vigilantes, marauders, of the night skies
relentless in their search for all that is out there inside the blankets of night
fragments of lost stars that once were out there but became undone as they drifted off inside of the vastness and burnt out
but now are salvaged and put back in to place as the night sky remains flawless through these naked eyes of mine.
jo forstrom.

My nightingale you are my elusive dream
for it is i that slips deep inside of a place called sleep so i can go in search of you

i know where you are or i just sort of think i do

i am inside of here now for i hear your melodic voice just over there inside that tangle of shrubs

for it is inside of there that you flee all attempts of me seeing you
but i stay here
hidden inside of all restless dreams awaiting you

but i know it is in vain for you are all but invisible to these eyes of mine
that are now laden with tears of a life time given to me by the ravages of time
inside of a place called sleep.
jo

I sleep here beneath these autumn stars
while I await the cloak of winter to guard me against winters harshest breath

my earthly duties have come to an end
as the leaves lie there on the ground beneath branches that once held them

I now stand here without all that I once held
as daylight now turns its back on me
and the autumn night clad with all stars reaches down to enfold me.
jo

I am the season of the sun
but I know my time is all but over
for I see those days of autumn as they flicker off out inside the season of yet to be
I want so to linger inside the days that seem to become shorter
as the sun sets to a time I cannot seem to ever hear
as it calls out there inside the sculpted hillsides and begs for the chance to stay.
jo

Footprints sand blasted inside my heart

Leaving me alone and desperate to somehow escape where I am

For molten lava appears at my feet

And blistering words are flung at a me that lies down waiting to die

But it is not to be

For that parade of all silence now prances here before me

And a shrill voice announces

"It is your time."

jo.

Hate ate the ethics.

jo.

The very eyes of justice are blind folded from seeing the truth

America where are you?

For we shall perish away if the hands of the guilty go unpunished from all crimes committed against the  citizens of The United States of America.

jo.

Did that violin weep that longest night a lost forever ago?

That night when I wished out there upon that midnight star that brought along those hurricane winds to soothe me into all that was not visible to the naked eye,

And a voice explained out-loud to me

"I am here if only you would believe."

jo..

I am the illusion of what you are

I think not

But I believe in you

For the eye of the very tiger sleeps not inside of any known jungle but out there in plain sight of all that comes to seek me.

jo.

I slumber here beneath the harvest,

For I am that very first autumn leaf that has eyed you from the distance of time

And I harbor no known enemies for the eyes of love sleep not.

jo.

I want to write a love story

And, but

So help me out of this so angry tale of a want to be
For there is no such thing

And ouch it!
Now that so truly hurt me.

And why did you just slap me?

And the angriest buzzing of all bees ever
Now come down and assault me for even trying to think that I could ever be loved.

jo.

Riding the storm out deep inside of me
hiding in all darkest corners so it will not whiplash me backwards out there to be grabbed by those entangled webs of all fear,

And so I dig deep burrows so that I can just play dead there inside of each deepest hill
and stay down inside of there and not even blink

For those eyeless eyes of that storm shall strike deep here within each silken thread that I have tied ten thousand knots in just to survive.

jo.

Between the dust of mulberry bend
Sat seven little men
Each one had a whistle that they had carved out of enchanted wood
And the sound that came out of them made the air become filled with enchantment

And magical things would appear as though like snake charmers

And so one silent evening as the dew met the grass
A rabbit hopped out,

Yes I said a rabbit
Why is it that you are now doubting me
For do I not hold this pen of mine?

And so this rabbit was so unusual because he had three eyes and he did not hop
He skipped and he had a jump rope,

And so out came those seven little men and they wanted that rabbit to be gone

And so they each picked up their whistle and out came that sound that scared that poor little rabbit into jumping right out of that magical place that he had fallen inside of,

And to this day those rabbits are known as jumping jack rabbits

And I heard you all booing away at this short little made up story

And hey you!
Why did you just toss my book away?
jo.

