Just singing
the same old song over
and over as the years just
fly by and are gone in the
blink of an eye.

Every new day
that I wake up I can't help
but wonder how much closer
I am to that day when
I will die.

No one knows
when it will come
and we cannot run for
time is a fire that we all burn
and knowledge is
something we all
yearn.

All we can hope for
is that we all learned something
along the many different roads
that we traveled as our
lives unraveled.

I learn something new
every day as I move along
invisible to some but
here to stay
and if you really knew me
you have been able to see me
somewhere along the way
as I try in my own way
to share this knowlege learned
with others for their use
some day.

I have learned
to stay strong to be able
to navigate the many different paths
and to shoulder life's wraths
so I could just keep moving along
singing that same  old song
but I still have to cry without
even knowing why.                                            Jon   York                    2012

I want to feel your breath
in a slow but speeding
up rhythm as I enter your
body, filling you with my
love.

I want to feel your skin and
the goosebumps on it as you
are reaching that peak of
pleasure and I feel the final  
movements of your your
body under mine which is
almost still.

I want to hold your hand as
you squeeze mine when you
are absolutely satisfied
because your body has told
you so.

I want to see you smile when
you, worn out from making
love to me are being carried
to the shower by me where...

the warmth will sooth us back
to life, warming me like sunlight
and soothing you like rain and
burning  us both with passion
and stealing away the pain.

                                                          ­                    Jon York   2018

I have trusted so many and
if for each I had a penny
I'd be rich but it would appear
that my unfounded faith has
left me in this lonely place but
I had some fun along with my
15 minutes of fame as I played
their game but as a result I will
never be the same

The worse thing I could do is
waste another day sorting
through old memories so I'll
keep the ones I hold to be dear
and just forget the ones that
brought a tear and forget the
ones filled with hate and fear
knowing that the past is dead.

I am no longer fragile but strong
and what was thought to be
broken beyond repair is healed now
and as I sit in front of my PC and
write another rhyme this time I
have an open mind and an able
to write away some of the past pain
knowing I can only gain.

The meaning of a poem is the
experience it expresses and nothing
less while the idea of a poem is the
only part of the experience it
communicates and some words are
timeless because our entire life
consists of many fires and so much
rain and after each experience we
never come out the same because
they are part of our growing and
as a result of them we become
more knowing.                                    Jon York         2014

It's amazing out there so
take one day at a time
and enjoy every minute
and love, laugh and enjoy
today because today is all
you have as the clock goes
ticktock and takes all
you've got.

Don't even try to
understand but be sure
to find a place to make
your stand and hold on
to what is dear in the
short time you are here.

As you hide from all of
the madness realize that  
the beauty of it is that as
we live we die and life is
what it is and we are what
we are and it will be made
into what we make it.

The art of being wise is
the art of knowing what
to overlook and the
journey is as enlightening
as the destination and
know that it is unwise to
be too sure of one's own
wisdom because if you
think your wise your
probably not but know
that wisdom is founded
upon knowledge and
shaped by uncertainty.
                                 Jon York         2015

We all have to believe
in something as sometimes
circumstances are beyond
our control but how we react
to those circumstances
is in our power.

2014 is here and as
I throw away another calender
I wonder if there was
anything or anybody in
the past year that I can hold
to be dear and I wish
everything was just that easy
as just throwing away the old
and starting new.

There's got to be something
better than this I am thinking
but there is a smile when
the pain comes because
the pain gonna make
everything all right because
when we can't change something
about somebody that causes us pain
we are challenged to
change ourselves.

Love comes to those who
still hope as well as those
who still believe and to those
who can still love even though
they have been hurt before,
so we must let the love
in our hearts find the love
waiting in our dreams.

So in this new year of 2014
let the laughter that we
might find in our tomorrows
wipe away the pain
that we had in our yesterdays
and may we find comfort
on difficult days, smiles when
sadness intrudes and rainbows
that will follow the clouds
and love that will complete
our lives.

The power of our thoughts
create our universe,
be it hit or miss, sadness or bliss,
which all come at the
whim of our minds,
so in this new year of 2014
we have to focus and believe
and all that we desire will
be ours to receive.                        Jon York       2014

The love that you feel for someone,
Your fathers last breath,
Your anger toward your mother,
Your mothers remedies for everything,
The betrayal of your brothers snd sisters,
That feeling you get when you find love,
That feeling you get when your are the best at something,
Your lies about loving someone,
Your sweet little white lies about your life,
Your reasons for living,
Your emptiness,
Your hurt from old wounds,
Your soul,
Your memories,
Your disgust in yourself,
Your fate,
The beauty in ordinary things,
Your unfaithfulness,
Guilt about something terrible you have done,
Your lies about your past,
Your determination,
Your promises,
The pale walls of your existence,
Your walking away wordless from someone,
Lies about other lovers,
Talking down to people,
Your sanity, (if there is any left)
Your will to survive
The feelings you get when your are alone,
Your failing health,
The thoughts of those standing around your grave.     Jon  York          2012

She's in the sun,
the wind, the rain,
she is the air I breathe,
every breath I take.

