Do you remember many
years ago when you were
so young and you could
get anything done?
You blink and everything
has changed and you look
around and life seems so
strange and everything
has been rearranged.
Your loved ones and those
you called friends have gone
leaving you  to only cry and
to wonder why.
Don't live life too fast because
everyday that you wake up
might be your last.
Another blink and you begin
to think that you are on the
down side of your life and
you say to your wife,
"where did it go?"
Sit back and slow things down
so you won't feel like a clown
as the World just spins around.
Realize that the time you have left
can be the best and you can take
what defines you to rest because
that is how you affected others
and how you will be remembered.
Don't let the remaining years
bring too many tears as you
come to terms with the fact
that it will all be over in the
blink of an eye.
Have fun while your enjoying
that last run and do something
for number one.                                Jon York      2011

Sometimes you must
take a stand, even if you are
just a grain of sand
in the ocean of life,
so you can get
inspired.

Inspiration comes
not from memories
or experiences
but from within and know
that there are no
mistakes only
lessons.

Growth is a process
of trial and error
and lessons
are often repeated
until they are
learned.  

What you make
of your life is up to you
and the answers
that you are looking for
can usually be found
within and you just have
to know when
to begin.

Like the Ocean
carries grains of sand
words carry my love
with sounds and syllables
borrowed from foreign
lands.

They errupt from
a broken heart
or unhealed
wounds and shattered dreams
or forgotten memories
and missed
chances.

I can't speak of yesterday
because there are
so many things
that I could say
but there is no good, bad,
malice or virtue,
only time and
circumstance.

So many loves have
come and gone
that I just let
slip through my hands
like grains of
sand.                        Jon York                                   2012

I can finally laugh
at what we had because
it was really so bad
and it deserves a good laugh.

Me supplying
and you just lying
and I can hear your
saying supplying what ?

Well it was something
that you were never quite
able to comprehend
and that was real love ,
truthfulness, and faith
that love was
being returned.

Pretending that it was going
to be never ending
this thing called love
and you got a good laugh
watching a man
crawling through a sea of lies
as he cried.

But the really funny part
was that it was nothing
from the very start but only lust
and that too turned
out to be a big bust.

From the beginning
you just wanted lust with
no love attached
and when love showed up
all you left was dust
in your hurry to get away
as you went looking for someone
else to play.                                         Jon York              2012

Life is about change.
Sometimes it's painful.
Sometimes it's beautiful.
But most of the time it's both.
Sometimes you keep a lot
to yourself because it's
difficult to find people who
            understand.

But never regret being a good
person, to the  wrong people
because your behavior says
everything about you, and
their behavior says enough
            about them.

Love doesn't keep score.It
wipes the record clean each day.
It says good  morning to today
and goodbye  to yesterday.

Some people want material things,
me, I just want peace, happy times
            &  people to love.

The mind will not always remember
exactly what happened, but the
heart will always remember the
                  feeling.
                                  ­                                                     Jon York   2019

Nothing lasts forever is the hardest
lesson we all learn in the hardest way
and the world is going to judge you
no matter what you do, so live your
life the way you want and work on it
every single day and be done and
know that to be outstanding you must
get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Every positive change in your life begins
a clear decision that you are going to
either do something, or stop doing something,
so stay too busy on your own grass to
notice if the grass is greener on the other side.

It's nice to be important. but it's more
important to be nice and know the truth
doesn't cost anything, but a lie could cost
you everything so make it your mission in
life to be so happy and loving that you
have no time for hate, regret, worry, or fear.

Words are free, it's how you use them
that could cost you, so focus on what
matters and let go what doesn't and people
who wonder whether the glass is half
empty or half full miss the point.
The glass is refillable.

The secret of being happy is accepting
where you are in life and making the best
out of every day knowing happiness is a
choice that requires effort at times, so make
today amazing and stop complaining and
appreciate what you have.
                                                          Jon York     2016

I want to
               feel  the  heat
                 of my own
          breath bounce back
                  and warm
             my  lips  after  I
           strategically  place
                     them on
            my  favorite  places
                 of your skin.

                    I want to
                        leave
                 goosebumps
           everywhere I have
               not yet kissed
                          and
               spend the night
                     trying to
                         read
                    them  like
                       braille.
                                                                                     Jon York   2019

As we wind down the road of life,
one learns that people will forget what
you said to them and forget what
you did for them,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel,
unless of course they
were never real.

Falling down or getting
knocked down is part of living
but getting back up is living
and everyone that
you meet is fighting some
kind of battle with themselves,
with someone or with
something.

You have to forget the bad
and forget the pain because it
will go away and you will live
to see another day
no matter what they had
to say about you.

Sometimes it just hurts
so bad and you become so sad
that you find that you must
turn it around and let
the other person be the clown
and then they will be
the one wearing
a frown.

So you just focus on the good
even though you did everything
that you could
because life is too short to be
anything but happy
even thought some peoples behavior
is really ******.

So break the rules
and forgive quickly, kiss again slowly,
laugh again uncontrollably
and never regret anything
that makes you
smile.  

Try to live each day
to the fullest knowing that
you went that
extra mile knowing
that you would be
left on the floor in a pile,
but you went
out in style and
got back up
on your feet again
knowing that next time
you will win.                               Jon York         2011

Words of my love for her
come every day,
I just don't know what else to say.
Her eyes show the real  beauty,
that is relected in her soul.

The passion that she shows,
and her beauty as a woman,
with the passing years only grows.

Her love appeared to me
out of nowhere and along
with it came the tears.

They were tears of joy
because we finally found
one another after all
of these years.

