Vanquished by my hopes and dreams
Held hostage by reality
I stumble through this thing called life
A prisoner of mortality

I know not what tomorrow brings
My mutinous dreams have fled
My hopes have long since passed away
To never know where they led

Humbled by my crippled past
My spirit, weak and weary
By casting lots, I choose my path
My future, bleak and dreary

Hampered by my lack of faith
I wander to and fro
Absent from my hopes and dreams
I know not where to go

An abyss of hollow understanding
For nothing's as it seems
A life no longer worth living
That's barren of hopes and dreams

You tell me that you know me
Can you see into my soul?
Behind these eyes are a thousand lies
That hearts cannot control

Words can be a weapon
For those who choose to believe
Behind this mask it's but a simple task
To use words to deceive

Look just a little closer
And tell me what you see
I only show what you think you know
I remain a mystery

Listen to your conscience
It plays into my hand
I'll be to you what you want me to
You think I'm an honest man

You tell me that you know me
Can you see into my soul?
I'll make you cry each time I lie
That truth cannot console

I know that Heaven's a beautiful place
With plenty of things that I haven't seen
Earth has its beauty, like the stars in space
You are the diamond that's trapped inbetween

The flowers bow down each time you walk by
In the presence of such beauty and grace
The wind will whisper your name with a sigh
While the sun completes the glow on your face

The birds stand in line to sing you a song
As the ocean plays its magical tune
The leaves in the trees will all sing along
As the moon and all the stars start to swoon

Between Heaven and Earth, you're beauty lies
Polished perfection, my diamond, my prize

Our tears are never silent
As they're streaming down our face
They always demand attention
As they leave their hiding place

Teardrops never change the past
Though many tears are spilled
They sometimes offer some relief
Though no one's ever healed

Each teardrop tells a story
Maybe of a love that didn't last
They can even be a memory
A misplaced vision from the past

Tears are often wasted
On those who just don't care
But when we really need them
We have none left to spare

Our tears become the oceans
If you've wondered where they go
They fill the streams and rivers
Everytime they flow

Late at night when all is quiet
And everyone's fast asleep
A mournful sound is sometimes found
When the poet begins to weep

Her tears are in the raindrops
As she tries to cleanse her soul
An empty shell, trapped in hell
That time cannot console

Her words become her refuge
As she writes away her sin
The liquid pain begins to stain
As she slays it with her pen

Her tears will bring her comfort
As she continues on her course
For tomorrow, she leaves her sorrow
The two must now divorce

She finds relief, her pain is gone
The poet no longer cries
After she weeps the poet sleeps
And quietly closes her eyes

Late at night when all is quiet
And everyone's fast asleep
A mournful sound is sometimes found
When the poet begins to weep

The night she was born, her father died
When his car was struck by a train
Trying to get home to his laboring bride
But this news would drive her insane

Her thirteenth birthday, again, she's alone
It was Friday, the thirteenth day
Alzheimer's held her grandmother captive
And her grandfather would pass away

People would whisper she brought bad luck
Cursed by the day she was born
The object of their own superstitions
A victim of prejudical scorn

A rabbit's foot couldn't bring her comfort
For when she held it, things would get worse
The four leaf clover would crumble to dust
And seemed to only strenthen the curse

Nineteen-sixty-three her luck would change
When she met the love of her life
But he was killed on his way to the church that day
Before he could make her his wife

She was destined to spend her life all alone
To keep her loved ones from harm
The day she was born would hold her hostage
And forever be known as Charm

Everything she touched would wither and die
'Til the time she was summoned by death
Ninety years old on Friday the thirteenth
Was the day she drew her last breath

I wasn't there when you were born
I was in a foreign land
I wasn't there to see you walk
Or take you by the hand

I wasn't there when you turned one
My country needed me
I wasn't there to hear you talk
I'm as sorry as can be

I wasn't there to see you smile
When you met Santa Claus
I was here defending peace
They say, a rightous cause

I wasn't there to slay the monsters
That live beneath your bed
I wasn't there to tuck you in
Or kiss you on your head