She sings a sweet
song of hope and
cheer, and of a place
where there's no more
pain and no more
fear on the beach  
where our souls
unite and are
together and home
again after so long.  

I'll see her in the
clouds above,I'll hear
her whisper in my ear
words of her love for
me and that we will
be together before
long but until then,
I just have to listen
for her song.
                                                           ­           Jon York   2018

Love . .
is never born,
people are born,
plants and animals are born.

but love is never born,
for with the birth and the being
of all living things,
love is. . .

Love. . .
is being with her,
is touching her,
is knowing her,
and with her,
love is. . .
                             Jon York     2015

I may be old and gray
but my words
still have much
to say.

words can hurt you
if you let them
but they can also
be your friend
if you need them to be
and oh how they can bend
if you bade
them to.

My words
have carried love
hate and anger
and they have showed
regret if they have been used
to hurt someone.

sometimes
ones words can be mightier
than the sword
and can cut
even deeper.

No matter how
many times my head
has been bowed and bloodied
by hurtful words
I now chose only
to speak words of love
and hope because
my love and I are currently
apart for a short time
and our words are all have
and our love will
just grow stronger
if we choose the
right ones.

Our love is so new
and at the same time
so strong we must choose
our words very carefully
and use the right ones.

because we are
temporaraly apart words
are our lifeline
and we cannot let our pasts
influence how we hear those words
or let our words get in the way
of our feelings for each other
as there is no good or bad
but only time and circunstance
if we are going to finish
this dance.

We must speak only words
that are our friends and make us happy
and words that give us hope
and do not speak
of yesterday or tomorrow
but speak only
of today
and that is no joke.                     Jon York                  2012

I an a warrior that sood up for his countries way of life only to be spit on for what he did when only a boy.
I am nothing is ever going to be as easy as it was before.
I am truthful, honest, and loving and this is difficult to accept to those that I meet.
I am surrounded by liars, fakes, and cheats.
I am the spoken words of a poet whose words are real and says what he feels.
I am the poet who writes about finding that one real love that he looked for all of his life.
I am the tender kiss of two lovers that lied to each other when they said that it was forever.
I am the goosebumps on the back of her neck when she lied to me and was found out.
I am the silent screams of a broken heart who knew it would happen that way from the start but chose to stay.
I am the poet who writes about losing love because of his actions and his in-actions.
I am the material possessions that just weren't quite good enough for her.
I am the pen that writes so many beautiful words about her that she will never read or feel.
I am the keys of a piano that makes sounds that no one listens to.
I am the Phoenix that rises out of the ashes to get back on his feet even with all of the heat.
I am alone and like it that way but know love will come back to me someday.
Iam....                                                 ­                                                                 ­                                                                                  Jon York               2012

Life is too short and I am too old
to play games and it has been
my experience through the years
that when someone says to you
that they "just need some time"
what they are really saying is
goodbye and maybe I'll see you
around.

At my age a person just doesn't
know from one day to the next
which one is going to be his last
so he tries to get over the mindless
things that might have happened
in the past and live for today
because tomorrow might be his
last as the years disappear too
fast.

Never thought I'd be alone this
far down the line but sometimes
it just turns out that way but
at this particular time when I
heard love knocking at my
door  I answered her but she
just turned and walked away
saying to me "not today",
"I just need some  time" but
maybe someday I will come
back around and stay if I
should have anything more 
 to say."
                         Jon York      2015

It's all right
I am okay
and it ain't nothing
but another day
and another
and another
as they just disappear
so fast.

As we get older
we wish that the days
would last
but so quickly each new day
becomes the past.

I am just passing thru
and after all of these years
I still wonder what
I need to do to get it right
without some kind
of fight.

Only God knows
where I'd be if I hadn't got free
of the one that was
just using me because I was
just too blind to see
through her lies.

Only God knows
where I'd be if another
hadn't found me
and surrounded me
with her love that fit me
like a glove.

She recognizes my words
and I recognize that she is
here to stay and will not
ever walk  away.

She always has something
nice to say about my words
and she knows
that I am okay and
I like it that way.                       Jon York             2012

Here today and gone tomorrow
is this time called life as it just
flies by at the speed of sound
with your feet barely hitting
the ground and your life may
seem full of sorrow and you're
drowning in bad news and
you always seem to lose but
maybe that is because that is
what you choose and just
don't know it.

Then someone comes out of
nowhere and is that very
special person who really
does care and you begin to
realize that love is everywhere
and together you take that
dare and you live one day
at a time and your life begins
to rhyme and things start to
fall into place.