We share so much more
then either knew was possible,
and the sixty years that it took
to find her seemed but the
blink of an eye.

Time doesn't matter now,
what is important is that
we are together and every
day that we have is a special
blessing from above.                  Jon York      2011

It beats,
It breaks,
It loves,
It aches,
for you.
Only you.

Constantly,
Consistently,
Continually
             you.

I'm  lost
in a  sea
of   you
    and
know I'd
   rather
drown in
    your
shadows
    than
swim in
someone
    else's
    light.
                                                                                     Jon York   2019

I am sixty-four and it has been forty-three years
since I fought in America's only losing war
as a highly trained combat Marine
whose only job was to ****
and still after so long not a single day
goes by that I don't wonder  
why I didn't die.

And I won't lie because there are
so many times I wish I was dead
because of what goes on in my head
and sometimes I just sit and cry
but for some reason I find strength
and overcome what was long ago done
by me as a youth and I know
that I will live to see
another season but can't
see the reason.

Thirteen months of daily combat
in the "Valley of Death" seemed over so fast
as each of us just tried to last
just one more day and now thoughts about it
forever will last and sometimes
sleep never comes because Charlie haunts
us day and night as we sit up
waiting for daylight.

Memorial Day Celebrations are nice
and they mean well but for some of us
it is our own personal Hell because of the crap
ignorant people say and their words make us sad
but at least I am glad that I am not
one of the many Veterans who will
commit suicide today and that trend continues
every day of the week 365 days a year
which has to bring a tear.

So Memorial Day just reminds Vietnam Veterans
that we are a generation that society
would like to forget but so many of us
are still here and are trying to hang on to life so dear
but so many of us know that the end
is so very near.                                                  Jon York     2013    
                                                                ­            Vietnam  USMC  1969-70  
                                                                ­            A Shau Valley - I Corp

In the wild and crazy dance of life
sometimes you will trip or fall maybe
because you made a bad call but
know that you don't need a weather
man to know which way the wind blows.

One day you will wake up and there
won't be any more time left to do the
things that you always wanted to do
so do them now and along the way
give thanks to everyone who has been
part of your life's amazing journey.

Being alone makes one realize that
there is nothing more freeing and
empowering than learning to like
your own company so don't try
to be everything to everyone or
you will come undone.

Just try to be something to someone
and remember that love leaves a
memory no one can steal so if you
stumble make it part of your dance
and give yourself another chance.
                                                       Jon York    2015

When something bad
happens you have
choices, you can either
let it define you or
you can let it destroy
you or you can you
let it strengthen you
but know that stars
can't shine without
darkness,so if at first
you don't succeed,
destroy all evidence
that you tried and
cleanse your mind of
anxieties and
broodings and forgive
yourself for your
transgressions and see
the beauty that surrounds
you and listen to all of
the joyous sounds of
your world and always
be aware of the marvels
in your life now and not
when you are in the
depths of despair.

Dance like no one is
watching,
Love like you've
never been hurt,
Sing like no one's
listening
Live like heaven is
on earth and be kind,
for everyone you meet
is fighting a hard battle
and every day may not
be good but there is
something good in every
day.
                                       Jon York        2016

I will take charge of my life
and savor each moment that I have left
and let my wounds heal
as I open my senses to the beauty
that surrounds me as I make
my dreams become reality.

In my journey. . .
as I turn the pages I find
that braver is the one who overcomes
his desires and not just his enemies
because the hardest victory
is over self.

In my journey. . .
no person will have the power
to keep me upset or lonely and today
I choose to deepen my understanding of myself
and others and today I choose healthy
interactions with others and good
expectations of this day.

In my journey. . .
I choose to have purpose on earth
and I will strengthen my direction
with the words that I write
and the messages that I give myself
as those messages are the most important
messages that I could hear.

In my journey. . .
I affirm my personal power
now that we have met and I affirm
my capacity to give love to
and to receive love from this
very special lady who knows I have purpose
and together we celebrate the miracle
of being alive as she helps me
channel my directions.

In my journey. . .
She helps me to slow down my thoughts
and to change my perceptions and she gives me
the ability to handle all that confronts me
as renewed energy surges through me
and today she is the one that gives me the joy
of belonging and the quiet ecstasy
of mutual nurturing as we reach out
to one another's hands.

In my journey today. . .
I am still a student of life
and will not condemn myself
for inadequacies or mistakes
nor faults or failings as I focus
on beauty and virtue and goodness
because I have come so far in my journey
and still a way to go and with her
by my side it will go
nice and slow.               Jon  York       2013

Like a long lost lover
she came out of the night
into my arms
where she would stay
for two days and two nights
under the full moon.

Her kisses so sweet
and her touch so gentle  
we loved until noon
and through the night
like lost lovers
trying to get it right
which we did much
to our delight.

Loving, kissing
and touching
as we explored
each others bodies
like two lost souls
that had found the other
after such a long time
as our souls fit together
like a rhyme

We held each other tight
going into the night
refusing to let go
hoping that it would go slow
knowing that one
would have to go
come morning.

Morning arrived
and one was called away
but upon leaving
both knew
that we would be together
soon even if there
wasn't a full moon.                Jon  York                       2013

you have no idea what my journey is all about
so don't compare my life to others' because
sometimes life isn't fair but it is still good
so realize that life is too short to waste time
hating anyone and make peace with your past
so it won't ***** up your present and know
that everything changes in the blink of an eye
so get busy living and know that mistakes
are just lessons of wisdom because
the past cannot be changed and the future
is yet in your power.

