If I was asked to go
to war for my County
I'd do it again,
even knowing what it
did to me in the end,
I would go through that
door once again.

If false love and lies
showed up at my door
again in the guise of
an Angel asking me for
help and love and giving
me only lies, I'd do it again,
even knowing of the pain
and heartache she would
bring me in the end,
I would still try to be her
friend and I'd do it again
and try to pretend.

If giving a person all of
your heart and soul while
she takes it apart and rips
in it a big hole, I do it again
because it hurt so good
even knowing her feelings
were hard as wood.

If I had life to live over,
I'd probably follow the
same path of all of the
sorrow and pain, only
hoping to gain knowledge
of my purpose here because
the time I have spent here
has been so dear.                               Jon York   2011

As I get older I discover that there
is a certain beauty to getting old
and as I get older I discover that
it opens me up to not being afraid
of anything in this beautiful
adventure of life.

I choose to celebrate life in my
later years and I take nothing
for granted anymore because
I am still in a beautiful adventure
and it can be especially beautiful
when you are able to celebrate it
with the person that you love
and want to be with so you can
celebrate the adventure together.

Life is full of beautiful moments
and I choose to let them in
knowing that these are times
that I will want to cherish and
they deserve the perfect
memories.

We are not going to live forever
but we can create something that
will through love and those
perfect moments.
                                              Jon York   2017

Being deeply loved by someone
gives you strength, while loving
someone deeply gives you courage
and sometimes in a lifetime you
meet that one special soul who
fills your very essence to almost
overflow and you find that love is
the gentle embrace between body
and soul.

The soul that lives in the heart,
no distance can prevail, an inner
spark within the heart becomes
a holy grail, the starting of a
journey in which you both shall
be a reflection of each other for
all eternity and you will say to
one another, "I am yours, you
are mine because our hearts
and our souls are entwined and
I love you with my soul because
the soul never stops and never
forgets."

"The melding of our bodies,
the surging of our two souls,
and the love between us keeps
us from growing old," and you
will hardly be able to see where  
one of you begins or the other
person ends, and what a special
way to age, by being together
having grown like parsley
and sage.

I did not know what love was,
until I knew what love was not.
                                                         Jon York   2018

Meet me

where the end begins,

in echoes,

where your world is me,

and my world is you.

Love is always greater

than the cost.

What you gain is always,

more than you lost.

                  I

think we were meant

         to be, but

         we did it

           wrong.

        I think souls

       have a way of

  of connecting without

      our knowledge.
                                                                           Jon York   2019

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

I write because I hurt,
I write because
I'd rather not bleed.
                                                                                          Jon York    2019

If someone makes you happy,
                  make them happier.
                                                                                           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

The  only   person   I trust   is   me. . .


                            And even that's
                 pretty ******* iffy sometimes.
                                                      ­                       Jon York   2019

If I could go back
over the days and trace my steps
through all of the ways
I think the first thing I would do
would be to find my way to you
and seek to take from out of your heart
the pain for which
the greatest part
I was to blame.                        

Our love was like a cigarette
easily started...quickly done
then tossed away
without regret and then
you light up another one .                  Jon York      2013

If I could find a word
to describe how I feel
about you, I'd write it
over and over again
in a love letter to you.

You bring the best
out in me and I know
that you can see
what your love
does to me.

The way you hug
me in the morning
as I sleep and the way
that you kiss me
goodbye as you leave,
trying not to wake me.

Your actions speak
volumes and by them
I know that you truly
love me and I don't
have to ask, because
we both know that
this kind of love lasts.

As the years seem
to fly by, we both know
that neither of us
have to cry anymore
because there is
so much love in store.

