Beams of lights reflecting
Off the clouds on sunny days
Hovering over sea and land
Disbursing the suns rays
Brightening up the majestic sky
In different shades of blue
In a brilliant effortless way
Vanquishing all gloom

They deny prying eyes
Built stern for their aim
The protectors of secrets
Of the unknown; unexplained
Crafted with purpose
To conceal what’s inside
Taking painstaking hours
Through hard work and pride
There’s no flaws that you’ll find
In its build or design
Or opportunity given
To see what’s behind
A key is their master
In command and control
The determining factor
Of what’s revealed or exposed
Without it, it’s hopeless
Left to ponder and stare
And wonder what ever happened
To the duplicate; spare

‪Across the purple majesty‬
‪Landscape hazy and subdued ‬
‪Amidst the mist and murk‬
‪That hides a stunning view ‬
‪Above the slopes and plush terrain ‬
‪Under moons bright stare‬
‪Gazing off into the stars‬
‪Breathing mountain air‬
‪Together in the moonlight ‬
‪Standing hand in hand‬
Daring us to venture out
To discover newer lands

I’m shattered, smashed, and ruptured
I’m pitted, dipped, and cleft
There’s sorrow in the depths of my soul
Ever since you left
My life seems out of rhythm
Gone is the pounding in my chest
The love I felt has vanquished
I’m defeated and depressed
You crushed the very essence
Of the love we often shared
It hit me like a whirlwind
I was completely unprepared
And now I run on empty
As if you never cared
I would’ve thought our kinship
Was one you could’ve spared

A cloudless day with sunshine
Time to still prepare
A beach day like none other
With the smell of salty air
Waves crash in the distance
The seagulls swarm for food
Castles made of sand fall down
Just like in my youth

The garden flowers
Are fresh with dew
The morning air
Is sweet perfume
Just past the gate
The sun’s awake
Farewell to the sleeping moon

‪I cannot wish the pain away‬
‪When you had to go and couldn’t stay‬
‪My heart could not bear to be alone‬
‪Now quiet inside my empty home‬
Walking down an empty hallway
Leading to empty rooms
I had inhaled all your essence
I was overwhelmed; consumed
A pilgrimage towards disaster
To eradicate my woes
With a bandaid for my heartache
As you made your choice; you chose

Our viciousness may be our demise
As we’re malcontent and compromised
Seeing things with bloodshot eyes
Before our last goodbyes
What we perceive to be as strong
Has been weakening all along
When what we hear are cries, not song
Our passion fades away

It’s not static, but dynamic
The identity of self
The landscape of my inscape
My inherited wealth
A treasure trove of riches
The hand that I’ve been dealt
All worthless and meaningless
Without the attention made to health

‪I haven’t done much with my life‬
‪And before you know it, it’ll be gone‬
‪It’s not worth wallowing in my misery‬
‪Like some sad sad song‬
‪My perception needs to change‬
‪Shift, and rearrange‬
‪Pick the lock that’s on my shackles‬
‪And free myself from this cage‬
‪Stand up to my demons‬
‪Allow myself to breathe‬
‪It’s not what I’ve always wanted‬
‪But it’s more than what I need.‬

Impoverished boys
Homemade toys
Not enough to eat
Yet, still their smiles sparkle bright
As they don’t comprehend defeat
Brand new day
Kids at play
No one‘s keeping score
They play for just the fun of it
Who could ask for more?

Relinquish all the fairytales
As reality sets in
A daydreamers worst nightmare
Halted, before it could begin

An imagination that’s run wild
Alluring and a tease
Condemned for all damnation
To capture and release

An epic journey adventure
To the depths of the unknown
Fear of falling and of failure
No comfort for the soul

Always facing danger
Adds to a building plot
Your choice of weapon is quite puzzling
After all, it matters not

The winners been decided
The battle has been won
The troops are still divided
The war is not quite done

Who shall play the hero
In this epic tale?
Who will save the princess?
Or locate the holy grail?

Is there a fire breathing dragon;
Lying amid the caves?
Does your army adhere to their king?
Is there not one of them that’s brave?

What will happen when you find the beast?
Will it suffer it’s defeat?
Or will you shiver in your timbers
Run and yell “retreat”!

The imagination is a fickle
thing
It must endure and run it’s course
It’s what conjured up a Pegasus
From a plain old rocking horse

It’s a gift for all the children
Blinded from the pain of life
It’s a comfort for a timid mind
To be the hero of the night.