I wanted to be a writer whose words touched
and changed those who read me
and I write and many read what I write
as they just try to get it right and sometimes
I might over prepare but mostly I just go with
the flow of words that come to me
from the inspiration that I get from those
who surround me but no one is in charge
of my happiness except me.

In all of my life-changing situations
I have chosen life when it would have been
much easier to go the other way
but I have forgiven everyone everything
and given time time and however
good or bad something was
I knew that it would change
and that I would be loved not because
of anything I did or didn't do and I  finally
realized that growing old beats the alternative
of dying young while realizing that miracles
are waiting everywhere so I show up and try
to make the most of life.

All that truly matters in the end
is that you are loved and I know that the best
is yet to come realizing that life
isn't tied with a bow
but it is still a gift.

An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way
and I as a poet/artist say hard things in a simple way
knowing that it will all be over much too soon
and sometimes I am impatient and sometimes a little insecure
and sometimes I make mistakes but if you
can't handle my worst then you
don't deserve my best.            Jon  York         2013

Being
      the most authentic
            version of
     yourself and not
hiding parts of yourself
          has a way of
            eliminating
   judgemental people
        from your life  
             and you
     will  find  out  that
             being you
                 has it's
                 perks.

              Realize that
       you  are  different.
       Always have been.
            It may take
    awhile but realize that
         you are magic
  not meant for everyone
        to understand.
          
            People will
   question you, but that's
             all right,
     just stay in your lane
              being all  
         magical and stuff.
                                                                ­                      Jon York   2019

Is what I search for
that elusive door to freedom
to escape these demons that came
as a result of war
or do I search for that door
that will let love find me again
and is it a word, a truth, or a question,
or nothing much the reason
that I keep writing riddles and rhymes
and will I learn its essense in time.

Meanwhile the words
keep coming throughout the years
mixed with tears
and with them come recognized fears
but perhaps one day
peace and  love will come back to me
and I will be done
as I wipe the tears away
and arise to see another
day.

So much loss and too much pain
and all I really want
is for it to go away
so I continue my search
for that revolving door as I crawl
through the losses and pain
trying to score that big gain
knowing that change is evident
and I will never be the
same.

Will I ever really know
whether that one happy moment of love
and the joy of breathing
and smelling the fresh air
is worth all of the suffering
and the effort that it implies
and I think of the days
when love was alive but now
I search for that revolving door
to get another breath of fresh air
as the words run through
.my mind.

It may be that I was just
on the wrong path
and that there is a corner that needs
to be turned and it will teach us
that we can still fly
and soar in the heavens above
and show us that we can
still love.

So I spend my time searching
for that one missing part
and perhaps one day
it will come back to me and bring
that missing and quiet piece
and meanwhile my words
are written seeking a beauty
only the moon knows.

So I still look for that door
amongst the darkness of my
own troubled mind
while living in seclusion and trapped
in illusion as I scale the walls of my mind
searching for those things
I can't seem to find.

I will escape from
this awful place but for now
I keep searching for that invisible door
knowing that if life was easy
where would all of the
adventures be?                                                  Jon York                               2012

You must
           remind  yourself
            everyday: That you
   alone  are  in  charge  of  your  
            happiness. You
                will not
    let anything outside
            of  yourself
                 control
                     you.

                You are
         creating  a  life
      that  feels  good  on  
the  inside  and  that  will  
   ­       be enough to
    turn into experiences
         that  are good
        on   the  outside.

               And when
       a negative thought
                                                                ­                     
  enters your mind, think
     three positive ones.
                   Train
           yourself to flip
               the script.
                                                         ­                                 Jon York   2019

Don't
      chase attention or
affection.  You   are   you.
     this is who you are,
    and   you  are  enough.
              It's not
         up to anyone
               else to
      decide otherwise.

     It's a waste of time
          and energy
      trying to convince
           everyone
   you are this unrealistic
     version of yourself.
       Just be genuine.

    To  the  right  person,
         you will never
            be made to
       feel like you're not
               enough.
Learn  to  let  vulnerability
        inspire you and not
            frighten you.
What makes you vulnerable
        is what makes you
human and I think being
              human is a
           beautiful thing.                                                   Jon York   2019

As we get older we get much bolder,
not something like we used to
just throw over our shoulder.
We think about when we were young,
and how with the territory came dumb.
So strong, so agile, but we soon found
out that it only lasts awhile, that
physical peak is here and gone
leaving us with only a smile and we
wish that it had lasted more than
a song.

It seems things around us get better
as the the years pass us by, as we pay
more attention to each other. Gaining
wisdom and learning so much as things
just keep going by us faster and faster,
and if we don't keep up with the pace,
we seem to be losing the race and find
ourselves headed for disaster. We
learn what we didn't even know we
didn't know, and we have to know
what is really just for show.

Us old geezers find love comes
so much easier, even if you have been
in the deep freezer.  We don't have
to spend so much time trying to
please her. We know if the others
love is true, the games are gone and
we just get  strong realizing that we
might not be around very long.

Getting older,we take life more in
stride because we realize that we
are nearing the end of this crazy,
ride, and that it could all be over
in the blink of an eye. We soon
come to the realization that we
are all going to die, so we watch
those around us fade away, and
we wonder  why we are still here,
and know that it might happen
any day leaving you with nothing
to say.

Every new sunrise that we are given
we realize is a blessing, and we don't
need to worry anymore how we
might be dressing.

Now we know that the best part of
our lives is  now so we savor every
moment that we are given, because
the past is gone and tomorrow isn't
here yet and now is all we have , so
we touch like there might never be
a tomorrow and hope to avoid the
sorrow of what is happening as
we get older, we know our place and
what we have yet to face, and it sure
ain't no leather and lace.