I wasn't there to say goodbye
And wipe the tears you cried
The day they came in uniform
And told you that I died

I've heard it said a whisper
Is a secret from the heart
A hidden truth, without restraints
Where all the romance starts

It can also be a heartache
A broken tale of love
A gentle breeze that tells us
What someone's thinking of

Sometimes it's a memory
Of a day that we hold dear
A thoughtful word of comfort
Or a long forgotten fear

It's not about the volume
It's about what's wrapped inside
Words that's hold some purpose
Or things that we need to hide

A whisper can be most anything
Whatever we choose it to be
A breath of air with meaning
Or a secret we set free

She calls her family together
To tell each one goodbye
From the oldest to the youngest
Her children begin to cry

She's fought this fight for many years
But this cancer is much too strong
Her will to live is fading fast
And she knows it won't be long

Her daughter asks when she'll be back
She's too young to understand
Only four years old, a tear escapes
As she holds her mother's hand

She says, "Mama you have to hurry back,
For I'm going to miss you so"
She climbs into her mother's bed
And begs her not to go

Her mother tells her not to cry
As she wipes her tear stained face
I'll always be inside your heart
You'll carry me every place

I'll be the breeze that kisses your cheek
When sadness comes to call
I'll be the smell in the autumn leaves
That ushers in the fall

I'll be your comfort when times get bad
And in everything you lack
And as her mother passes away
She whispers, "Hurry Back"

Awakened, I marvel at what I see
You were gone in the middle of the night
With you you've taken my heart and soul
And my world became black and white

The roses, no longer a beautiful red
And you've stolen the oceans blue
The grass and trees no longer green
And my purpose has lost its hue

Now everyone I see all look the same
For the darkness is confused with the light
And everyone knows when the sun doesn't shine
The color disappears in the night

The flowers have lost their radiant glow
They no longer take away my breath
They're now adorned in the color of gray
For they all wear the color of death

Red is no longer the color of love
For that word just doesn't exist
Color no longer a word people use
Once loved, but now only dismissed

Without your smile to brighten the world
I no longer have a need for my sight
For I'd rather be blind, in a world without color
Than to see it in black and white

Three red roses placed on his grave
And a toast to the fair raven's friend
A master of words, born to die young
A poet with an untimely end

His Tell Tale heart now silent and still
Never to be heard anymore
But weeping still heard, tears fall like rain
From the spirit that he called Lenore

Forty years old when his quill ran dry
And could barely even make out a sound
"Lord help my soul" were the last words he spoke
Before they buried him deep in the ground

He wrote of the darkness that haunted his soul
And the spirits that invaded his mind
Sanity was tempting him just out of reach
The one thing that Poe couldn't find

A bottle of cognac and three red roses
A stranger would place on his grave
A small price to pay to the poet of poets
For all of the joy he gave

She would see it in the window
Each morning as she'd pass
The sun would make it come to life
This doll that was made of glass

Her eyes as blue as the deep blue sea
She was truly a vision of grace
Her mother marveled at her smile
Each time they'd pass that place

This princess made of crystal
So fragile, yet so strong
Could somehow take her pain away
She'd suffered for so long

Stricken with cancer at five years old
The chemo would come too late
There was nothing else left to do
To change this little girl's fate

They bought the crystal princess
And placed it by her bed
But two weeks later she was gone
They found the little girl dead

They put that doll made of glass
On the tombstone where she lies
And in the spring each time it rains
The crystal princess cries

To all who write from within their soul
I leave to them my muse
A curse to me I couldn't console
A curse I couldn't refuse

To all of those who write of romance
I leave the spirit of my lovely Lenore
For maybe in death I'll get a chance
To be with her once more

To all of those who write by night
I leave the darkness, my captor of dreams
And all the demons that held me tight
The reason for all of my screams

To all of those who write of pain
I leave my broken heart
A lonely spirit that left its stain
And tore my world apart

And to all of those who write of death
By the light of an empty moon
I'll send the reaper to steal your breath
For you'll be with me soon

Hibernating trees
Sleeping through Winter's stronghold
Dreaming of the spring

There's something in the midnight mist
That comes this halloween
It happens every thirteen years
And hardly ever seen