The days begin to slow
down and you don't wear
that frown anymore because
you have learned to live one
day at a time and not go
too fast because you want
everything to last knowing
that it all goes by way too
fast and that any moment
could be your last.
                                                        Jon York      2016

What                                                             ­   I
if the                                                           never
waves                                                      ­   want to
  get                                                         ­      stop
bigger                                                      ­  making
   to                                                            mem­ories
make                                                         with you
  you                                                       and know that
stronger.                                                   ­   hearts
                                                       ­            like ours
   Today                                                       are not
  is gonna                                                  designed
 ­   be a                                                          to beat
  good day                                                  separate
   ­   and                                                           ­ for
  here's why:                                                 long.
                                                           ­           
                                                                ­       They
   because                                                      been­
    you're                                                    ma­de that
     you                                                            wa­y.
and that's                                                    
   enough.                                                  I count the
                                                        syllables of your laughter
Good things                                                 and                        
    happen                           ­            wait for the line breaks of       
My love is real                                 your long deep breaths.
    we will                                   
    be okay.                                                            ­                                 
                                                           I may be a writer but
                                                             ­  you are a poem
                                                            ­  and you spill out
                                                          lik­e ink onto the paper
                                                           ­       of our days.
                                                           ­                                  Jon York  2019

Love
   is the
    sole
  reason
       I
  feel like
     I do
  and with
     each
   passing
   morning
         I
  am reborn
      anew
   and with
   the colors
         I
      paint
         I
  can't quite
     capture
        the
        hue.
                                ­       Why  poetry, you  ask?
                                                       ­ because  of  life,  I answer.
                                                         ­                                     Jon York  2019

Don't ever stop daydreaming and never
underestimate the power of dreams or the
influence of the human spirit. Inspiration
is everywhere because the world holds so
much beauty and I am always writing a
story in my head, so let every voice that
you hear, every hand that I touch become
story fabric.

You can always edit a bad page but you
can't edit a blank page and know that
some of the best moments you have had
in your life you can't tell anyone about
and you will discover that wasted time is
worse than wasted money.

We might worry that what we write has
been said before, sure it has, but not by
us so we must learn to write for ourselves
and not what we think other people want
to read and come to realize that beautiful
writing isn't about the words you use, it's
about the emotions we evoke, so know that
the worst enemy to your creativity is
self - doubt.

Be determined to be cheerful and happy
in whatever situation you may find
yourself in and learn that the greater
part of your misery or unhappiness is
not determined by your circumstances
but by your disposition.

Dream large but live larger and start living
the life that you only imagined knowing
that your mistakes don't define you and
know that you need to stop being afraid of
what could go wrong and start being excited
about what could go right and realize that
no matter how long you have traveled in the
wrong direction,you always have the choice
to turn around.                              Jon York    2017

Words  cannot  do  justice
to  your  love, but  I  reveal
myself  to  you in  that  way,
because  I am  so  thankful
for  each  new  day, and
know  that  you  are  here
to  stay.

Your  head  on  my  che­st
in  the  morning  says  so
much  without  you  saying
a  word,­ and  the  touch  of  
your  hands  speak  louder
than the morning  Sun, and 
 I  just have  to  come  undone.

The taste of  your lips and
the  softness  of  your  skin,
and  your  loving  sounds
can ­ get  rid  of  any  frowns,
and  by  now  you  know  that
I  kind of got use to having
you  around.
                                    Jon York   2010

For so long
it seems I have yearned
to see some light
and a way out of this
self-imposed darkness and suddenly
I saw the light at the end
of this tunnel that I have been in
and realized that I
don't need it anymore.

I don't need her lies
and I don't need her backward
WALMART country ways
and for sure I don't need
her "my way or the highway"
controlling days.

We all have stories
WE WILL NEVER TELL
but she chose to lie
and everybody knows why
and she gets by
on what she can sell
to those around her
as she lives in her
own private Hell.

I am tired
of writing poems
about "happy ever afters,"
"true love," and "the one" because
it has all been said and done
in a world of
disappointments, cheaters,
and "happy never afters."

If you have
never been there
do not think that you
know the way
but maybe you will see
someday and learn what games
you must play.

I was much
too strong for her
and I gave her so much more
than she deserved
and it is finally nice to know
even after being knocked so low
that I don't need it anymore
and I am so glad
that she walked out
that door.           Jon York                   2012

Night does poetry for
me and when humanity
sleeps it  awakens me.

Night allows the tears
that day dries and my
words are written
seeking an aching
beauty only the moon
knows.

I like people who have
brains, humor and wit,
*****, self confidence,
( not narcissism ),
resilience, strength of
character, a willingness
to learn and be taught
( humility ), those who
have been through some
**** in their life and pushed
through it ( we all have a
story, don't we ).

If you think and talk
about what goes deep
beneath the surface,
I will notice.
                          Jon York   2017

I love you.
         On intense days.
            On good days.
                On long
              exhausting
              work  days.
               On  really
             strange  days.

           And most of all
          on days when you
            make me smile,
            which happens
            to be every day
              I'm with you.