So all I can say is what the hell,
lets rock and roll !                       Jon York  2010

Sometimes at night I can taste her
on my lips. Passion; strong coffee
and warm, soft kisses.

It fades quickly, like the lingering
of a delicate perfume in an  empty
room and I  miss it  when  it  goes,
but  I'm  just too tired  to  chase  it.

So elusive she is, so lovely, but the
quiet  madness of it  all leaves  me
breathless.

Enter  each  day expecting  that the
happenings of the day may contain
a clandestine message addressed to
you personally.
                                                                                          Jon York   2022

I am still here because this life
I hold so dear even though sometimes
it brings a tear and I can always
hold my head up and find something
or someone to bring me cheer
and someone I can hold
to be dear.

Some days are bad and some days
are real sad but most days
I am just glad to be here but sometimes
certain memories make my days
real bad making me think
of all of those wasted years
and cried for nothing
tears.

All of those years have just
gone by so fast and nothing
during those years seemed to last
because everyone I know
always seemed to judge me
by my past.

Everyone wants to live
on the top of the mountain
but nobody wants to stop
and think of the happiness
and growth that occurred
during the climb.

Don't let the heights
of those mountains scare you
as you take one step at a time and when
the climbing gets rough don't even
think to yourself "that's enough" when
you know that there is more
and know that you have
to stay tough.

Your most valuable possession
that you have is already
inside you and what you do
with it is up
to you.

My life is full of love
and it serves me as an inspiration
for these words that I write
but I am still trying to get it right
knowing that the end is still
far from my sight so I go day to day
knowing that there are going to be those
bad days and bad nights.

After climbing one hill after another
I find that there are many more hills to go
but I can't help but look back
at the great distance I have come
and I go on knowing that there are
still many more miles to go
and that this walk has far from ended
but I will get there knowing that
I have not pretended.

Forward I go knowing
that there will be many
more bad days but the long dark years
are over because I can smell
the four-leaf clover and I am
still here.                                                            ­Jon York              2012

Don't look so hard at my past because
I don't live there anymore because I
just walked out that door and besides
nothing really ever lasts and I have
discovered that only I can ever be the
author of my life and that there is
really no need for any strife about
what has happened to me.

I can't erase my mistakes but I can
laugh at them and do whatever it
takes to get past them and live to
see another day with something
more to say and I now know that
trust is like a mirror and once it is
broken you can never look at it in
the same way but the worse thing
about being lied to is knowing that
you weren't worth the truth.

I have learned from mistakes that
I have made and from all of the
times that I let others take advantage
of me and I will NEVER accept less
than I deserve and I have learned
from bad choices and now know that
there are some things that I just
can't get back and I realize that
somethings I don't ever want back.

Know that there are some people
who are not and never will be sorry
about what they did to you so just
learn to let them go so they can go
somewhere else and put on their
show and next time don't settle for
anything less than you deserve
and know which bridge to cross
and which to burn.

Anger is only one letter short of
danger so know that if someone
betrays you once it's their fault
and if they betray you twice it's
your fault and realize that the
tongue weighs almost nothing
but few can hold it so don't look
so hard and at the same time don't
get caught off guard by others lies.

Just be happy that you have
survived those lies and with them
you broke off all the ties that had
you all bound up and that you
were able to get away much to
their surprise. so don't look so hard
because you won't see the same me.   
                                                       Jon York    2012

This bright new day... complete with
24 hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes
cannot be exchanged, replaced or refunded,
so handle it with care and make the most of it
for there is only one per person.

There are no mistakes, only lessons
so love yourself, trust your choices,
and everything is possible and don't let
your circumstances harden you so much
that you become resentful and afraid,
just let them soften you and make you kinder
because you always have that choice.

Whether you accept life or not
is not really a choice because
really the only choice is how
and always know that "heaven on earth"
is a choice that you must make,
not a place that you find.

We have two choices in this life
and they are to accept things the way they are
or to accept responsibility for changing them
and know that in a time of crisis
all expectations, all pride and all fear of embarrassment or failure
will just fall away leaving only
what is truly important.

Once we start to see the beauty of love and life,
the ugliness that is all around us
starts to disappear and we can begin to enjoy
the life that we are in and we can also realize
that all of the peace, wisdom and joy in the universe
is already within us and we don't have to
gain, develop, or attain them because
all we really need to do is to open our eyes
and realize what is already here
and who we really are.

Learn much from those who have gone before you
and from them learn perfect patience, perfect wisdom,
perfect compassion and always believe
that you will ultimately succeed
at whatever you do,
never forgetting the value of persistence
and never forgetting that the highest
form of wisdom is kindness.

Learn to live for others and they will live for you
and learn that the problem is not that there are problems
but that the problem is expecting otherwise
and know that our time here is limited
so don't waste it living someone else's life which
will lead to strange days indeed.                                   Jon York          2013

Today is the beginning of a new day so start it
by knowing that you have been given this day
to use as you will and know that what you do today
is important because you are exchanging
a day of your life for it.

Life is not about expecting, hoping and wishing,
it is about doing, being and becoming
and the choices you have made not yesterday but today
so talk happiness, talk love, peace of mind
and talk health.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on
to greater achievements of the future
believing in yourself and having faith in
your abilities because when tomorrow comes
this day will be gone forever and what we
have left behind, be it love or poetry
all we can do is hope that others
learned from us.

Come out from behind the clouds and shine
and decide that you will not live an unlived life
and promise yourself to be so strong
that nothing can disturb your peace of mind
while you think only the best
and expect only the best.

