I'm floating in on a razor edge of light
it's curving
bending
I see a rainbow of colors
reaching to touch them
my hand pushes through a wall
I enter a room...
I hear "pattering"
What is that sound?
The view is so strange down here.
I'm running from the little people now
children of the corn
(nephews, and nieces)
being given free reign to catch me
they want to hang me upside down by my tail.
I'm hiding under a bench now
smelling the stench of cheap perfume...
I listen to Aunt Bee ***** about the time
she loaned me five dollars
along with her beater gas guzzling pig car
that I returned to her on empty
when I was 21
I still can't believe you're all here...
(we haven't talked to each other in years)
I wasn't supposed to talk to that family member
because you hated them for this reason -- or that...
I forget
I'm making a run across the room
panting..
I skid across the slippery hardwood floors, and tumble
rolling up on my small belly...
I sniff Uncle Hank's shoes
they remind me of fine leather, and expensive cigars...
he's reaching down to pet me
I'm licking his fingers...
they taste like the fried chicken he just ate
he's pushing the hair out of my eyes
patting my head, and smiling -- I hear him say,
"Good puppy"
I always liked him...
he never complained about anything.

I am trapped behind your bedroom mirror
while I’m trapped
when I get out
when you appear
I float around now
from place to place
I am a ghost looking for a familiar face
I wish I could have known my fate
but now I know it’s just too late
I wish I could have seen
what my life would have been like at thirteen…
Just a girl from the Bronx
learning from the college of hard knocks
street smart wise
didn’t see the knife
a shadow in the midst
behind my back that insists
that if I scream or, resist —
I’m history then
thirteen, and I wonder what could have been
while it all fades to black
but I see white
and, for the first time…
I am shown what is right
Beauty is all around,
a symphony in heaven is all I see..
singing just for me.

There is a place in the heart that always knows
that the seeds we plant, and reap
are the ones we always sow.
I try kid myself that it's not true
n' I always end up feel'n blue...
I should have listened to my heart--
there were warning signs flashing from the start...
I was falling,
                  falling..
                            ­   falling...
I heard you say my name
I heard you calling...
It's too late now ...we'll never part.
I am yours,
You are mine...
until the end of time.

Maria..
A quiet little girl
with blue eyes
and big brown curls
she would sit for hours
depriving herself of sleep
for days
imagining characters
making up plays
In her dreams ...
she floated on clouds with angel wings
there she heard the sound of violin strings
rocking her to sleep each night...
where her imagination would take flight.

She wanted him
to turn around
for the very last time
taking
an emotional snapshot
to keep like a secret
a memory to hold onto
their last moment together
like a symphony...
She wanted him
to turn around
for the very last time
so she could remember the flicker of gold in his eyes
the way the sunlight reflected off of it
dancing passionately toward her
instead he kept walking away
quickly
making it clear in an instant that he was gone
and, that he had closed the door
on her heart,
forever
and, as she turned and walked away from him
pushing the door open
to walk down the stairs
she felt their lives ripping apart...

wishing hard that she had looked into his eyes
more
just to keep a secret...
one she knew deep within her soul
he would never tell...
because
their symphony had ended
long ago.

The love story fades in on a big bright moon
it tells the story of me n' you
it begins with a single star  
when we split in two
n' the angels said a prayer...
as we blazed on through
that explains the melody of me n' you
when two stars began to dance...
out of the blue
two hearts beating the same notes to a song
two hearts meeting that know they belong
spinning & twirling all around...
together we make our own special sound
beneath a bright sky of twinkling stars
we sing our song
we play our tune
that we know by heart...
beneath the moon
it's called...
the melody of me n' you.

She remembered her mother's struggles growing up
only six years old
she understood
that her mother was doing all she could...
to always try to keep her fed
washing her clothes in the river bed
after the school buses would pass on by...
but it made the little girl very shy
wondering always if there was something wrong with her...
finally understanding...
it was just the way things were.