That nudiustertian morning
(The day before last)
You put forth the effort
And stayed true to task
You were aware of the dangers
That no others could grasp
Yet you fought, though outnumbered
By taking a stance
From a cruel hearted world
Given chance after chance
Moving onwards and upwards
As we try and advance
Through our own secret battles
But only at first glance

The stars come out and masquerade
Through the sky on full display
Resting on a bed of leaves
Just under the leaning tree
That grew tall along the grassy knoll
Crooked over earth and stone
The sun must say it’s last goodbye
To make way for the diamond sky
Jewels in clusters
Stay bright at night
To reach the stars and hold on tight

She dissolved from drops of acid
Through the rabbit hole she fell
Her mind filled with pollution
Not quite how the storytellers tell
She was woken from a vivid dream
Shocked enough not to scream
Spotted, but never before seen
In this state of her confusion
She didn’t want to rock the boat
Still upstream without a float
Hanging there with every note
Listening for her ballad

Exquisite and beautiful
A hypnotic trance
That adds to the beauty
Of the forbidden dance
Your edgy new movements
Perfected; enhanced
Like the meeting of lovers
In an encounter of chance
That soothes the spirit
And lessens the grind
Then aged to perfection
Like expensive wine

She’s a bona fide composer
With melodies and songs
She’s musically inclined
Though she hasn’t been here long
Her words come from the heart
Harmoniously in tune
She’s off to a fast start
As you can never start too soon
A prodigy on epic scale
A maven beyond her years
A set of high tone vocal chords
That’s music to our ears

In the stillness of the midnight hour
When shadows rise, to take power
They seek out to maim; devour
Those who fear and cower
And in the thoughts of mindless men
That wait out their lives to be born again
There are no words to defend
As they stay silent, still, and idle

I adore all of your metaphors
The quiver of your lip
Your pronunciation of the little words
Your occasional Freudian slip
I’m vulnerable to your parenthesis
Your underlined content
The illusion of intrusion
Where every minute’s spent
It’s indicative of your movements
Your pantomime express
The solution to pollution
Under meaningful duress
The creation of the nothing void
Which takes time to digest
But every stare you’ve given me
Makes me believe you’re unimpressed

The fear is severe
When the unknown’s unclear
Until we gather our gear  
Then ****, disappear  
Into the night
While traveling light
Solemn; contrite
Ill equipped for the fight
The battle of self
With poor mental health
A monopoly of wealth
For the pills that get dealt
Out of the cupboard  
And into our hands  
Along with the side effects  
And a list of demands
There may be reactions
They’ll come out in waves
Searching out healing
Or what the body most craves

Mittens for kittens
Gifts under tree
Filled up red stockings
For you and for me
Ornaments a plenty
Food and good times
Home for the holidays
With jingle bell chimes
A year full of mischief
On the good list or bad
But it’s all in good spirits
There’s still fun to be had

They ‪flourish in my dreams‬
‪In fuchsia waves of spring ‬
‪Swaying in the brimming meadows ‬
As if ‪bowing to their king‬
‪Yellow pollen spread by wings‬
‪Dusted effortlessly about‬
‪Pollinating everything ‬
‪Removing any doubt ‬
‪Of what will or will not grow‬
‪Being purposely exposed ‬
‪To the sun, one by one‬
‪Steady as it goes‬

A tear falls from her eye
Thoughts racing in her mind
Pleading to the sky for mercy
Her lovers now passed on
He taught her to be strong
Now she only drinks her wine
when she is thirsty
This helps to ease her pain
For the feelings that remain
A broken heart is still worthy of a mending

The summers heat
In hot dry waves
Domino’s and lemonade
Sandals, shorts, bikini strings
Ocean views and summer flings
Relaxing down by the pool
Not a single thought of work or school
These are just some things we do
When we are a kid

She walked in puddles
Under the willows in the rain
With an umbrella, for the weather
Walking down the lane
Her cottage around the bend
With chimney stacks; red
A short walk to reach comfort
For a hot meal and soft bed
She wore a simple yellow dress
Not dressed to impress
Because she knew the weather forecast for the day
She entered into her home
Made of mortar, bricks, and stone
An inviting home, in every sort of way
She settled down to rest
And wasn’t expecting any guests
When she heard a sudden knock ✊🏻 upon the door
She was startled quite a bit
The porch light wasn’t lit
So she couldn’t make out who it was for sure
She asked who it was out loud
But didn’t hear a sound
And that only made her concerned that much more
She turned on the porch light
There was nothing there in sight
But the knock was way too loud to ignore
So she went and got a knife
To fend off for her life
Or for whatever they had in mind or in store
Then came broken glass
A man was coming fast
Now that he had worked his way into the house back door
She screamed for all to hear
But her voice had disappeared
She was frozen in her fear
And quite as a mouse
🐭
He chased, she swung
They fought, he won
And now that man is sleeping soundly on the couch
He knew it wasn’t good
When she was lying in her own blood
When he woke up and saw what he had done the next day
He took some time to think
Had several high proof drinks
And decided to keep her as a conversation piece
ashtray


It’s sad when evils done
And even sadder when it wins
But now that story’s over
So a new one can begin

Sometimes separation’s good
To alleviate dissension
Walking away is best
Helps to dissolve the tension
Opinions can be fact or fiction
Make you mad; send you off into another dimension
That’s just how it is
There are no restrictions
Best to be the better man
If you know the distinction

Step Up


I’m on a losing streak
Every move that I make only seems to get beat.