               I  love  you
              means that I
             care  enough
               to fight for
             what we have
              and love you
                enough  to
                 not   ever  
                    let   go.
                                                                                                Jon York   2019

It doesn't interest me what you
do for a living but I do want to
know what you ache for and if
you dare to dream of meeting
your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old
you are but I  do want to know
if  you will risk looking like a
fool for love, for your dream, for
the adventure of being alive.

I want to know if you can be
with joy, mine or your own and
if you can dance with wildness
and let ecstasy fill you to the tips
of your fingers and toes without
cautioning us to be careful, be
realistic, to remember the
limitations of being human.

I seek this thing though I don't
know what it might be, so I spend
my time searching for that one
missing piece and perhaps one
day you will come to me and
bring with you that quiet peace.
                                     Jon York     2017

Grateful   for
where  I'm  at,

                        Excited about
                        where I'm going.
                                                          ­                                   Jon York   2019

Good to know
that you were always
ready to go because you had
done it so many times before
with so many other men
and even bragged about it
and now you say that
they are just friends.

Friends that don't
talk to you and don't make
contact with you
and I am supposed
to believe that
yah right so it is no wonder
you made flight.

Good to know that
you never really cared
and you were just  
using me until you were
good to go.

Good to know
that you had your sights
set on someone else
and you thought that I didn't
know that you had been
getting ready to go
for some time.

Good to know
that our love affair
was only good because
from the very beginning
you were in it for
something else.

Good to know
that it all means nothing now
and you just
sort of wasted my
precious time but it was
still it a crime.

And what is especially
good to know
is that you were nothing
but a fake who has
everyone believing that
she is so great.                                 Jon  York               2012

I have. . .
lived well, laughed often,
and loved much and I hope
that I leave this world
better than I found it
whether by a perfect poem
or by a rescued soul.

I have. . .
never lacked appreciation
of Earth's beauty or failed
to express it and I have always
looked for the best in others
and given the best I had.

I have. . .
enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of children
that I have had the
honor to teach.

I have. . .
become aware of the treasures
of love and life and I hope
others have learned from me
and love me before I depart
my quest for a rare
and perfect tomorrow.

I have. . .
learned the hard way
that there is no such thing
as a perfect ending
and that some poems don't rhyme
and that some stories don't have
a clear beginning, middle,
and end.

I have. . .
learned that life is
about not knowing, having to change,
taking the moment and making
the best of it without knowing
what is going to happen
next.                                           Jon York    2013

She  has  a  weakness
        for my lips
   on her neck and my
        words  in  her
    heart.  Neither of
       which does she  
  have  the  will power
           to refuse.
One  of  the   sexiest things
   is a strong woman, made
weak by love. Surrendering
   herself to vulnerability.
    Be protective of that
          because I am
   telling you, that is sacred.
         Honor  her  by  
    honoring her  beautiful  
          vulnerability.
   Sometimes she lies gentle
            and intimate
     other  times  she  needs
      rough and animalistic
          and being able to
           decipher which
                she needs
            and when is the
                      art
            of being a man.                                          Jon York  2019

You are what you believe yourself to be. The future
can be better and you have the power to make it so.
How you  do anything  is how you  do  everything.

Good is not enough if better is possible. Always trust
your instincts, they are messages from  the  soul. The
trials  you  encounter  will  introduce  you  to  your
strengths.

Very  little  is needed to  make a  happy life;  it  is all
within yourself, in your way of thinking. Every failure
is  a  stepping  stone  to  success,  every  obstacle  an
opportunity to grow.

Attract  what  you  expect,  reflect  what  you  desire,
become what you respect, mirror what you admire.
Look in the mirror...that's your competition.

Be so rooted in your being that nobody's actions can
disturb your peace.

It will seem like a long journey, the point being not
to  win, but  to  understand.  It's the  journey  rather
than  the  destination  that  will  fulfill  us.                                    
                                                                                            Jon York    2023

Let go of comparing.
      Let go of competing.
      Let go of judgement's.
      Let go of anger.
      Let go of regrets.
      Let go of worrying.
      Let go of blame.
      Let go of guilt.
      Let go of fear.

Have a good belly laugh at least once a day
.
                 and
      Before you pray....Believe.
      Before you speak....Listen.
      Before you spend....Earn.
      Before you write....Think.
      Before you quit....Try.
      Before you die....Live

While you're busy doubting yourself, other people are intimidated by your potential.
                                                                                                 Jon York   2019

Realize that it is never too
late for you to do ordinary
things in an extraordinary
way.

Take the time to wish upon
a star and don't ever forget
how special you are.

Know that your inspiration
comes not from memories
or experiences that you
have had in the past but
that 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   2017

Love is like drinking champagne in a Paris café,
you don't order it but you get it anyway so then
you sip it and it is good and yes, you like it.

So you taste it and it sparkles and from the outside
it looks so good, so you drink some more and you
begin to feel it and feeling dizzy you drink some
more.

Soon all is a mad swirl and everything looks so
different and you are happy-- you laugh and
then you get a little sick and you feel a pain and
you cry and your head aches.