The little Princess always said...
"I'll meet you on the other side
after the world has spinned around a million times--"
it was the the story I always read
just before you went to bed...
there was the sea, the sun, the stars, n' the moon
in a faraway land...playing a melody...a special tune
in a story..
made up for you
there were Elves with funny ears,
a Prince, a Fairy that laughed so much
(she was prone to toss her lunch)
there was the hiccuping frog
who always seemed to fall off his log
n' the Princess was always you...
who granted wishes
that came true.
Just before she fell asleep--
after the fairy had kissed her cheek...
The Princess always said,
"I'll meet you on the other side...
after the world has spinned a million times--"

The peasant girl wandered toward the Queen
she'd only read about her in magazines
The Queen's voice was kind yet strong
still the peasant girl thought something's wrong
she thought "there's no way that I belong,"
instead the Queen gave her a diamond stone...
ordering the peasant girl toward her throne
When she sat down the Queen bowed her head
saying, "You've always belonged up here instead"
The peasant girl began to cry
upset that it was just a lie..
looking fiercely into her eyes...
"Tell me what is it that you see
that I could be as great as thee?"
The Queen answered thoughtfully...
"I see your lovely graceful elegance"
"I see your fine, and great intelligence"
"I see your kind, and aristocratic gentleness"
I see that you are really me..
and, it's time to claim your dignity.

She looked around the house for the last time
before grabbing her soft red sweater off the dining room chair
gazing around
she held a black, and white photograph in her hands
of her once happy family.

Too full of tears for her to stay in palatial like rooms
decorated in the finest furniture
and, each room held its own secret
secrets dripping in rich lush greens
draperies that hung from tall ceilings
making everything appear in perfect order...
on the outside.

She placed the photograph back onto the glistening baby grande piano
the chandelier flickered from above
saying its own kind of farewell
she thought of the chapter in her life that had closed
a life that never really began
and, as she walked out the front door
she wrapped her red soft sweater around her now cold shoulders
managing to toss the postcard he had sent to her from Paris
swiftly into the trash in one fluid motion.

I can see a glimmering light just above, all around, in the clouds
in the sun
it looks like hope is here for me
to pick me up, and help me see
all that I am supposed to be
making me new again
I transcend
like a butterfly
I flutter
with my new wings
while I sing
to all the flowers in the Spring.

Golden red-orange maple leaves now decorate my lawn...
and, I can always tell when the sun will rise the minute it is dawn
The rooster calls out its name from its big red barn out back
waking all the ducks and geese to run in circles making noisy quacks.

There's a creek that runs by my house, and the frogs come out at night
while the birds on top of my red barn like to take off for a flight
There will be apple pie with cinnamon baking in the stove
and, the scent of walnuts wafting through the air with a tiny bit of clove
The moon will grow bigger as the months begin to pass...
and, the children will all start complaining that their summer went too fast.

She can see your lips move
but cannot hear what you say
her eyes tear up at the end
at the futility of understanding
the small message you're trying to send
unable to pierce the walls of silence
she feels trapped inside
slow moving ocean tides
nodding throughout her day
in front of the faces that visit today
Mozart spins silently around
as her memories flood back
to the sights and the sounds
of fluttering gowns
when she was a young girl...
and he was her world.

She was a dreamer during the day, and a vampire at night
seeing ghosts around every corner in the light
She tried to wish them away for another day
closing her eyes reaching her hands toward the sky
sometimes falling down on her knees/down on her knees
on the pine scented ground she’d pray
whenever there were rainy clouds the sound of grey
wishing/wishing
them away
all around she’d try to listen, or look for signs in tree’s
even in the way her red flowers blew in the breeze
Yeah, she was a dreamer during the day, and a vampire at night
she tried to scare the ghosts away to take away her fright
wishing them away/wishing them away
for another rainy day/for another rainy day
All she heard was the sound of grey
Please take these ghosts away/that’s what she’d always say
sweep them away/sweep them away
I don’t want deal with them today
not today/not today…
Yeah, that’s what she would always say--
whenever/whenever/ she heard the sound of grey.

So many lost souls passing through the station
they've lost their faith in their youth/they've lost their faith in their nation
with broken angel wings
they turned up the wrong road/they've lost their way
they've found themselves silent with nothing to say...
they feel like their life is really over/it's finally through
n' this whole time they've been the fool
now they're at the mercy of men with large arms in uniform
all because these broken angels could not conform
so they curl up in white blankets, and sleep on cold steel
waiting for their court date to make their plea
to the judge that will look down on them
while these angels with broken wings/utter these words..
Oh, Dear Lord Jesus not again
the angel looks up with teary eyes
thinking this is it/this is the end
"My angel wings are finally lost...
Oh, and at what a price/what a cost"

I am deaf in my left ear
but it doesn't stop me from creating the story I hear
I play soundtracks in my head
to imagine a picture I hear instead
it might be the color of the sun
as it slowly rises
just above a blue horizon
a picture becomes a sound
I'm able to see if the shape is round
then I rotate this image
all around
to hear the color of a sound
I might hold this image up
or lay it down...
I keep playing the music in my head
finding the words to paint instead.