Be aware of the treasure that you are
and don't lose sight of the beauty
that surrounds you while in your quest
for some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Don't wish me happiness, just wish me
courage, strength and a sense of humor
knowing that I need them all
to go on living.

The real test of courage is not to die
but to go on living knowing that courage
comes first and that reality follows courage,
truthfulness follows courage, so be courageous
and everything will fall into place
and don't overestimate the competition
or underestimate yourself because
you are better than you think.           Jon York      2013

I talk not of strength because my heart has known
and fought with weakness through long hours alone
as the days go by and the weeks rush on
and before I know it another year is gone but
I will be happy if someone who has read me says
"I'm better because he passed this way."

Age is just a state of mind especially
if you have left your dreams behind
but if from life you have taken the best
and love you hold as the years go by
then it really doesn't matter how the birthdays fly
because you are not old.

I give many thanks for a long life so far
even though it may have brought me
much bitterness and strife but I give thanks for
all of the many of love's joys that I am given
and I will always cherish the tears and the joys
that I have had for love's dear sake even though
sometimes grief followed in its wake but still
I can forget love's sorrow in loves joy.

As my heart grows empty of every
thought unkind I find peace hovering all around me
and joy filling my mind and I count my blessings
because they have not been few and I wonder
what next I am going to do.

No tear was ever shed in vain
and in the end my sorrowing heart could find
no curse but only blessings in the hand of pain
so I continue to try to write something
that takes a little sadness from the worlds vast store
because I have been blessed to make of joys too scanty
some a little more.

I grow a little more tired at the end of each day
and a little less anxious to have my way
and a little less ready to scold and blame
as I near my journey's end where
time and eternity meet and blend.

While my heart throbs to the tread
of the passing years I have learned
life's hardest lesson and that
is learning to wait and I have also learned
that through life's suffering
my heart only grew stronger.

Let my words come just when they are needed
like a beautiful breeze blowing wind in your face
like a smile that only takes a moment
and costs nothing but gives much like a memory
that can last forever and know that
it is in loving and not being loved
that the heart finds its quest
and it is in giving not getting that
our lives are best.                                                Jon York        2013

It might be dark because
sometimes we just try too hard,
so just let things happen
and lightly cope with them
while carrying no baggage...
and remove the have-not's
and the can-not's and the
do-not's from your mind
because they can be
a real grind.

Under the sun you can shine
and at nightfall you can glow
if you let your beauty
shine from inside out
and if you erase the will-not's
and the may-not's along
with the might-not's .

Release from your brain
the could-not's along with
the would-not's and the should-not's
if you ever expect to gain
anything good in this life,
and finally you have to remove
from your mind and your heart
along with your life all of the
am-not's that you have allowed
to hold you back and especially
that one thought of I am not
good enough.

First decide what you truly want
then decide that you want it
more than you are afraid of it
and know that if you love life
you might be surprised
at how much life will love
back and how things
will just seem to get
back on track.

To love is to receive a glimpse
of heaven but don't forget that
the earth delights to feel your bare feet
but never stop seeking the meaning
within yourself and your purpose
in the world.                                  Jon   York         2012

keep your thoughts... POSITIVE because
your thoughts become your WORDS

keep your words....... POSITIVE because
your words become your BEHAVIOR

keep your behavior....POSITIVE because
your behavior becomes your HABITS

keep your habits.......  POSITIVE because
your habits become your  VALUES

keep your values........POSITIVE because
your values become  your    DESTINY

failure is the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely so do something today that your future self will thank you for.
                                                            ­                              Jon York      2016

A picture is so much more interesting with contrast,
movement, and different points of view
and so is life so be kind to yourself
if all of your pictures don't turn out
because it happens to all artists and know
that your most patient model is the one that you see
in the mirror and learn from looking at yourself
and be patient as the times goes by.

Time waits for no one and I wish I knew
why it is always in such a hurry
and still I am guilty of trying to **** some of it
or trying to pass it and if I could only
steal away a minute, I'd try to recall
all of those lost years and then I'd take a second
to reflect on all of my mistakes and wrong decisions
that resulted in so many lost loves
and all of the times I should have worn gloves
when handling a situation.

In my remaining days or years, however long I may have,
I will measure in moments the loves that have found me
and the many times that I faced death only
to rise from the flames and even though
I can't control it, I can set the tempo to a rhythm
of an infinite beat knowing that it might be
in seconds,minutes, hours or years
and it is not  about how long we are here,
but it is about what we leave.

Before my sands slip through the hour glass
I hope my words will build a legacy to last
from my poems about my life, my loves
and my battles in the past in a time that
went so fast as I try to relate that love
is something we all embrace, not something
just found on a face and sometimes it
is an unwanted feeling creeping inside
and impossible to hide as our hearts are broken
and feelings down inside begin to be awoken.

Love, hate, selfishness, temptation... all play out
in a matter of seconds and the battle between
heart and mind begins and love becomes a story
that never gets old, like the poetry I wrote when I was young
that inspired words of long ago tomorrows so enjoy it
while it is here because we look up and it is gone
and we never had the time to say "so long."

Life's coming attractions are born of our imagination
and the only real actions in our lives take place
on that bridge between one another and while
on that bridge pride says "it is impossible"
and experience says "it is too risky" and reason says
"it is pointless" while the heart whispers "give it a try"
and it is only then that we can make a new start
and play a new part.                                                 Jon York         2014

So far I've survived 100%
of my worst days. There
is  no  failure, you either
win  or  you  learn.