Our hearts now
have a home and
know that they are
no longer alone.                     Jon York         2014

Will you trust me with your heart as I trust you with mine if
I promise. . .
to be your strength when you are weak
and your voice when you can't find the
words to speak and if
I promise. . .
to give you faith
when you are insecure and if
I promise. . .
to listen to you
when you need to talk and if
I promise. . .
to always hold you
when you need to be held and if
I promise. . .
to be your smile
when you are frowning and if
I promise., . .
to always tell you what is real
when you want to hear the truth and if
I promise. . .
to be your dream catcher
to chase away you're every fear and if
I promise. . .
to tell you no lies
but just what is true and if
I promise. . .  
I will try to lift you up
when you are feeling down and if
I promise . . .
to be your strength
when ever you are falling down and if
I promise. . .
to never hurt you
or break your heart and
you know that
I can't promise you the world and I can't promise you the sky or promise you that we will never fight or that you will never cry but I can promise you that I will always be true till the end of time, so will you trust me with your heart as I trust you with mine knowing that our success won't just happen by default but can and it will happen by design.                                                          ­                Jon York   2018

Never wait,
      life goes faster than
               you think,
   everything is temporary.

               Let it all go,
            see what stays.

              If  someone
       is okay with losing you
           they  never  really
              cared for you.

              One day you
                  will just
              be a memory.

      When memories hit you,
                 it hurts and
           pain changes people.  

                   I told you
             what hurts me the
    most and you did it perfectly.

               If it hurts too
        much to hold on...then
            it's time to let go.

         Cutting people out of
my life doesn't mean I hate them,
       it means I respect myself.
                                                                                   Jon York   2020

If only time was nicer to us.
                                                                                              Jon York   2019

Your lips I crave. . .
and to touch your face,
to feel your ******* again
make my heart tremble
as I enter your warmth
again after so long.

I couldn't talk as our
bodies moved together
as if in slow motion.

Where have you been
hiding my love I wanted
to say to her. . . but afraid
to speak fearing whatever
I said would only offend.

I still love you, I still need
you, I still look for you, I
wanted to scream out to
her. . . if only she could
read my mind.
                                   Jon York    2017

A blank page is staring at me, cursing me and
laughing at me, who is always nostalgic and in
need of solitude I am because I let life pass me
by as I rolled down this highway of life.

I've been trying to catch it but have run out of
time as my life has been a roller coaster rhyme
going from bright as a star to deep dark and
sublime but have committed no crime.

Out of time with no one else is in my rhyme
but that is not really a crime but there was a
day when being alone this far down the line
was something I could never say but it just
turned out that way.

I've had my day in the sun, my fifth teen
minutes of fame and I've played their game
and as a result I will never be the same and
it appears that all I did was not run from
anybody else but only myself and I still run
from what I had to do in a far away land
with a gun in my hand and still it never lets
me sleep because I have to face Charlie
every night and day because the memories
will just not go away.

As the end of my life nears I don't to shed
any more tears because I've had so many
good years and so many loves and have
written so many words about those times
and those words will remain long after I
am gone so for now all I can do now is to
remain strong until it is time to be gone
knowing that if only time were a friend
of mine I wouldn't feel the need to write
this rhyme.                                           Jon York    2016

If only. . .
we didn't look at our broken pasts like shattered glass
we didn't let those prior pains ******* our current course
we could forgive those that inflicted the pain whether intentional or not
we could forget the past and make the present last.

If only. . .
we could laugh at all of needless hate that comes to us
we could realize that love is eternal
we could understand that love is fighting, not a war but for every second more, every instant worth fighting for.

If only. . .
we didn't always have to pretend to be strong
we could cry if we need to and we could cry out all of our tears
we didn't have to prove all of the time that every thing is okay
we always knew what to say in those difficult times
we could be at peace with who we are not
we didn't need to build walls around our hearts to survive and to keep alive

If only. . .
we could take our grief and teach it to smile
we could overcome our fears and help others to do the same
we knew that tomorrow's hope means more to us than yesterday's mistake
we could realize that splendor is just around the corner
we knew that love will again come our way some day.