He sat without legs, crutches by his side
not far
from a Hollywood Golden Star...
(the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
where I wished with all my might
that I could have written his name
as I observed people hurrying on by
without any kind of "Hello", or "Hi"
(or, a simple smile)
they just moved around...
not even noticing to look at him - or, look down
feet moving quickly past this legless man
looking tired, and worn
his grocery bags were all ripped n' torn
I kneeled down right there...
asking him if he needed help to go somewhere...
but The Unknown Star
looked bravely into my eyes
and, he just smiled...
Replying,
"No, thank you. I just have five more miles."

She wears her imaginary veil during the day
it's the imaginary wall she puts up to keep her safe
from the harmful words she might hear strangers say
if they get too close when they come her way
Yeah---
She'll run/she'll hide/she won't stay...
Charlotte grew up in the jungle
yeah, in the Africa wild...
She knew the language of the forrest rain...
the sound monkey's make when they're in pain...
or, the roar of a beautiful Lion saying hello...
offering its golden mane --
as her own personal pillow
She wishes now that she'd run faster...
that she could have escaped her capture...
now, living in a different kind of jungle
she does not know, or -- understand...
(it's hard for her to comprehend)
the words she hears sound so foreign
dreaming at night of returning to the jungle
she longs to hear the language within a forrest rain.

The war on hate continues on
fueled by corporations around the world
they're sticky like honey...
they're in love with the sound of...
"cha-ching, money---"
it starts with a house at the end of a street..
spreading with rain...
trampled by boots...
it gathers more pain
to leave its next stain
on snow colored white
crimson red
staining the dead..
It may have all started with a hateful stare...
an unkind word...
perhaps, a spiteful glare
enough for it to fuel the fire
(an ego desire)
to right the wrong of what had been done
unjust in the eyes of the hater
    revenge that had to be carried out..
sooner rather than later...
the circle is now complete
spinning round n' round...
with the violent sound
of bombs ripping, and tearing
flesh on the ground
Meanwhile the Dow is up...
n' all the fat cats on Wallstreet
are just living it up...
so happy they cashed in
knowing when it would all begin...
before it was too late...
to make money on all the hate.

On my street in my town
this time next year when golden-red leaves
rest upon a green mossy ground
will mark the first year
I let go of my fears
and,
I have released all of my tears
This time next year..
I will have done more for others
instead of myself
I will see where, perhaps...
there are ways I can help...
I'll be grateful for courage
and, my willingness to seek
all the challenges I have been shown to cheerfully meet
I will notice the tall mountain
that I bravely climbed
not turning once
to look down, or - behind
Yes, This time next year ...
I'll have turned over
my leaves
studying their colors
hidden beneath.

Touch hearts when you can
reach out to your fellow man
look into their eyes n' use your words wise
say the exact thing
from your heart
n' this way you'll bring
a connection that sings
n' all the gifts it can bring..
in this way you'll see
your own reflection....
to infinity>>>

She was an unfamiliar song even to herself
with notes changing from day to day
fluid like water
heart of stone
eyes like steel
a Queen secluded
in a Castle throne
all that was known from the day she was born
was that her soul could never be possessed or, owned...
lovers would come, and Knights would go
hearts were broken
fortunes blown...
with solid resolution
a single conclusion...
that she,
(an untamed Queen in her Castle throne)
would never  be possessed, or owned.

It's untitled because I'm still dreaming it up
designing their costumes
applying their make-up
I think one of them should say funny things
bringing the audience to their knees
Yeah...
the ideas are pouring in
Okay, I've got it
Act I
FADE IN:
that's where I'll begin
You never know what Zoe will say next...
she'll be hysterically funny, and very complex
(playing my protagonist)
bringing bubbles of joy
(even to my antagonist)
Yeah..
Zoe tends to do funny things
not even realizing the laughter she brings
because everyone will see themselves
in the situational stories she tells...
Act II
Zoe loses her shoes...
she thinks they're magic
(it will seem quite tragic)
maybe you'll cry
and, you won't know why
you'll just find it sad
to watch a person that's normally so happy, and glad
just to be in this world
to have emotions that swirl
you'll be cheering for her
to get back to the way things were
before she thought she lost her shoes
the ones she thinks are magic
(she's gonna have the blues)
I'll write a transition here
it comes from, Carlos Diaz, he'll be a true friend...
(he'll help her transcend)
Act III
Zoe finds her magic shoes
(but she'll have to pay some kind of price, or fee)
I'll have her find a key that will make her see...
that she can get back to the way things were
before she began to swerve
thinking life had way too many curves
(it seems so unlike her)
Yeah, he'll help her get back to the beginning
when she found humor in the darkest places
even in the eyes, and expressions of the all the strange faces
that had been tossed her way...
because her imagination was busy at play
Yeah..
You'll be so happy for her
that she's finally back to the way things were
her friend, Carlos Diaz...
he'll be the one to remind her of all the joy she can bring
(by this point you'll all want to sing)
because Zoe can find humor in almost anything.