They said I changed a lot.
I said a lot changed me.

No  rescue  will  come.  We
cannot  be saved  from  who
we are. Our past is engraved.

Life's biggest tragedy is that
we get old too soon and wise
too late.

Feelings are just visitors, let
them come and go.

"Strive not to be a success,
but rather to be of value."
                                          Albert Einstein

Only compare yourself to
your previous self, not
anyone else.                                                                        Jon York  2023

She throws
        wishes into the night
             and waits for
       the stars to catch them.

               I said to her
         blue eyes, "meet me
                at midnight
            in   front  of  my
                   dreams.

                We'll make a
                    fire and
             count  the  stars
                that shimmer
             above  the  trees."

                 She's more
             myself than I am.
                  Whatever
           souls  are  made  of,
                   hers and
           mine are the same and
                 her heart and
                     my heart
                     are very,
              very old friends.
                                                                                     Jon York 2019

Not everyday
   is  a  good  day, live anyway.
             Not all the people
   you love will love you back,
               love anyway.
             Not everyone
     you thought you knew
               will tell you
                   the truth,
          be honest anyway.
               Not all deals
     are fair, play fair anyway.
               Not all your love
   relationships will be truthful
                  and  faithful
                     to you, be
             truthful and faithful
             with   them  anyway.
                Not all "friends"
        will  be  there  for  you  when
             you need them to be,
        be  there  for  them  anyway.
                  Never apologize
       for having a heart as big as the
                 ocean to the people
        who would rather stay puddles
and  accept  the fact that  some  people
              didn't intend to let
        you down, but did. Too many
people are looking for the right person
               instead of trying to be
   the right person. Let it all go and
                    see what stays.
               Die  with  memories,
                       not dreams.
                                                         ­                             Jon York   2019

Worry is like a rocking chair,
it gives you something to
do, but gets you nowhere
and the reason people hold
onto memories so tight, for
so long is because memories
are the only things that don't
change, even when people
do, so don't get caught up
in your thoughts so much
that you can't see that it
isn't what you look at that
matters, it is what you see
so keep in mind that at any
given moment you have the
power to say, this is not how
the story is going to end.

The world is going to judge
you no matter what you do
so live your life the way
you want to knowing that
worrying doesn't take away
tomorrows troubles, it takes
away today.

The happiness of your life
depends upon the quality
of your thoughts so be
grateful for another day
knowing that not
everybody made it, and
don't take it for granted
and know that those
mountains that you carry,
you were only supposed
to climb.                         Jon York      2016

I remain an open question living
my way into ever-evolving answers
about relationships, art, and poetry
and I write because my journey
has taken me through some
diverse twists and unique turns
that all seem strangely and
deeply interconnected.

Every day is an exercise
in surrendering to the mysteries
that life holds for me and
needless to say I am a work
in progress delving into all
of the depths of romance
and subtleties of the human experience
and it is a yearning and fascination
by a sometimes anguished creative impulse
and enigmatic movements of the heart.

I am humbled each day
to be able to express
my visions in a world
of love and hate in
relationships
and life.

Moments come and moments pass
some unforgettable and some regrettable
that linger but we are all stuck in the now
and we just have to try and get by
somehow as heartaches come
and heartaches go and in silence we stare
with no words to spare as
our love flies away in
front of our eyes.

Another love finally appears
and this time with no lies
and I am ready to embrace her love
and I know that she is
the warmth of courage that never left me
and I will give to her
my unwavering love
and walk with her hand in hand
as we walk together in a new
uncharted land.


I 've got triggers in places
I never knew and the love that
she triggered in me
so many didn't see except
in my words
and I know that the best
of my words is still
unwritten.

As we begin this final journey
together we both
have hope that this one
will last both knowing
that it will if we can
forget the past.                       ( for Louise)  -   Jon York     2012

She real,
          she's deep, she's
  mystical, and she believes
           in kindness and
     oneness  and  romance
              and magic.

            She's  a  warrior,
                 and a lover.

               She believes in
        road trips to the moon
                     and stars
           and  dancing  with
                the universe.

            She's  fearless and
                      gentle, and
               brave. She lives in
                       oceans,
                      waterfalls,
                  sunsets,  an­d
                     galaxies.

                    She's  the
                        artist,
                     the poet,
                 the poem, and
                    the dream.

                    She's LOVE
                                                            ­               Jon York   2019

It's a mile to anywhere since
you have gone away a funny
little crooked way I cannot
walk today.

I am afraid that I might find a
rumpled heart you tossed into
the weeds as you went by, a
broken dream you lost.

It may be you walk slowly
and wait for me to go that
tangled path to find you if
only I could know.

Lets be gay while we may
and seize love with laughter
and I'll be true as long as you
but not one moment after.

Sometimes a little's a lot and
sometimes a lots a little
depending of course on who's
who, how come, and what's
what for a little of you is a lot
you see but a lot too little to
satisfy me.

Yours was a strange love you
brought to me, a brief bright
thread of gold for life's Tapestry
and it is strange that one gold
thread could mean so much
yet it made my soul's garment
soft to touch.
                                                  Jon York   2017

In my journey I have learned. . .
that there is no short-cut
to life and each and every
situation that I have encountered
has brought me to the now
and that now is all
that I have.

In my journey there were those. . .
who showed me the
different ways to go
and the ways
not to go.

In my journey there were those. . .
whose weakness and ignorance
darkened my path
and encouraged me to
turn the other way.

In my journey there were those. . .
who showed me how to love
and how not to live
and have showed me
what I am and what
I am not.