You are sorry that you drank the stuff and you
swear that you will never touch it again but
after awhile you become used to it and hardened
to it.

You find that you like it and drink and drink
until finally you can go through with it
without a mar and you are called a toper.
                                                                          Jon York    2017

mar: damage, wreck, deface, deform, blight, blot, spoil, scar, stain,
toper: drink alcohol to excess, habitually

I wake up in the dark of the night
with something to write
as the words just start coming
and seem to be looking for a place to go
where they can be read
as if someone else was in my head
so I start putting these words down
and later after reading my own words
I sometimes can't hardly believe
what I just said.

Simply a muse
using my open and willing mind
to convey thoughts and inspiration
while using me as a station
so I let the words flow
looking at them in the end
wondering if these thoughts
I should show.

Failure is a teacher
and really only a slight delay
because each day is just one day
and on this one maybe
I have something to say
like past defeats were only
a detour and not dead ends.

A recent detour introduced me
to what love is and what it should
be by showing me
what I have been missing
and I was able to realize this
as we started kissing and then
becoming a pair in love.

The future is uncertain
and the end is always so very near
so don't close your eyes for too long
or your future could disappear
and understand as well as
have strength knowing that
a little love goes a long way
and a lot of love lasts forever.

Never forget that your presence
is a present to the world
and that you are unique
and one of a kind
so remember that lifes treasures
are people together
and that it is never too late
to get it straight.

Count your blesings
and not your troubles and do
ordinary things in an extraordinary way
and take the time to wish upon a star
while never forgetting
how special you are and dance
in the rain and ignore
the pain.                                               Jon York       2013

Each day is a sentence
in the story of your life
and each day you can
make the choice of
whether that sentence
ends with a period, a
question mark or an
exclamation point!

Before you can live a
part of you has to die
as you let go of what
could have been and
realize what you are
here today because of
choices you made
yesterday and it doesn't
matter how hard it was
to make those choices
but that you did.

Choose thoughts that give
you the emotions of being
alive and excited about life
and know that you are here
today because of the choices
you made yesterday and that
you can change your tomorrow
today.

You cannot change where you
came from but you can change
where you are going by knowing
that you cannot continue down
the same path and expect to
arrive at a different destination.

Life is not lived with intentions
but with action and the past
cannot be changed so we must
carry those choices we made
in a few brief seconds and pay
for them in the time that we
remain here.
                                 Jon York     2015

It's not
   just  about  where
       your dreams
                will
                take
                you.
                  It's
          where you
                 take
        your dreams.

               Define
          your dreams,
              develop
       a plan to obtain
                those
              dreams
                 and
           track your
   progress -- making
                sure
          your dreams
                 and
            your plans
              are one
                 and
            the same.

                   If
            you want
                  it,
             go get it.


                                                           ­                                Jon York   2019

Don't say. . .that you don't have
enough  time left in your life
because you have  exactly the
same number of hours per day
that were given to Bill Gates,
Vincent Van Gogh, Albert Einstein,
and Thomas Edison.

Don't say. . .that you are alone
because if you can make friends
with yourself you will never be
alone.

Don't say. . .that you have felt
everything that you are going to
feel and from here on out you are
not going to feel anything new
but only lesser versions of what
you have already felt because you
feel that you can't survive the
reality of the past.

Don't say. . .that you can't dance
for laughter or dance for tears
and that you won't dance for
hopes and dance for screams
because we are the dancers and
we create our dreams.

Know how important it is to
dream and realize that you can't
do something if you can't imagine
it, so dream your dreams.
                                                 Jon York    2017

Truth is. . .
every one is
going to hurt
you so you
just have to
find the one
who's worth
the pain.

Sometimes it
takes a good
fall to really
know where
you stand.

Everything is
maybe and
nothing is so
painful to the
human as a
great and
sudden change.

And someday,
in retrospect,
the years of
struggle will
strike you as
beautiful, so
realize that
there are stars
in your darkness
brighter than
the Sun.    
                               Jon York      2015

You are                                    I just want                                 You
       the eggs                                   you, that's                                make
         to my                                      all. All your                              me
         bacon.                                     flaws,                                       laugh
     I love you                                   mistakes,                                 when
     more than                                  smiles,                    ­                I'm not
       bacon.                                       giggles,                                   even in
   I have looked                               jokes,                                        the
   at you                                            teasing,          ­                         mood
   in millions of                                sarcasm.                       ­            to    
   ways and                                      Everything.             ­                smile.
   I have loved                                 I just want
   you in each.                                  you.