A myth to some that don't believe
Until their children scream
While they sleep the mist will come
And haunt them while they dream

Where it comes from, no one knows
Perhaps, from dark and lonely places
The nightmare's real, it's plain to see
Upon their children's faces

They wake this night in utter terror
Unable to walk or speak
Paralyzed, they cannot move
No comfort can they seek

It's said the mist predicts their fate
In events that's yet to come
They cannot stop this night of dreams
Until they all succumb

This mist will come this halloween
And every thirteen years
It lasts until the sun comes up
Then simply disappears

You're as beautiful as the day, I met you
And it will always be that way
I said that I would always love you
And that still stands true, today

You're the best mother a child ever had
And you're also the world's greatest wife
You're the woman of a thousands dreams
That I've searched for all of my life

You always knew how to make me smile
Whenever I was feeling down
There was something in your magical voice
That would melt away my frown

I wanted to put you on a pedestal
But you said it was way too high
You said you didn't deserve it
But I never quite understood why

You're the reason that God made the sunshine
To compete with your beautiful smile
But you never thought you were special
For that was just never your style

We've made memories to last us a lifetime
And I promise to never forget
I've made you a million promises
And I haven't broken one yet

I come here today to say goodbye
And to give you one last kiss
I want you to know, as they lower you down
How much you're gonna be missed

I wonder if there's a garden
Where teardrops often flow
A place that's neither here nor there
A place where heartaches grow

A place where broken promises
Will grow into a lie
A place where tears are bottled up
To wait until we cry

A place with no commitment
Where dreams were never dreams
A place where love is taught to hurt
And it's nothing like it seems

A place with no tomorrow
For hope does not exist
A place where memories never fade
Always to be missed

I wonder if there's a garden
Where teardrops often flow
A place that's neither here nor there
A place where heartaches grow

He robbed her of her innocence
A man she's supposed to trust
She's used to be his princess
Now, his perverted lust

Each night she cries herself to sleep
Surrounded by her fears
She feels her daddy's footsteps
Like thunder, in her tears

He's much worse than any monster
A child should ever see
Haunted by his sinful touch
She fights him fervently

He comes to her without regret
And leaves an empty shell
A demon spawn without remorse
An evil, straight from hell

He never feels his daughters pain
But yet she understands why
For everyone knows that monsters are real
And monsters never cry

As she listens to her music box
It makes her feel alive
She no longer dances to it's magical tune
For now she's nintey-five

It takes her back to her youthful years
Her memories, wrapped in a smile
She can only remember, bits and pieces
For it's been such a long, long while

Her daddy would lift her on his shoulders
As they danced around the room
Sometimes, she'd pretend, she was the bride
And her daddy was the groom

They played it on her wedding day
She was married for fifty-six years
Again, she winds her music box
As her eyes are filled with tears

It's music brings her comfort
When it's tune begins to play
And as she watches the lady dance
She quietly passes away

Raised by her grandparents in the 1800's
Her parents were the **** of the earth
The terrors she'd faced were nightmares
A prisoner since the day of her birth

They lived in a place called Middle Creek
No one would ever come around
Nobody even knew she existed
For they never took her to town

Even the neighbors knew nothing of her
For the girl had never been seen
The broken-down shack they lived in
Would somehow muffle her screams

By now, she was only twelve years old
The object of her grandfather's abuse
He tied her in the cellar each night
As she begged him to turn her loose

Night after night, her screams went unheard
As she wallowed in utter despair
Why would no one come help her?
Was it because they just didn't care?