In my journey there were those. . .
who brought me love
by the means of both
darkness and light and gave me
the ability and sight to see
what is real and what
is right.

In my journey I have learned. . .
that it takes strength to conquer,
that it takes courage to surrender,
that it takes strength to feel a friends pain,
that it takes courage to feel your own pain,
that it takes strength to survive,
that it takes courage to love again,
that the journey is the reward.
                                                       Jon York         2014

You
            belong
              here,
           right on
             the tip
              of my
             tongue.

              Life is
            way too
               short.

               Break
            the rules:
              forgive
              quickly,
          kiss  slowly,
            love like
               crazy,
             be loyal,
              and be
              faithful
           and  never
               regret
            anything
                 that
                made
            you smile.

              Love is
            not proud,
              it's kind,
             it's patent
             and never
                 fails.
                                                                                        Jon York   2019

As we grow older
. . .We discover that the meaning of life is
to give meaning to our lives and that pain
is inevitable but suffering is optional and
that we should save the best part of ourselves
for the person who deserves us.

As we grow older
. . . We discover that the best thing about the future
is that it comes just one day at a time and it is
far better to be alone than to be in bad company and
we have to cry sometimes not because we are weak
but because we have been strong for so long.

As we grow older
. . . We discover that telling the truth and making
someone cry is better than telling a lie and making
someone smile and mistakes are part of the dues
one pays for a full life.

As we grow older
. . .We discover that the strongest people are
the ones who love beyond all faults, cry
behind closed doors and fight battles that
nobody knows about.

As we grow older
. . .We discover that if we miss somebody
we call and if we want to meet somebody
we invite and if we want to be understood
we explain and if we have questions
we ask and if we don't like something
we say it and if we like something
we state it and if we want something
we ask for it and if we love someone
we tell them.

As we grow older
. . .We discover that if we are depressed
we are living in the past and if we are anxious
we are living in the future and if we are at peace
we are living in the present and what we see
depends mainly on what we look for and anywhere
is paradise and that is up to us and we know that
if we if never try, we will never know.
                                                           ­                     Jon York         2014

She knew me,
from my words and able
to feel my pain that was crouched
in widom and carefully hidden
but nevertheless sometimes I feel
the echoe of old hurts
whispering across my mind
passing like shadows
across my spirit.

I am deeply touched
by her need to heal and soothe
with loves tender touch
and sometimes I feel
as though I do not choose it
but rather it chooses me!

I am helpless to do
anything other than to
let it wash across
my soul.

My heart weeps
and tears flow freely
to mend the wound
and to let joy come
once more
and I can only rest
when I know
that there is peace.

These are only words,
but words are
all I have to take
her heart away.        Jon York     2012

One day I'll remember. . .
the poetry I wrote when my heart was broken
and how those feelings inspired
so many poems with words of lost loves
and I'll remember meeting a new love
and how we touched and how
it meant so much.

how you touched me that first day we met
and how you inspired words from my heart
as we both were hoping
that we could start something
that would never end
and I'll never forget the words that we spoke
under a full moon and stars
and the way you smiled when I spoke
of giving us hope for
the coming years together.

And I could never forget
the way that you held on to me
as we slept and pieces of you
will always be beside me engraved
into my mind carefully
etched by time.

I'll remember how your love
was like a fire that was sparked quickly
and burned with intense heat
but burned out so quickly
and my soul was lost in the flame
leaving me never the same.

And I can't forget how my soul
tried to bring harmony and order
out of chaos as it attempted to
introduce meaning and affect
where there was none as it gave me
highs and lows to a landscape
that was previously flat.

And I'll remember looking at the words
that I wrote as they came to paper
and realizing that I am not my pain
and I am not my past
but I discovered my soul
by writing those words that were
just trying to fill
a great big hole.

Only a powerful soul can offer love
and be humble and these words helped me
to discover this and let me realize
that any time not spent on love
is wasted.                                         Jon  York        2013

Tobacco
  Bad men like their women to be
like cigarettes, just so many all
slim and trim waiting on a row
to be set afire and when the flame
has died, discarded.
  Better men like their women to
be like cigars and these are more
exclusive, look better and last
longer and if the brand is good
they aren't given away.
  Wise men like their women to
be like pipes that are not loaned
and men care for them the older
they grow; and the flame never
dies and when too old they knock
them lovingly and care for them
always.

    Once I knew ---
wonderful nights in the month
                                               of June
a breeze softly blowing a tender
                                                 moon
the perfume of roses sweet in the
                                                     air
the stillness of beauty...so perfect
                                             ...so rare
long drives with you beneath
                                        starlit skies
drinking eagerly...deeply of the
                               love in your eyes
whispering tender words. .vowing
                                   you were mine
   Now I find ---
the loneliness of nights filled with
                                     dreams of you
wondering,  always wondering if
                                 you miss me too
wondering if something about the
                                moon each night
brings memories poignant...a tear
                                          drop bright.


How easily you search my eyes to
see what you can find and I wonder
...would you be so calm if you
could read my mind.


Would we be parted now. . .
had things not been so ?
or did you really love me ?
I'll never know.


There are a dozen ways of making
oneself forget but twelve of them
won't work.
                                                         Jon York   2017

You walked
          back  into  my  life
                    for the
            second time like
                  you had
          always lived there,
              like my heart
      was a home built just
                    for you.

            Here  I  was. . .
            thinking
            magic didn't really
            exist,
            and now that's
            all I see
             when I
             look  at  you.

            And in
            the middle
            of my chaos
            there
            you are.
And  in  your  eyes  is a  beautiful  poem                                                                  ­                    Jon York   2019

It only takes one person
to change your life
. . . . . . .you.