Why do I keep coming here?
for it is not here nor there anymore

for that pathway that led me to him has been eroded by the waves of time,
and as I sit here beneath these entwined bridges
hurricane winds come to unravel all that I once held so dear,

but it was not to be

for oh don’t you all see,
that those teeth of that vicious barracuda have come inside of this place to gnaw away at each entangled thread of that distant horizon that has now turned black.

jo

Caught up upon this sleeve of mine are memories etched and spun inside a place of never

Eroded sharp words and jagged edges of all torment still live inside of there
as whip-poor-wills crest outside of this place of all longing

For jack hammered innocence became lost within those tangled webs of all deceit

And I am now back in there shackled
to nothingness.
jo.

A broken heart has no refuge
as it sits broiling away in the sun

Trying to escape all that was once so beautiful
but stung by the sword of betrayal.

jo.

The sign said yesterday

And so inside I went

There were doors everywhere
So I opened the very first one longing to find out what was in there
And but it was empty

So bitterly so that I could see my very breath as it froze up inside of the air

So I scrambled to get out of there so disappointed that I had found nothing,

Then I heard the shrillest voice saying five minutes to closing

And I just had to find yesterday

And I needed it so much that it hurt

And there I stood outside that haunted like place unable to figure out just how I got out of there because I had no memory of leaving

And a loudest voice ever consumes me
And it said, scram for you do not ever get the chance to go inside of what is not.

jo.

Every night when I go to sleep I think about what I want to try and dream about.

And no this is not easy to do because most of the time it just does not happen,

But once, just once I  got my wish
and it all came to be,

And this is what happened inside of a place where I get to go to dream.

I was sent out there among all those stars inside the galaxies
and I was handed a long like pole that had a net on it
Well you all know what I mean,

And so there I sat out there along side all beautiful things

And I heard each silent star that was sent whooshing on by me.
but then I did not want to do what I was sent out there to do

Because it would ruin everything.

You see,
I was told to capture all stars so that the midnight sky would cease to be
and so I did not want this to happen

And so I said no outloud
and ouch it!

For would you believe that I had been zoomed inside a pile of stars that had been all piled up inside of a place so sad that it made me start to cry outloud,

But hold on.

It does not end there

But here.

jo.

This is my secret garden.

It is very well hidden and only I have the key to the doorway that is to be found by me only,

Or is it even there for real?

and so off I go

and inside of me I tremble to think that such a place is there awaiting me

And now it is I that stands here in front of this jagged fence that sticks out from in front of a hollowed out log

And so inside of here I must beable to gain entrance to for I dearly need all that lies so inside of there

And into the keyhole I glide this my key
And instantly I am there
Inside of my secret garden

And lilies and larkspurs and hollyhocks are now dancing as to send out their very welcome and to make me feel at home,

But I am now standing shattered inside of me
for I wanted to make a wish upon my favorite flower the dandelion

But it is far past too late

For there are only those strands of what once was a blossom

And a rabbit now darts out in front of  me and grabs it out of my hands
and I kneel down in the very grass and I start to cry,

For he has destroyed all that I came inside of here for

For what he took away from me were all dreams and wishes that once were spoken inside of that magical flower of long long ago.

jo.

This is my own landscape

Only mine

There is nothing left but the wind

The rain,

And the rages of time

I sit out here on a plain,
a realm of my very own as I try to discover the whys of only me.

And why do I stay hidden deep inside and within these hidden passageways?

I do not want to be found

Life inside of here is brutal and the whispering sand now howls away as though it wants me to leave this deserted place that I have grown so accustomed to

But I shall never relinquish this hold that I have for this my own refuge

For I and I alone came inside of here and made it my own

Those hands that keep reaching out inside of here to take this me out of here shall never come to conquer me

For I shall sneak inside of my own shadow and remain forever stilled.
And he shall quickly leave this my place

For I am me.

jo

Enter in here

Push away the cobwebs

And scream outloud

Or enter inside of sudden silence and inhale or exhale all the way in or out

And by the way

Did you see that faded sign outside of here

Did it not say do not enter

And did you not obey

Now see those robins that are now not out there weeping

for ravens have come and taken their place

And they weep not for anyone for they shall devour all that you are not.

jo

I am here standing alone

Alone, but where am I

Am I even here or there

Or am I wide awake

but here it comes
that wind that comes blowing on down
and here I go out there trying to escape the reality of you.
jo.