   You have this                               Thank                                         If  I
     incredible                                   you for                                     could
way of making my                         being                                         have
     heart happy.                               the                                          anyone
You're my spark                              reason                        ­             in the
     in the dark.                                 I smile.                                    world,
                ­                                                                 ­                       it would
You're name is my                 No amount of time                         still
   favorite word                         spent with you                           be you.
            and                                  is ever enough
You  will  forever                         because                      I promise to
   be my always.                      everything is better       make you feel
                                                     with you and                wanted, loved
You're my never ending       everything has been              and
      thought and                            better since                     needed.
   proof  that  life                                you.            ­        every single day.
        is beautiful.                                                       ­     
                                                      Jon York   2019

The game is over
and the winner won by
default but at what cost
as your lies gave you away
and maybe you will learn someday
that you can run
from your past but not very fast
because it will always
catch up with you.

All of your "friends"
know which way
the wind blows but
you still find a need to keep up
your "Holier than thou"
attitude  because you are so sure
that you are better than
everybody else.

Sooner or later that attitude
will sneak up behind
you and bite you on the *** because
you are as transparent as glass
and everyone knows
what you are made of as
you try to make them
think you are a
shining star.

You didn't play by the rules
but neither did I
but at least I didn't lie when
I said "I love you."

I knew the whole time that
your love wasn't true
and realized that you were full of lies
but with a past like yours
I could understand the need for lies
so I just waited for the truth to finally emerge.

At the beginning you gave me hope
and a reason to carry on
and escape those demons of war
that I carried around like
some clown.

As time passed by and we both
kept lying a lie I realized
that I would have been better off
to take a direct hit from
an incoming mortar round than have
to recycle all of the hate and anger
that you freed me of when
we first met.

Upon our meeting
you broke through to me
and made me come alive but then
you made me feel dead upon my discovering
our two years was just a big lie.

But you felt you had to win
so I played dumb
and let you think that
you had won.

Eyes so pure yet so hollow
but their innocence would whisper
in my ear sweet promises of a tomorrow
but tomorrow is here
and you are gone without ever once
saying so long nor did you make
a sound.

Not a whisper nor hark but
you should know
that I no longer miss you
in the dark because the game is over
and you lost ( by default).                                 Jon York              2012

Fall in love                                      the key

  with the                                     to happiness

person who                                          is

    makes       ­                                     lower

  you love                                     expectations

the person                                        lower

    you are                                     nope, lower

      when                                       there you go.

you're around

      them.

                                            ­                                    Jon York   2018

Count your age by friends, not
years and count your life by smiles,
not tears and know that time you
enjoy wasting is not really wasted
and the rest of your life could be the
best of your life because you never
get too old to be young and life may
not be the party you hoped for but
while you are here, you should dance.

In youth we learn, in age we understand,
no matter how hard life is, and don't
lose hope, just fill your heart with what's
important and be done with it, and love
those random memories that make you
smile, no matter what's going on in your
life right now, and work in silence, letting
your message be your noise.

Love the life you live and live the life
you love knowing life is to be enjoyed,
not just endured, and do things that
move you because life is too short to
wait, so be happy knowing that every
day is a new beginning and take a
deep breath and start again, and don't
chase people, be yourself, and do your
own thing, working hard, because if
you do, the  right people, the ones who
really belong in your life, will come
to you and stay.

The idea is to die young as late as
possible, so forgive yourself, again and
again and again, as many times as it
takes to find peace, and people will
love you, people will hate you, and
none of it will have anything to do
with you so no matter how hard it is,
don't lose hope, realizing that character
like a photograph, develops in the dark
and know that something that can't be
done is just something that hasn't been
done before.
                                                      Jon York     2016

There are many feathers in my headdress
and there are so many things in my medicine
bundle and there is great love in my heart and
with these things I will traverse the many
miles I have yet to travel and I have learned
by experience and age that I alone am
responsible for the quality of my life and
so it goes.

We all have our demons and we are all works
in progress just trying to grow into our better
selves and during our growth we find that
nostalgia is a ***** liar that insists that things
are better than they seemed but you only fail
if you stop trying and so it goes.

As the years flash by, on the outside of us
everything changes, but what really matters
is on the inside and that mostly remains the
same, even after years of playing the other
persons games and you can't help but
wonder if you had done things differently
would the outcome still be the same and
so it goes.

We all fall in love, though we have so many
secrets and there are some we never tell
and we disregard the danger and know that
everyone goes south now and then so don't
be afraid to try again knowing that it takes
strength to love again and so it goes.

It also takes courage to be loved and it takes
strength to survive but know that it
takes courage to live, just as it takes strength
to feel a friends pain but it takes courage to
feel your own pain and so it goes.

Along the way we learn that those people
that are quick to walk away are the ones
that never intended to stay and so it goes.

So few win and so many lose, so you
wash what is *****, water what is dry, heal
what is wounded, sooth what is hurt, and
dry the tears that are shed, warm what is
cold, guide what goes off the road, and
love those who are least lovable because
they need it the most and so it goes.
                                                           ­       Jon York   2015

You brought my emotions alive again,
you made made laugh, you made me cry
and you made me feel alive.
Together we made the past the past,
knowing that we are the future.
You make me smile in the morning and
I kiss you softly to sleep at night.

