a lamp shade or set it on a pedal stool so that it may shine brightly and dispel the darkness so that others may see.

I am an idea that takes hold in the heart of one person. I am the desire to be free from oppression. I am the need to succeed and prosper. I am the loyal solider who holds the banner of the cause even when it seems that it is lost. I am the one who teaches another what they do not know. I am the voice of reason in the world of insanity. I am a force of one person, but I am the ideal that lives in many.

In the noise of the city or the still peace of a country night, the world becomes a different place. The day gives way to street lights or starry skies. The tensions of the world are eased a bit. People forget their cares and become someone else. Allowing others to see the other side of themselves.

When the last shot has been fired and the dead have been lain to rest, the warriors now must sit in silence and wait for the battle to be over. Though the leaders have come to terms, the wounds of battle might never heal. All that is left is to wait and see what comes next. The sound of cannon fire  and the bugle call sounded the battle to rage on. Now in the silence, the soundlessness is deafening. Louder than any shell explosion. It returns the solider to terror in the night. Knowing peace is harder still because the sense of purpose is lost and guidance has stopped. There is a new enemy and it is from with in. A battle that every warrior must fight after the guns have stopped.

She told me her name was Heaven, she said she would show me one hell of a time. Her Green eyes glistened like two fire brands and her dark hair clouded my mind. I was lost in the subtle smell of Roses that gently scented her skin. After one wild night with her, I will never be the same again. She broke my will and wrapped me around her finger. It is been twenty years now and her memory still lingers in my mind. Though I have loved another, one memory still haunts me from time to time. The night I spent in Heaven, having one hell of a time.

Looking into the face of a new born babe as you listen to it breathe. Hearing the child gasp and cough, with a heart breaking for the worry of the parents, you must put on a brave face. Doing all with in the realm of human knowledge to make the child well, you must realize that you are still human. Holding a knife as you cut into flesh, doing that which seems unnatural. To open up another person with willful intent, but with the purpose of making well. Taking away a piece of the body that has failed and letting the whole person mend. All the while, wondering if this is the right thing, praying that your decision is the right one. The hands that heal are very human and are part of a whole being. With a heart of compassion and a mind filled with learned reason, the hands are only part of the instrument that makes a healer.

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.

An emotional spear was ****** into me the day you walked away from us. Now I sit looking for strands of sanity to bind up the wound you inflicted upon me. Still going crazy all hours of the day and night, I cannot fill the void you left in me. Try as I might I cannot put back the thing you took with you as I try to mend the hole you left in my soul.

Weave now a basket and fill it with the bounty of our love. Sound the call to help your fellow man. Come together and join one another to bring forth hope to the earth. Sound the horn of plenty that all will know that we still care.

A golden mane and fiery eyes! Hooves that tear up the earth and shake the ground as he runs. A pail yellow coat that glistens in the sun. A free spirit that cannot be tamed. As wild as the open spaces of the great plain, the noble steed commands respect. In a far off time, you could see the race towards battle on such a noble horse, now he runs free only being ridden if he chooses to join spirits with someone. A four legged Thunder bolt that blazes his own path and leaves awe and wonder where ever he chooses to go.

The air is fill with pollution, heat is rising from the earth. Our weather is changing from bad to worse. One place is drying up and others are covered with snow. The seas are churning in a tumultuous tizzy throwing waves too and fro. Beaches are washing away and so the disasters go. One group blames another cause and effect no one can rightfully say. As the debate among the powerful rages, it is the common people who must pay. The debt we owe for not caring for the planet on which we live, may exact a cost in blood, is that a price we can live with. Our children will bear the weight of the burden for our grievous mistakes in the past. How long with nature tolerate our wasteful ways, how long will the Earth's patients last. From day to day, we simply exist, not seeing the picture greater than ourselves. As our generation uses up our resources and places our children's future on a shelf. What will the legacy be when we are gone, what kind of world will we leave for the generations to come?

Patients and time with caring and understanding, slowly the thing crystalizes. Taking form under pressure and anticipation, it grows . Some Gems form quicker than others, but the rarest ones may take a lifetime. A Jewel called love is a precious stone indeed and is not easily found and once obtained is fiercely guarded against any who might want to steal it away.

If you gaze into the heavens, you can see many clouds. They come in different shapes, colors and sizes. Each cloud has a purpose, but is not bound by borders. They join together easily and do not fight over space. They shield us from the sun and deliver rain to us. They can be fierce and gentle depending on the situation. The clouds can sit lazily or move quickly depending on the wind. They take up and give back only keeping what they need. They change often transforming from one thing to another. The sky is their domain, unless they come down as a morning mist. All places they do call home. With no borders or reasons to hate, they work in concert will all things for the good and the ill. If we could learn a few lessons from them, then perhaps we would do better for ourselves.

The air smells sweeter when you are with me. Food taste better because you always want me to try new things. The earth beneath my bare feet gives me new sensations because you say that shoes get in the way. Your way of looking at life gives me hope for tomorrow. Each moment I lie with you I feel life forming between us. To become part of you and to see you nurture a creation that we have made is beyond amazing. Nothing is better than a life of love with you.

A woman lies on the sidewalk wrapped in ragged clothes. I see her and feel embarrassed. I walk by as she looks at me, then I stop and go back, ashamed I offer a few dollars. She takes the money, with sadness in her eyes. I feel so lost wishing I could do more. I smile warmly and cry in shame as I walk away. Driving I see a mother holding a young child close. She looks like she hasn't slept in days. The child has sunken eyes and whines as it's mother clings on the a post waiting for a bus. She sees me and I try to look away, hoping for the light to change. Should I offer her a ride, but I have somewhere to be. I drive on leaving her behind in my rear view mirror, I look back and think why did she have to be there. As I go through my day, I ask God why this has to be. I want to know how do you choose. With all of the need, what can one soul do? I ponder this as I head to my home and I put it out of my mind. As I go to sleep, I hear my child coughing and I rush to see what is wrong. It is nothing more than a little water will fix, then it comes to me so clear. It is not what one can do, but what God can do with one. Each single bit of hope weaves a tapestry that satisfies a need. In each persons kindness, someone is helped. Just as a little water soothes a cough. so a little mercy can change the world.