If only. . .
she knew that I was so happy that she finally found me
she knew how happy I am to have found her
she knew tha from the moment I saw her face, somehow my heart just knew what I had to do
I were a thought I would linger in her mind
she knew that she is tomorrow's hope
I could be anywhere, it would be with her

If only. . .
she knew she is beautiful and doesn't need a mirror to tell her that
she knew that her voice is the sweetest music for me
she knew that I can understand her without any words
she knew that she was made to be loved by me
she knew how much she inspired me
she knew that she saved my life.

If only, . .
we could finish every day and be done with it
we could realize that yesterday is dead and tomorrow hasn't arrived
we could begin each day well and serenely with too high a spirit to be cumbered with old nonsense
we knew we have today and can be happy in it
we knew that love cures people, both those who give it and those who receive it

If only. . .                                                                ­              
everyone knew that whether it is praise, love, criticism, money, time, power, punishment, space, sorrow, laughter, need, pain, or pleasure... the more you give the more of it, the more you will receive.

If only. . . . . . . . . .                                                                ­                                                        
                                                                ­                                                                 ­        Jon York            2012

It   was   you,
      it   was   me,
  it was the silence
underneath the stars
   that understood
     my heartbeat
     and its racing.
You told me nothing,
I believed everything,
   in that moment
      I found life
    in that moment
     I found you.
        I promise.
      if you keep
      searching
   for everything
       beautiful
      in the world,

        you will
       eventually
       become it.
      

                                                     ­                               Jon York   2019

A penny for your thoughts.

Five  bucks  if  their   *****.
                                                                                           Jon York   2019

You are enrolled in a school called life and you will have
daily opportunity to learn lessons and all of the lessons you
learn you will not like because there are no mistakes only
lessons because growth is a process of trial and error and
your lessons will be repeated until they are learned and
how quickly you will find that the lessons never end
because as long as you are alive there are lessons to be
learned.

If you. . .live with criticism you will condemn and if you live
with hostility you will learn to fight and if you live with fear
you will be apprehensive and if you live with pity you will
constantly feel sorry for yourself.

If you. . .live with lies the truth will always be hard to find
and if you live with ridicule you will be shy and if you live
with jealously you will learn what envy is and if you live with
praise you will always appreciate and if you live with love
you will find acceptance and sharing.

If you. . .live with sharing you will learn to be generous and if
you live with honesty and fairness you will learn what the
truth really is and who is telling the truth and if you are friendly
you will learn that the world is a nice place to live and if you
possess serenity you will have some peace of mind.

If you. . .have to wonder why then your life will always be a
question and if you live with shame you will always feel guilty
but if you live with tolerance you will be patient and if you
get encouragement you will learn to be confident.
                                                                ­      Are you living?
                                                         ­                         Jon York   2017

I  won't  let pain
turn   my   heart
into    something
ugly. I will show
you that  surviving
can  be   beautiful.

Always remember                                  
that you are free to                                  
do what you want                                      
but you are never                                        
free    from   the                                            
consequences    o­f                                        .
your   actions.   So
always choose to
do good.

You     only     have                                     There are three solutions
control  over  three                                   ­  to every problem: Accept it,
things  in  your life -                                   change it or leave it. If you
The  thoughts  you                                      can't­ accept it, change it.
think,  the   images                                      If you   can't   change  it,
you  visualize,  and                                 ­    leave it.
the action you take.

Your  words  mean
nothing when your                       Society has become so fake
actions   are    the                                               that the truth actually
complete opposite.                                                        ­    bothers people
                                          Jon York   2019

If you
  genuinely
      love
  someone,
  don't ever
    decorate
   their eyes
   with tears,
    their ears
    with lies,
     and their
       heart
      with a
     wound.
                                                                                                Jon York   2019

Keep going, one
               day  you   will  
              thank yourself
            for never giving up.