I don’t let it get to me, though
I know I’ll find a way to get back on my feet.

Wow, the audacity
Keeping me in tow  
Just to uncover its majesty

I’m quite unique like that
Keeping you in trance
While I’m speaking my peace

It’s a real travesty
Unable to recognize the person staring back at me
Oh, the agony

The man, he’s standing right there in front of me
His eyes are wise
But hold a great deal of mystery

Kind of like a hybrid dispensary
Under lock and key
Steady have you jonesing
For some controversy

Something to help forget about strike one, two, and three.
By the way, can something please be done about all the brutality?

I need to get some sleep
But sometimes your thoughts can keep you up on your feet

Trying to figure it out
How to get from A to B
and not go without
Doing it instinctively
Whether or not your in doubt

Respectfully speaking of course
Wouldn’t want to make waves
Or treat life like a sport

Where last is first
Somewhere, a Cockeyed Cucamonga
Is dying of thirst

Everywhere there is water
But not a drop to drink
Volcano’s about to erupt
Shedding light for a second before you realize it’s corrupt

The whole **** things a sham
Beating down my door like I’m in high demand
Just because that you can?!

Enough is enough
Time to step up or die trying
It is a choice, I have my voice
So why is it that I’m still here deciding?

The waves break to form a mist
Against the violence in the sea
Where head on head collisions
Are a common sight to see
Their magnitude, tremendous
With power to be sure
It’s a spectacle on full display
And its natural state is pure

The light that shines between us
During a sunset loves embrace
Diving deep into your ocean
From high in outer space
I’m immersed in who you are  
Like the sand between our feet
Grounded, looking back at you
Entrenched in my belief

I wonder what my ending is
How will I cease to live on earth
Not knowing what my value was
Or my intrinsic worth
Will I leave the world much better
Than the place where I was birthed
Or be just another rotting body
Planted in the dirt

The skies cast a periwinkle blue
Over vast stretches, in plain view
Along the boundless horizon
Over waters edge
Where the two connecting blues
Inevitably meet again
To decipher where the ocean and the sky begin

There was no need to fret
The night that we first met
When we sang together
A perfectly matched duet
You struck a cord
While it thundered and poured
To a packed house trying not to get wet
We each sang a verse
For better or worse
With the lights shining down on the set
We weathered the storm
While cozy and warm
On a night that I’ll never forget

He saw it clear as day
Even in the night
Visualizing everything
He aimed to bring to light
Each step he had to take
Grasping, holding tight
To the promises he made
After putting up a fight
With a goal to be achieved
When it seems nothing’s going right
Or when doubters; non believers
Disregard you out of spite
That’s when things get clearest
That’s when dreams take flight
Then putting pen to paper
Turning into a passion overnight
When all ideas flow freely
With whichever hand you write
And with a flicker of a finger
We watch it all ignite

He could disappear like magic
Out of sight and mind
He could disappear completely
Or just listen and unwind
To the sounds that fill the room
The whispers and the things assumed
About he who left us way too soon
To morph inside a big cocoon
Then spread his wings and fly
But my question still, is why?
Why vanish to the stars
While we’re in traffic in our cars
You could be halfway to Mars
Or not nearly at all

Always 10, Ren
Is back at it again
His heart’s on the mend
From the loss of close friends
At such a young age
He couldn’t dodge or evade
The wars being waged
Right in front of his face
Still, onwards he raged
His perspective was changed
Then stricken with illness
That caused indescribable pain
And for nearly a decade
It ate away at his brain
Misdiagnosed and untreated
He felt psychotic; insane
Until he met the right doctor
Using money, he himself raised
And then began healing
To douse, quench the flame
Which in turn, set the stage
For his songs and displays
Expressing emotions, in many various ways
Not for stardom, or praise
Or what the audience craves
It’s just what’s required to ease, tame the pain in his brain
Sometimes, words are no solace
Words can’t describe, or explain
But it can be heard in his music
That’s been written, arranged
And that can heal, as can the medicine, being shot in his veins
Just as well, for his audience
Who remain amazed, entertained