The morning sun screamed out there
And longing was here

Longing for all that I thought I had  

as starlings wept inside out of all storm clouds

For it was only infatuation and he left me out here inside of a shambled horizon
lost to the breaking of dawns harshest breath.


jo.

Bits and pieces and scraps of dreams

And magic moments caught up and twisted inside those darkest of days

Days filled with instant deadly emotions

Days that I wished I could have just like disappeared off the very face of this earth.

For shattered I was

Instantly he was taken out of this world
And my world stopped being here for real

And I swore that I would never be destroyed like this ever again

As streaks of all lightning came down here to a me that crawled inside of myself to escape that doomed filled day.

jo.

The Springboard.

I am a springboard
come on,try me out,

Or are you afraid of where i'll land you out there somewhere suspended inside a place where no one else is?


If this is your fear
then be gone from me
for I need you not.

So,
You are the coward I first thought you were.

And so,
Now that I have embarrassed you
Here you are.
And do you need my hands to help you climb aboard or are you able to do this on your own?

Now there, Don't you feel like you have accomplished something even though you ducked out in total fear,

And so,
off you go
Out there inside a place that I made just for you.

And by the way
there's no way out.

jo

Anger is a fools way of displaying things so true about what he is all about but not in a quiet way.

19. Color me says me to you
And you stand there staring away at me as though you hardly know what to do or say
And then you pick up a crayon and you toss it away,
""for see says He,
You have no color
for you are just only you."

20. A man approached a door,
And upon the door a sign read leave all of your values inside this box that I have sat here for you,
And he reached into his pockets and they were all empty and He did not know what to do,
And the door opened and a voice said, "welcome,
come on in."

21. Once there was a tree,
but it had no branches visable to the human eye
And so,
Along came the wood cutter and he proceeded to take out his ax
and wham,
down it came.
jo.

Paper mansions set upon nothing but greed
are destined to break and shatter into a void never to be regained by their owner
for you had nothing to begin with.


14. To be mirror friendly is to hold the shallow hand of vain.

15. Prejudice is the enslavement of the heart.

16. Smugness. To live inside yourself to a point that you are better then the very next person standing right next to you.

17.False- hearted people are the poorest people ever
for they live a shallow empty life
full of nothing but themselves.


jo.

Enter The Wind.
And then the wind arched its back and spoke these words to me.

"I am the season under the sun
I am that turtle that swims not in tune to that smallest mustard seed
I am all that you all quake inside for
And this makes me your silent enemy
For of me you never were."

jo.

1 A rolling stone gathers no dust.

2. Life is a song yet to be written.


3. No one wants what you do not have.


4. A page unturned leaves you restless.


5. Instinct tells you nothing, for you never want what you fail to see.


6. Doubting yourself leaves you inside out of something that was once there but you failed to allow yourself the freedom of it.


7. I stand alone in the forest but not a tree quivers for this me that fails to hear what these my eyes never do see.


8. Alone you never are for you are a part of something greater then you.


9. The sea is always filled with water while this my glass is always half filled.


10. The stars are always there, but then why is it that we all fail to see the midnight sky.


11. You see and feel the beauty of the sun but fail to beable to look at it without darkening your palest eyes.


12. The violin quakes your heart but you never come to feel the strings as they stretch out to greet you.

jo.

If.

If the sun danced and the moon cried that long ago night

That night when I laid down and died in the meanest way

For gone was my setting sun

And gone was my moon that whispered words of a love ever lasting

So I laid myself down and I wept long and deep inside of forever where broken promises were strewn by the wayside.

jo.

Once.