There is a special bond that no one can see,
I speak your thoughts before you say them,
and you know what is on my mind before I
tell you, and it seems that you always kinow
what to do.

Our hearts have found a home, but the path
was sometimes rocky and  paved with tears,
but  each of the steps toward one another
made our joining much more sincere.

Real love sometimes we have to work  to find,
especially when life gets in the way, but this
kind of love is worth  fighting  for  because
this kind of love will  always  stay.

The search is over because this love is just
too strong to deny, and I don't even have to
ask why. You inspired me, is What You Did
and I give thanks for each new day with
you at my side.                                           Jon York

I've learned that everything
is not always what it seems to be
and people aren't always
what they present themselves to be
or will do what they say
they are going to do.

Iv'e learned that sometimes
reality isn't very pretty
but sometimes it can be
so beautiful it will make your
head spin again and again
but it is what you make it to be
but then again sometimes
we are just too
blind to see.

I've learned that getting old
isn't really too much fun
but it is something
from which no one can run
or get away from because
it will always come.

I've learned that our youth
escapes us so fast
and that we can't keep trying
to reclaim the past
and must come to terms
with the fact that youth
just doesn't last.

I've learned that people
will lie to you
for their own personal gain
and upon finding out
about those lies
you will never look at trust
the same.

I've learned that life goes on
even if it is just a big con
because in the end
we are all going to die
no matter what kind of fish
you had to fry or how many times
you had to cry.

I've learned that the truth
is so very hard to find
and in the end few people
choose to be kind causing
life sometimes to be a
real grind.

I've learned that
being truthful with others sometimes hurts
but makes it so much easier to
live with yourself and you
will feel less pain and you have
so much more
to gain.

I've learned that after
all of my sixty-three years
I have learned so much
but still know so very little
and with each new day I am given
I still learn more but still wish I
knew what to do,
don't you?                                                            J­on York                   2012

The  conversation between your fingers and someone  
else's  skin  is  the  most  important conversation  you  
can  ever  have.  Pleasure for  a  woman  is  connected
through  her  heart  and  her  mind.  Touch  those and
her  body  becomes  a  wonderland so don't stop until
she's a  shaking,  crying,  sweaty,  and  sticky  mess.

Touch her in all ways non physical. Give her intellectual
******* in multiples and allow temptation to drip from
her  ears.   Go  down  on  her   thoughts  and  taste  her
perception.   Learn  her soul  and she  will  fill  the void
of  your   filthiest   imaginations. . . .

I am going to undress you, touch you, taste you, because
I want you wet and hot for deep and fast and slow and
sweet. I want you under me and on top of me as well as
sitting  and  standing.   I  want  to  see  your  baby  blue  
eyes  when pleasure makes  you  light  up.

I want to hold you when you come down and try to find
your breath. I  want  everything with you  knowing  you
like a gentleman who  knows  when not to be gentle and
I   will   stimulate  your  mind  first and  go  slow. . .take
my time and make you feel my desire. . .and  let it build.

A delicate little being, slightly insane you are. Your soul
as dark as your heart is pure. . .but I wouldn't change
that  for  the  entire  world.
                                 ­                                         Jon York   2018

We are only here for a short visit so don't
hurry and don't worry and be sure to smell
the flowers along the way and be an optimist
and see the opportunity in every difficulty,
not the difficulty in every opportunity.

The trick is to just keep breathing, knowing
that there were those times when you were
in a dark place, buried and left for dead but
actually you were planted and were able to
grow in new directions.

Know what you are able to bring to the table
and trust yourself when you say that you are
not afraid to eat alone knowing that everything
is hard before it is easy as you discover that
your mind is saying go but your body says no.

Don't go through life, grow through life and
enjoy the moment because you never get the
same moment twice in life so celebrate every
tiny victory and when life is sweet, say thank
you and celebrate and when life is bitter, say
thank you and grow.

You can't do anything about the length of your
life, but you can do something about its width
and its depth and know you can't change your
situation but you can change how you choose to
deal with it and never worry about tomorrow
like it is promised, because tomorrow is never
guaranteed.

Just because some people are fueled by drama
doesn't mean you have to attend the performance,
so just live for those moments that can't be put into
words and remind yourself that it's okay not to be
perfect and learn to appreciate life as it happens
because those moments will soon pass and you will
wish that you had treasured them more.
                                                                                 Jon  York      2016

The road is long with many a winding turns
of which there is no return and for some it is
straight, smooth. and clear while for others
the road is bumpy and cloudy filled twists
and turns

There are those who never need to worry
about their journey because everything is
handed to them on a silver platter while
for others it seems a different matter as
some have to dig and claw to get down
that road while carrying a much heavier
load making it easier for them to fall.

Don't compare your life to others because
sometimes life isn't fair bit it is still good and
it is too short to waste time hating anyone
because the past cannot be changed and the
future is yet to come and no one is in charge
of your happiness except you.

In all of my life-changing events I have
always chosen life when it would have been
easier to choose a suicide death but I have
forgiven everyone everything and given
time the needed time.