Sunlight through my window
In between the hanging shades
Bouncing off the mirror
Where much darkness still remains
Brightening up the dresser
The closet and door the same
Introducing morning
In a short game of charades

The confessions of a self-critic
The one you can’t escape
That breathes in the same air as you
With every breathe you take
That stares into the mirror
Wondering when you’ll break
And laughs at your ineptitude
Because you can relate
The one that answers questions
With what you want to hear
That would rather stand in silence
Trembling in fear
Missing opportunities to share, with those that you hold dear
Not to mention not having any semblance
For a vocation or career
Constantly questioning your existence
And why it is your here
Crafting words to fit the narrative
Channeling your inner bard; Shakespeare
Not for things that wet your pallet
Greed is a sin you can avoid
You squint your eyes at the word hope
Because that theories already been destroyed
You’ll turn down your own mother
Suffering from a broken heart
Then throw a bunch of words down
Stand back and call it art
You’re selfish and you know it
Yet you’re reckless with self care
You’re too stubborn to change your life
Because you know you’re unprepared
Yet still you sit down on your ***
Too scared to even dare
Then complain that it’s too difficult
And state claim that life’s not fair
You’ve witnessed it
From your point of view
All the times you thought you knew
That life was not your choice to choose
So while you’re here
Why sing the blues
And walk around
Dazed and confused

The sinner, is in her
On the ledge of a cliff
There was a time awhile back
When she could’ve flipped the script
But she caved and got swallowed up
By a Freudian slip
Showered her feelings
Till the very last drip
But when it was all said and done
She lay still in her crypt

You exacerbate each moment
As though I wasn’t there
Invisible to feelings
That let me know you care
With your never ending laughter
Your crocodile tears
Your general misunderstanding
Of how to disappear
Fade into the night
But out of all the darkness
Comes a glowing light
A serpent and a sphere
A metal shield and spear
To battle back the demons
That suffocate with fear
As you skulk around and ****
Without a chosen God
And manipulate your victims
With just a subtle nod
You’re the villain in my thoughts
Who can’t be sold or bought
Just a cold stare and a place in hell
Where your gifts are often sought
But you have no soul to steal
You just keep spinning your own wheels
Chasing after every high
To know exactly how it feels
You’re brutal and your crass
Without a touch of class
You’ll go down in history books
As how to finish last

Tattooed on her shoulder
Was a colorless rose
Outlined as if it were dying
Given its pose
Hunched and dejected
By the path that it chose
Just to end up as colorless
And the ghost of a rose

I close my eyes
And I fantasize
Of wealthy days
And the grand prize

Winning money
That’ll change my life
The lavish lifestyle
Party till I die

Go out with a bang
To everyone’s surprise
Live the life of luxury
I will not be denied

The hottest women
To tell me lies
Gravitate
To the skies

No guilty feelings
No long goodbyes
Just the state of euphoria
And the biggest piece of pie

Why venture on in a trivial pursuit
When you quibble and pout
eating passionate fruit
You hunger, you need
You wish to proceed
Despite all the hurdles
You constantly leap
To avoid any conflict
Any variance of trust
You do what you will
You do what you must

You can lead a horse to water,
However, you can not make him read
Unless of course, that same horse
Joins a book stampede
With flamingos, turtles, monkeys, elephants, and geese
All carriers of literature
Carrying three, four books apiece
Ingrained in imagination
When nursery rhymes made sense
Hidden between the pages
Is where the situation’s best
The anticipation of conclusion
The ending of the tale
Will it be successful?
Or like so many others, fail?

I choose the double edge sword
On my own accord
Bend through the air unscathed
The wind fights hard
So avant-garde
Yet still, it harnesses the rain
The sword is meant to disenchant
The strength of a never mentioned plant
But what it’s meant to do, it can’t
So loosen up the reigns

I saw you in the distance
You knew nothing of my existence
Until your arrival
When you offered me some assistance

I didn’t turn you down
My jaw fell to the ground
Not sure what I would’ve done
If you hadn’t been around

I suppose I’d still be searching
For connections far and wide
Millions of blank faces
That make up my paradigm

That’s just an example
For a length of time
New things to discover
Despite the daily grind

Being open to new ideas
It must have slipped my mind
I couldn’t decipher the hidden truth
From your creative lies

I’m not disappointed
The big picture’s by design
There’s no reason to deny it
No cause to be unkind

My heart is protected
By a force you can’t contrive
A thick steel door without a key
And no one there to bribe

I know the secret password
To go through the pearly gates
I was sent an invitation
Despite protesting my fate

Time is a fickle thing
The seconds so precise
Your adventure through this life
Has opened up my eyes

I have a new perspective
A new outlook on life
I have you to thank for this
Not once, not twice, but thrice