War torn baby you're over ten
remember the good times/remember when
you were happy /you belonged
to them
it's all just a faded dream
when you laughed
n' you played in streams
You're an orphan now/a war torn baby
it's black n' white now/ain't no maybe
You try to imagine their face
before you were left in this place
where it's cold, and it's dark
n' you don't play in the park
Yeah, remember the good times
remember when
you were happy/you belonged
to them
they hugged you tight n' then they said,
"I'll be seeing you again"
n' you tried not to cry
as you looked deep into their eyes
knowing what they said
was a big fat lie
that this would be the last time
you belonged---
to them.
Yeah, that's when they smiled
n' then they said,
"I'll come back for you before you're ten."

Watch me fly through the sky
high, high, high
My back's pushed up against the wall
it's do or die, die, die...
Sorry haters I've got to fly
high, high, high..
I'm not hanging around here
I won't drink your cheap beer
This girl likes diamonds, and roses...
European Yachts made by pro's
Yeah, so watch me fly
up in the blue sky
so high, high, high
it's do -- or, die, die, die..
I won't let anyone take me down
go ahead if you're dressed like clowns
I'll knock you out in one punch
Cause,
I've been blessed with a vision/Yeah, a hunch
that it's my time to fly
high, high, high...
Cause it's do,
or, Baby
die---die---die--
Gonna fly
high, high, high.

Welcome to your new day
where life it seems
is nothing more than a string of dreams
n' the people you've met upon the stage
were sitting inside a little cage
and Rod Serling has been directing this whole time
(he's been telling you how to say your lines)
You've been arguing for a better part
because you know it's not the end that counts...
you want a choice in where you start...
but he's just informed you it's too late
you've already chosen to participate
you'll have to do the best you can...
a dream he's entitled: your life span...
now you're kicking
and, just screaming
he says hold on ...calm down
I'll see who I can bring around
You're completely sarcastic at this point...
"Oh, right. Like you can bring John Lennon, or Elvis to this joint?!"
You hear, "they're on another gig..."
(so you ask for help from someone really--- big)
He kind of laughs, and then he says...
"I've been telling you to wake up this whole time...
you don't even need to spend a dime
it's called free will, man...
can't you see?
Besides...
You've got way more pull to ask than me!"

What a life it could have been
if I'd only know you then
when I was 21, and fun
and we were both
really young
daring to live a life
traveling the world
flying kites
surfing oceans
eating cheese
shooting the breeze
staying up late
because we relate...
our life ...
our world
Oh, what a life it could have been....
if I'd only known you then.

What I liked about today...
I watched a father holding his little girl
she was wearing big yellow bows in her hair
everyone was having fun today/at the big State Fair..
n' she held a red balloon in her little hand
he was whirling her around the dance floor
everyone was smiling at them/so did the local band
What I liked about today...
I watched a hummingbird hover right front of me
I thought to myself/this is such a sight to see..
What I liked about today...
I watched the sun set in a blue winter sky
I thought /my oh/my...
If we just take time to notice all the little things
there's so much beauty in this world
n' all the wonderful joy that it can bring.

Her house looks over the water
her husband has left her
for someone else's daughter
she cries alone
wondering why...
He was always high
and what went wrong ...
She'd tried for so long
to remain cheerful...
to stay strong...
but her children scream
haunted by the shadows in their dreams.
During the day they don't have much to say
they're shy, and withdrawn
playing quietly on the lawn...
wondering
what they could have done right
on any particular day, or night...
to make Daddy stay
thinking
they were the ones that drove him away...
they're hungry for food --
n' they feel misunderstood...
they cry, and cry...
all the while
questioning why
they have to hide their tears
and all of their darkest fears.
They make up chants n' mantras throughout their day
saying them in a particular way
so they can remember it just right...
praying for Daddy to come home tonight
n' the children appear hopeless n' sad...
(feeling inside)
  they must have done something very bad.