Once inside a lifetime ago
I was there

Inside me so that I lied down there inside that place I called just only me
So that I felt safe

And just perhaps even loved by those inward places that held me

But then
Gone they all were

Now I am here forever lost from each one of them

For don’t you all see
That it was not real.

jo.

Caught.

Caught inside the thorns of life
I am in here plucking tomatoes from this my garden

And I pick a handful and they are each so full of worms that I am now sick

And out of time or so it seems
A bee flies on by me and then turns around changing his mind and he stings me,

And "ouch,"  I say outloud,

And the bee stares straight between my eyes and plucks off the petals of a rose that never did bloom.

jo.

Among The Shadows.

Walking here among these shadows I am snatched backwards
as though invisible arms have been there inside of here awaiting my very own arrival,

And torn I am to just turn right straight around and run out of here

But I am caught here inside of this silent shadow and in-between that gap he is there,

And he snaps each one of these strings of mine
and jack hammered,
I am now dissolved inside of a liquid substance
for him to always be able to become of.

jo.

Torn Curtains.

Jagged edges of my soul immersed inside of a place where the sun never seems to shine
As though I am embroiled inside of a cocoon with sawed off edges

And it is I that wails away here inside of dusted covers of what might have been.

jo.

The Rain.

I am here standing in the rain watching as my valley of heartaches disappear out there among the mountains that stand in silent defiance of all that I am.

And the very voice of the mountain is ignoring me as  here I stand in silent agony as the rain now insists on wiping these tears of mine all away,

But deep down here inside of all stilled wisdom, doves dressed in white petticoats nose dive as to tell me that I am next.

jo.

The Pathway.

Scorched by the heat

Warmed by the sun

Shadows lie blistered away from auld  lang syne,

But I must continue my journey before darkness breaks out
there above the horizons edge.

I start to stumble but am yanked up by a force to be reckoned with

But this is now so untrue

For here I am

Back home just sitting here withering away from this mid day heat.

jo

Mountain Meadows.

I come here on tethered strings

And my heart knows right off where I am

For once I was here lost like and so all alone

But now the gates lie wide open beckoning  me home.

jo.

Keeper Of The Wind.

Who goes there says I out loud

But there came no answer to my silly question

But the wind kept rattling itself outside and came in through each smallest crack

And I stood there so silently thinking who was it that just moaned
And out it came

A vapor that stunk of rotted old cheese

And I slumped over myself for I could not stand being consumed by this over offensive odor

And I grew ever so queasy inside of the deepest part of me

And it growled out at me that nasty oldest thing that now grew ever so tall in front of me

And he snickered out loud
and said in the gruffest voice

I am the master of the wind

The oldest survivor of all things

And you are now of me

And I was hurled forward deep within that humanless being until I was never more.

jo.

If money grew on trees
And everything was free
What then

And on and on this one goes

And now we as humans no longer have to work for a living for there is no longer the need for any income to help support who we all are

And so,

The air that we now breathe has been transformed into a way of life to the point that it now gives to us all things we need on a day to day basis

Such as
We no longer need to eat for the air that we breathe gives us our daily nourishment

There are no longer need for stores that we all once came to shop in and at for our food and clothes
For at days end we hang our clothes inside a cubicle to be returned to us brand new whenever the need arises.

No work gives to all of us more time to spend with friends and family

And another thing in life is no longer needed
And this is the need to sleep

The air gives back to us all that sleep once did
And so there is no longer the need for beds or bedrooms unless it is your desire to still have them.

All automobiles run on air and no need to worry about tires wearing out because the greening of our lands act out on road surfaces and generates back into your tires all that they will ever need.

Another major change that has taken over is that our homes that once relied on all ways to heat and cool
Have been taken over by underground type springs that offer you the cooling needed in hot weather

And the heating in cold weather due to the fact that in the season of lets say summer
The heated air is stored inside of unlimited chambers kept there until called upon by the changing of the seasons giving you always the perfect in door temperature.