                And  no  matter
                 how bad things
                  are  right now,
                  no matter  how
                  stuck you feel,
                  and  no  matter
                 how many days
                   you've   spent
                  wishing things
                  were different
                   and  no matter
                   how  hopeless
                   and depressed
                    you   feel,  I
                   promise  you
                  won't feel this
                  way forever, if
              you just keep going.

                 Your soul is the
            sacred  essence  within
              you, your deepest
             purpose, your unique
          meaning and the guiding
                 force behind our
          individual lives so be ready
                at any moment
         to sacrifice what you are
       for what you could become.
                                                                               Jon York   2019

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

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

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

You are
         my
        sun,
    my moon
         and
        all of
     my stars.

       You are
           my
          heart,
         my life,
            my
       one and
           only
        thought.

         You are
            the
          poem
     I never knew
          how to
   write and this
       life is the
     story I have
          always
      wanted to
             tell.    
                                                                ­                              Jon York   2019

I  have  good days and  bad  days.
And on both I am thinking of you.

Yes, I am thinking about you right
now.  I  thought about  when  this
morning when I woke up....Lovely
perverted, naughty and wickedly
beautiful thoughts.

My hands can't touch you, but my
mind  can't  leave  you  alone.

When I close  my  eyes I see you.
When I open my eyes I miss you.

I  never  craved  attention  until I
tasted yours.

Can  you  feel  me  when  I  think
about you?
                                                            ­                                Jon York   2024

I hope that you woke up this morning with a big smile on your face and in a new place and I hope that the sun is shining just for you and the birds are singing their very best songs...

I hope your coffee is hot and tastes just right and I hope you still remember when we had morning coffee together and talked about us being forever...

I hope that when you read my poetry that you know the words are for you and about a love we once had that now has left me sad...

I hope that when you think about me your thoughts aren't bad and you are glad that you chose to leave...

I hope everything goes your way since you decided to leave someone who could only give you love, but you needed more so you walked out the door...

I hope that every day will bring you a perfect end to a perfect day and your days are filled with love and I hope the bridges that you burned light the way for you...

I hope you know that to make a difference in your life you have to make a difference in someone else's life and you made that difference in my life and I hope you know I am grateful for that and I thank you...
                                                          ­                                   Jon York     2015

I hope someday
you find the poem
that touches your heart
where hands
simply cannot touch.
                                                                                            Jon York   2019

To tell you
        the truth, I don't
             have much
                    to
                   offer.
             But I'll still give
          you everything I've
               got, even if it's
            barely a thing at all.
          I'll give you late nights,
                long hugs, sweet
        messages, wonderful poems
                about you and I,
       and I'll give you morning kisses,
       back rubs, chest rubs,
    body rubs, a workout in the shower.
      And someone who will
                  always be
      there for you, a hand to hold,
                somebody to
                   lean on.
        Just know you have all of me.
                              I
                           hope
                            that's
                         enough.
                                                                               Jon York   2019

I hunger for you,
        for the smell of your skin,
            the taste of your lips,
for  the burning touch of your hands.
      I crave the mere thought of
                 being inside
                      of you
      and feeling you wet warmth.
                            I
                       want to
                      feel you
                      from the
                        inside.
                                ­                                                          Jon York   2019

I just want you.
  Since the day we met
it's been that simple for me.
                                                                                                Jon York    2019

I just want you to be
happy.

and naked.
                                                                                     Jon York   2019

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

I could write a whole

book about  the  one

    time you looked

me  in  the  eyes  and

I  knew you loved me.
                                                             ­      Jon York   2019

Listen to
                               not
                        the words
                                 I
                          speak but
                           the beat
                       of  my  heart
                               and
                        the rhythm
                                 of
                           my body
                               that
                        knows only
                             your
                             tune.

                         Your touch
                             chose
                                to
                         be for my
                              skin
                        alone and
                              that's
                        how I knew
                                I'd
                             never
                              need
                            anyone
                               else.
                                                                         Jon York   2019

For a while,  everything ached and then a
little voice inside me said,

"Hey, you have to do something other than
hurt all the time."