He beat her and ***** her day after day
Til she simply couldn't take no more
Then one day, she lay motionless
Lifeless, on the floor

Legend has it her blood is still there
Right where the little girl died
To hide her body, for no one would see
He covered her, with red seal lye

You can see her today, at least her ghost
As she runs through her grandfather's field
With her grandfather not too far behind
Chasing the one that he killed

A warning to all the men out there
There's a reason to be scared
For when you reach the age of fourty
You better be very prepared

A physical becomes a nightmare
It's no longer just routine
For there's things going on in there
That's really quite obscene

Especially if you happen to mention
You might have a little obstruction
By the time you leave that doctor's office
It's feels like an alien abduction

He pokes and probes in places
You never knew were there
And when he gets those rubber gloves
It will give you a horrible scare

Just grit your teeth and close your eyes
For it will all be over soon
Try to think of happy thoughts
To take your mind off the moon

So, when it's finally finished
And you pay the doctor his money
You leave his office as fast as you can
While trying not to walk too funny

Well, I just wanted to warn you
That there's things you're gonna dread
So when your doctor says, "Touch your toes"
You'll remember what I said

Have you ever had one of those days,
When nothing goes your way?
And the night is long with noises
Please don't tell my wife what I'm about to say

You see my wife snores
More than anyone I know
She even shakes the bed
Like a herd of buffalo

Sometimes even the neighbors
Will call and complain
They say it's just too much
And it's driving them insane

I've tried everything I know
But all I do is fail
She even registers a 4.0
On the earthquake richter scale

One night I even tried duct tape
And wondered what would happen
She just laid there and kept on snoring
'Til the duct tape started flappin'

But in my wedding vows
I said for better or worse
So I guess I'm gonna love her
And live this wedding vow curse


© All Rights Reserved

She gently touches the skin on her face
Where her beauty used to be
The wrinkles reach out for her fingers
Caressing them tenderly

A tear escapes and rolls to her cheek
As she weeps for the years gone by
She paid the debt the time demands
Without ever questioning why

Everything she lived for has passed away
She's left to pickup the pieces
Her memory fades a little more each day
Her forgetfulness only increases

She sits by the window and silently stares
As another day comes and goes
Today she turns a hundred years old
A birthday that destiny chose

She gently touches the skin on her face
Somewhere this story is true
There's no one to sing happy birthday
This woman could one day be you

I carved our names in the old oak tree
Across from the old mill bridge
A testament of love that grew each day
Standing tall upon that ridge

They cut that oak tree down today
It's limbs were tired and worn
But they couldn't **** the memory I have
The place where love was born

I used to visit that old oak tree
Each night before I'd sleep
I'd run my fingers across it's bark
Where our names were carved so deep

That tree of love would touch the sky
Each morning when the sun would rise
I'd sit each day to pass the time
As the age grew in my eyes

Though now that tree is dead and gone
You will never be alone
For I've written our names side by side
But now it's written in stone

"How do I know who I can trust?"
Said Eve to the garden snake
"You can trust me", the serpent replied
As his forked tongue began to shake

"I'll be your friend and you'll be mine,
And Adam doesn't even have to know"
"Just take one bite, it'll be alright,
And you can tell him I told you so"

Well a worm came out of that apple
Before Eve ever got it to her lips
He said, "What are you doing?, run away,
Don't listen to the snake's evil tips"

Eve was confused by the snake and the worm
And didn't know what to do
So she said, "Eeanie, meni, minie, moe,
I think I'm gonna pick you"

Now we all know who she chose that day
Not the worm, but the serpent instead
She had some protein with her forbidden fruit
When she bit off that poor worms head

I told my wife that I'm a poet
She said, "Okay dear that's great"
I said, "I'm gonna be famous someday"
She said, "Really?, I just can't wait"

Now I don't think she takes me seriously
Mostly by the way she grins
When I start typing with my serious face
That's when her grining begins

I say, "What's so dadgum funny?"
She says, "You type like a little girl"
I said, "I prefer to type with one finger"
She says, "Okay then give it a whirl"

And when I ask her to read it back
She says, "Sorry, I can't find my glasses"
And before I remember she has 20/20 vision
The moment just somehow passes

I told her, "One day I'll make you proud,
And I'll bring home tons of cash"
She said, "Honey if you wanna make me proud,
Then try taking out the trash"

Well I just keep on writing anyway
Her comments I've come to expect
Mean while I'll keep taking out the trash
So I can get my poor wife's respect

Well, when I started getting older
I decided to set out on a quest
I was gonna find that Fountain of Youth
Or, at least, I'd try my best