However bad something was and however
many lies I was told I knew it would change
and I would be loved and respected not
because of something I  did or didn't do but
for who and what I am and I realized that
growing old beats the alternative of
dying young.

As a poet I tell my tales with words of truth
that can touch you or burn you and in
those words I know that life is not tied with
a bow but it is still a gift and sometimes
I am impatient and sometimes a little
insecure while I make mistakes along the way
but if you can't handle my worst than you
don't deserve my best.

It's not the words of our enemies that we
remember the most but the silence of our
so-called friends that cuts so deep but over it
this poet won't lose any sleep.          
                                                ­              Jon York     2015

If you don't know
which road to take
then any one of them
will get you there
so choose carefully
or you will get lost
and you will never
know what it is going
to cost.

What will be will be
and sometimes we just
have to wait and see because
happiness is something to love
and sonething to do
and something to hope for
and we don't get
unlimited chances
to have things be the way
we want them
to be.

People say love hurts
but that is not really true
because loneliness hurts
and rejection hurts but love
itself does not
really hurt.

Everybody works so hard
to get their fill
and in the end all everybody
ever really wanted was a thrill
but the boulevard just goes on
and on and on and never
seems to end so
don't pretend because
it will be found out
in the end.

It was by chance
that I saw your smiling face
and you saw mine
and you made the call
and after talking
I was consumed by
flames of love for you
this beautiful Angel
that came to me
for love.

I know that we can
grow together and enrich
our worlds in these later years
with the love that we can share
if we choose to take
that dare.

I will love you
without knowing how or when
or from where and I will love you
straightforwardly
without complexities or pride
because I know
no other way.

Every moment
that we are together will be
the most important moment
of our lives and eventually
you will come to understand
that love heals everything
and love is really
all that there is.

Our journey to each other
took many lifetimes
and we will complete that journey
and our coming together
was was not a question of if
but was only a question
of when so let
us begin.                                       Jon  York           2012

I  don't  want  calm,
    I want intense,
I  want  the   passion
       in your eyes
       to  burn me
          to  the
            bone.
               I
        want the    
           pure
       sight of me
              to
           make
            your
            soul
            moan.
                                     ­                                                   Jon York   2019

Find
         a place
         inside
          you
        where
        there's
          joy,­
        and the
        joy will
          burn
           out
           the
          pain.

         If you
           like
           me
        tell me,
         if you
       want me
          show
            it,
         if you
          love
           me
       prove it.
                                                             ­                         Jon York  2019

Love is
      never a question.  

               If you
              have  to
                   ask
         "Am I in love?"  
            you aren't.  

                  Wait
            for someone
         who  makes  you
                    feel
               so in love
                     that
           by comparison
      everyone before them
                      felt
              like nothing.  

                    And
          I  still  can't  co­unt
            all  the  reasons
                   why I'm
               madly  in  love
                    with you.  

                    We fall
                 in with love
          with people's flaws;  
                The perfect
            person would be
                 impossible
                     to love.
                                                           ­                               Jon York   2019

If. . . .
I didn't know now
what I didn't know then
would I do things differently
and would the outcome
still be the same.

If. . . .
I can keep getting
back up after being knocked down
and laughed at
then I won't anymore
be a clown or wear
a frown.

If. . . .
I can bear
to hear the truth I have spoken
and I refuse to deal
with others lies then
it won't be I who
cries.

If. . . .
I can dream and
not make dreams
my master then
those dreams can
become reality
even when others
doubt me.

If. . . .
I can wait
and not be tired by waiting
because I know that love
will again be mine
and there will be
no more tears
for the rest of my
years.

If. . . .
I can remain strong
even after all is gone and rebuild
even better than before
I can even the score
and then I will get so much more
handed to me in time
and then I can write many more rhymes
for the world to read
and I will have filled my need
to write.

If. . . .
I can realize that my wisdom
is not a product of schooling
but of a lifelong attempt to acquire it
then I will survive
knowing that not everything that counts
can be counted and not everything
that can be counted
counts.                   Jon  York                 2012

Do you like what you see,
when you look in the mirror ?
Or does the image just bring a tear.

Does the person that you see,
just want to be free of the
guilt for what you have
done to yourself, and of all
of the things that you didn't
do when you had the chance
to dance.

Just missed by a fraction you
tell the image, and why did
you let it slip away, why didn't
you take action ?
Were you thinking that the chance
might be back someday ?

Tell the image," the time is now,
do what you have to do,
to get it right.
Now is all that we have, don't
live in the past, let it shape you,
and give you a direction.

Learn to love what you see in the
mirror and this will set you free.
Try to understand what you need
to do, in order to love others.

Our time here is so short,
listen to what you hear,
and get rid of your fears.

Hold life to be dear, and
let it be clear that it all is
up to you, what you have to do.

Learn to respect what you see
in the mirror, and be thankful
that you are able to understand
the image that is looking at you.
                                            Jon York    2010