And I said,
"I know. I know.  I'm trying."
                                                                                     Jon York   2019

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

I'll be  the one you thought  
you'd never find.  I'll be  the
one  that steps  up  in   every  
place  the last   man stepped  
aside.  I'll  be   the   rock that
never   crumbles.  I'll  be the
ear that can never hear enough.

  I'll   be your  teacher, your
best   friend,  your   # 1 fan.  
    I'll be the one that climbs  
your walls  so  I  can guard  
your   heart.
   Most  of   all  , I'll   be   the    
one     that    changes    your  
perspective  on   every  man
you ever met.
   And   don't   confuse    my  
personality with my attitude....
My     personality   is     who  
I   am, my  attitude depends  
       on   who you are....
                                                         ­             Jon York   2019

You   keep    me  safe.

I'll    keep    you  wild.

You   might   be   built

for  seduction, but you

are  made for my love.

I did  fall  in  love  with

you for a reason. There

is   no   one    like   you.

                                                                                      Jon York   2019

Some of
            my most favorite
     seconds  on  earth  are the
            seconds filled
   with my lips spilled upon
          your collarbone
    and your hair nestled into
                    my fist.
               You were the
           hardest lesson I've
                   ever had
              to learn and I'm
                     afraid
             I'll miss you
                   forever.
                                                                                     Jon York   2019

And you
       have quieted my
   fears  and  helped  me
        achieve peace
  and  I  thank  you  for
           your care.

            Keep me
       close to you and
           let me feel
the flow of your strength
         into my heart,
   giving me the courage
               to live
      one day  at a time.

          There is no
  greater  deed  than  the
     one done for others.
       I feel your love
within me and it fills me
         with strength
       and  tranquility.
            Thank you
              for your
            supporting
              embrace.
                                                                                        Jon York   2019

The book of life is
so brief and once a page is read
all but love is dead
and her love is my guiding light
that is revealed to me
in the darkest of nights
and it reminds me
of those happy and loving times
about which I write rhymes.

I close my eyes just
for a moment and the moments
gone and all of my dreams
pass before my eyes a curiosity
and I realize that all or most
of the past hurt and pain
will eventually fade away
and be gone someday
but I still have to wonder why
we all have to live and
die .

She came to me
almost like a dream
this beautiful lady with thoughts
just for me which
sets my spirits free
and I no longer let evening
get me down now
that she is around.

In my book of life
so many pages read and all
of them are gone
and all but love is dead
and I know how loveless
life can sometimes be
as shadows followed me
and the night wouldn't
set me free but now
that her love is here
I am free because
I love her so
and to me she is
so dear.        
                                           Jon York             2013

I love it when she
says, "push me up against
a wall and do *****
things to me."
                                                                                       Jon York   2019

I
    love  that
      sound
   you  make
      when  
   my mouth
       finds
  all the places
     on your
       neck
  that properly
         fits
    the shape
          of
      my lips.
                                                           ­                                  Jon York   2019

Love
is not about how much
you say I love you
but how much
you prove that it's true.
but I like saying it anyhow
        I Love You.
                                                                                           Jon York   2019

I   LOVE  YOU
    Enough to fight for you,
    compromise for you, and sacrifice
    myself for you if need be.

    Enough to miss you incredibility
    when we're apart no matter what
    length of time it is for and regardless
    of the long distance.

    Enough to believe in our relationship,
    to stand by it through the worst of
    times, to have faith in our strength as
   a couple, and to never give up on us.

    Enough to spend the rest of my life
    with you, be there for you when you
    need me, or want me, and enough to
    never ever want to leave you, or to
    live without you.

    We close our eyes when we pray,
    cry,  kiss or dream because the most
    beautiful things in life are not seen
    but felt by the heart.
                                                                                        Jon York   2019

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

One day, I
     want to
honestly say,
" I made it."
                                                                                      Jon York   2019