Do what makes you happy
even if others
think it might be ******
so be with those who
make you smile
and  for you
will go that extra
mile.

Laugh as much
as you breathe while
loving as much  
as you live and
always have some
love to give.

Never lose heart
and never give up hope
while never losing faith
as you never give up
on things that
you need to do
for you and
the love you will recieve
will change your
life and there will be
much less strife.                       Jon York       2013

When I awoke on the
morning of my 63rd
Birthday I found my
Sun had been here and gone,
like a thief in the night,
when all I was doing
was trying to get it right,
not thinking it would
turn into a fight.
  I thought I knew you
so well but because I was
in love with you, I did not
recognize what I saw in
you now as you walked
away knowing that you were
not coming back anytime soon.
  I can't play your games and
because of you I now realize
that I am much to strong
not to come alive. It has been
too long since I felt this way,
able to see myself in a brand
new way.
  I realize now that you were
holding me down, but I can
turn it around even though
I changed my life to be with you
only to be compromised by
your thoughtless lies.
    I thought you were my
"Angel in Disguise,"but you
turned out to be one big lie.
I thought that we had so much
but two years later you
won't even touch.
  I won't look back because
it is done but we had some
fun for such a brief time
that just dissappeared too fast,
a time I was sure would last.
  Tomorrow is another day,
the first without you
by my side in such a long time
,but I'll be ok, I'll just find
another part to play with
someone else who says
they care and who knows,
maybe our paths will cross
again someday and you can
laugh and say
"I knew him when and
I left him on his Birthday,"
such sweet sorrows,
but it brought me
a better tomorrow.                                         Jon York 2011

So many loves that
never had a chance
too afraid to take that dance
and so many dreams lost
to circumstance that are gone
and won't be back.

Enough loneliness
and enough pain and emptiness
so it is time to
start again.

Sometimes I feel
like a soldier without a war
or maybe a sculptor
without a stone
with nights as speechless
as the days always looking
for a new way
because there is no one
to be lonely with.

How can I speak
of yesterday when
it was so bad that I don't
know what to say
and there is a courage
that has deserted me
so I cannot tell you all
what I feel except in poems
as I come to realize
that it is time to
start again.      Jon York         2012

Surrounded by people
yet I am so alone left in a hole,
deep, dark and cold,
bought and sold but change
is constant be it for
better or worse.

Back and forth I go
while life just seems so slow
during these times
but I understand that the
highs and lows that come and go
are just part of the story
and that is just the
way it is.

Pretend and the lies
will never go away and soon
a friend you won't have
so just be real and life
will seem a steal.

Love deeply
and what you reap will fit
very neatly and it
is something that you
can always keep.

I am who I am
and what you see
is what you get
as long as you don't forget
to tell the truth.

I do what I do
and everything is different
but nothing changes
and I realize that it is
not happiness that makes
us grateful but gratefulness
that makes us happy.                  Jon York                            2012

I find your presence
a present
to the world and a gift to me
because you are unique
and one of a kind
because your life is
what you want it to be so
I take the days just
one at a time
as I sit here trying to write
you a rhyme.

I count my blessings
and you count yours
as you have been so blessed
because you make
it through whatever
comes along
and what is within you
is so strong.

You don't put limits
on yourself
and have so many dreams
to be yet realized
and you live a life of serenity
and not a life of regrets
so remember
that a little love goes
a long way and a lot of love
can go forever.

Remember that friendship
is a wise investment
and life's treasures
are people together and realize
that it is never too late
for us to do
ordinary things in an
extrordinary way.

Take the time
to wish upon a star
and don't ever forget
even for a day
how special you are
and know that our inspiration
comes not from
memories or experiences
that we have had in the past
but it comes from
within.

What sometimes
breaks us makes us
stronger
and in the end our strength
will be unbreakable under
any circumstances.                        Jon York                                  2012

A capricious sprite looking only
for a temporary delight at anothers
expense. She changes from
sultry woman grown to
laughing child and back to
woman again deeply caring
and tender, but you had better
be a big spender.
Like quicksilver they slide
and merge, one upon the other
till they are all one, the woman
and the child, the poor mother who
had to raise all of those
kids by herself, so I sat there thinking,
considering what to do,
should I move there to be
with her,  to help her,
and will she accept me.
I thought I could make
her dream come true
but instead I made her blue.
I thought if I came to her
I could make a special
World for her and I so
I sold my house
and said I'll be there soon
and not once did I wonder
if she was ready for me
or consider what would happen
if she didn't want me.
She said she recognized me
in an instant by my words
and said she had dreamt
of me and felt my spirit
reaching out for her.
She was forced to lie,
she had no other choice,
so I have to say that
I am totally to blame
for her little game
of saying "I love you,"
and "you are the one
I have been looking
for all of these years."
She should have said
"I don't think you should
be here." She could have
made it more clear but my love
smothered her leaving her
unable to speak, so she could
only seek a way out with
lies upon lies and more lies.
Without a doubt it was my fault
for being in love and forcing
her to lie and laugh at me as I cried.
But now I realize that
I am better off, and see
that it was all my fault.                      Jon  York   2011

A soul shattered,
a heart left in pain,
a mind gone insane.

A sort of suffering,
feelings no one can explain.

Once having so much to gain,
the weight of our  physical
distance apart only remains.

Even in the darkest moments
when I feel I cannot see,
I know deep down
you still reside in me.

Like when the first ray of sun
hits the morning dew,
I drew breath the moment
I met you.

                                                                                           Jon York   2021