Crime of any kind has been eradicated by the air itself and before it would even come into being,You would be vaporized.

And so inside this place called if

There is only one thing that shall come to ruin this place so given to us
And that one thing is just this

The privacy of the human mind is no longer

Anyone can hear your thoughts
And with nothing but time on your hands
Whats next.

jo.

Zeroland.

There are hills here where pavement once set
Long before all things sort of crashed and burned away all that once was inside of here

And out I travel to and fro picking up nails and finding a hammer to help rebuild a time long gone

So here I am here inside a promise that never came to be finding apple blossoms stuffed inside these smallest cracks here within a pavement that now slowly comes to a melt down
As I exhale me.

jo.

Paper Dreams.

Out here I drift away inside of silented dreams
Paper ones

For my heart was taken away from me
Out there where those distant hillsides can be seen

It was I out there just walking inside of stilled sands of time

And doves encircled me inside of a moment that I fell deeply in love with a man of all time

And he whispered to me
I have built you a sailboat made of pieces of time
Come with me for this is where our forever lies

And it was then I awoke suspended inside of this my paper dream.

jo.

Chances.

He broke each chance he was given

Bricks in the wall came tumbling on down

Drugs

And ***** were there to over take his very own soul of all souls

And if only
and so only if
he could have been taken out of this world before he broke his own heart.

jo.

Moments

Moments days years go flying on by
And yesterdays dreams have gone on without me
And here I stand inside of a lonesome moment
Drowning in my tears.

jo

Keeper Of The Wind.

Who goes there says I out loud

But there came no answer to my silly question

But the wind kept rattling itself outside and came in through each smallest crack

And I stood there so silently thinking who was it that just moaned
And out it came

A vapor that stunk of rotted old cheese

And I slumped over myself for I could not stand being consumed by this over offensive odor

And I grew ever so queasy inside of the deepest part of me

And it growled out at me that nasty oldest thing that now grew ever so tall in front of me

And he snickered out loud
and he said in the gruffest voice

I am the master of the wind

The oldest survivor of all things

And you are now of me

And I was hurled forward deep within that humanless being until I was never more.

jo.

I have built these cages of mine inside of me to hide out and to just lie down and cry

Cry like I have never done before

For once inside of time
Waves of such happiness were mine

Did you hear me

They were just mine

And now lost and trapped I have become
For of all nothingness I am

And now please leave me alone

For of nothing I shall always be.

jo.

If.

If the sun danced and the moon cried that long ago night

That night when I laid down and died in the meanest way

For gone was my setting sun

And gone was my moon that whispered words of a love ever lasting

So I laid myself down and I wept long and deep inside of forever where broken promises were strewn by the wayside.

jo.

The Flute.

Want to hear my heart cry do you

then lean inwards inside of me where this my soul weeps from within a place where even tears dare not to go

for see, a long time ago angel wings dipped outside of my window on  the rainiest night
and i died inside of me,

Now do you hear me

for I never lied to you
and you broke my heart from within the very silented depths of my soul.

jo.

My Dreams.

I put all my dreams away inside the drawers of yesterday

For when I lost you I had no need to feel the loss of you being gone

And so inside of each sacred drawer I laid bits and pieces of all you had ever been to me

And then like silver lightning an idea came to me

That had I just lived inside that last sacred moment

Then death could not have taken you away

So in I climbed

Inside that drawer where they had laid your remains

And I reached up and closed the lid on what I knew was the very last breath

And the strangest thing came along
You.


jo.

The Garbage.

The garbage sits out here

Piled as though sky high with no more bridges left to cross over

And here I am

Sitting here nestled inside of this pile high garbage

For these earthly deeds of mine are now all done.

And it is I that now hears that so long ago distant hum

A hum of substance

And of such intense sound
that only I can seem to be of

As it just tends to hum along with the sound of this huge garbage truck that has now come to a sudden instant halt

And a voice yells out

Who let you become of this pile of all garbage ever

And I say to him so out-loud

It is all that I am worth.

jo.