I stumbled across this forgotten village
Where only young people live
That's when I knew I'd found it
I was almost positive

I saw this beautiful stone fountain
Standing in the middle of the square
My journey was finally over
As I slowly walked over there

They had a tarnished silver dipper
That was hanging on a nail
Beside it was a old wooden bucket
And then, a golden pail

As I was reaching for the dipper
This little boy appeared
He said, "Careful you choose correctly"
And he suddenly disappeared

Now, I didn't know which one to choose
The wooden bucket or pail of gold
So I decided to drink a little of both
At least, I wouldn't grow old

And then a couple of hours later
I noticed, I wasn't looking too young
Then that little boy came back and said,
"Do you know what you have done?"

I answered, "Yes I do" before I thought
Though I really wanted to lie
I just couldn't make mysef do it
No matter how hard I'd try

"You have cheated," the little boy said
"Now you'll never find your youth
For by tasting both you've deceived yourself
And it became the Fountain of Truth?

So, needless to say, I really messed up
And I'm cursed for the rest of my life
Cause it doesn't matter how hard I try
I can never tell a lie to my wife

They'll be no more late night poker games
Or a night on the town with the guys
I've changed my name to honest Abe
For I can't tell no more lies

Now, the reason I wrote this story
Is, well, I really can't tell you why
I was gonna make a reason up
But, remember? I just can't tell a lie

Whatever happened to my little girl
She was the princess I was the king
I'd be whatever she wanted me to
Just for the smiles it would bring

The tea parties were always her favorite
She made the best tea around
You better believe when it wasn't
I would never made a sound

She just loved to play hide and seek
Of course she would always win
We would play that game for hours
It seemed like it would never end

And how many monsters have I killed
That were hiding underneath her bed
Or tucked her in to sleep at night
As I kissed her on her head

And all those bedtime stories
Her excitement would show in her grin
She always wanted, just one more
As soon as the story would end

I'd get her ready for school each day
And make sure I packed her lunch
She'd aways smile and wave goodbye
And say, "Daddy I love you a bunch"

Then one day I said, "Barney is on"
She said, "I don't watch that anymore"
That was the day, I knew she out grew
That purple dinosaur

It wasn't quite the same after that
And even though I tried
The tea parties had ended forever
The day that Barney died

I was on the cross at Calvary
The day Jesus suffered and died
An innocent Man who took your place
Was unjustly crucified

No one saw me hide my face
But everyone knew my name
I was the reason He had to die
And you were the reason He came

Everyone is a part of me
From the moment of their birth
Just a whisper in the garden
And now I rule this earth

Nailed to a cross at Calvary
As mercy and grace begins
I am what His blood made clean
For I am all your sins

The pen meets the paper
And it's love at first sight
For apart they are nothing
But together they will write

A marriage of necessity
For their need is just too great
Joined together in marital bliss
Their purpose is to create

Inspiration is their maid of honor
Creativity, their best man
The writer is the minister
And the chapel, the writer's hand

The words are the flowers
For the paper, to adorn
And as the pen meets paper
That's when a poem is born

Trees cry tears of leaves
As they lament fall's return
While dreaming of spring

It follows me where ever I go
Like a shadow on the street
While telling all of my secrets
To everyone I meet

I try to hide my face from him
While pretending he's not real
It's him that I'm ashamed of
But something, I can't conceal

Why does he have to follow me,
This demon I try to forget?
He mocks me when he shows his face
His teeth are filled with regret

He waits until my soul is weak
Walking close behind
Then devours the person I am
Starting with my mind

He knows you too, this evil one
It's a shadow, we all cast
He tells our secrets to one and all
This demon, we call our past

I'm writing this poem with invisible ink
And it's gonna disappear
You better read it as fast as you can
For soon it won't be here

You better have a photographic memory
To remember what it said
For before you know it, it's gonna be gone
And you won't know what you've read

Now the first two stanzas are fading fast
You better hurry and read it quick
Every minute counts with invisible ink
You can hear the seconds tick

I trying to warn you to read a little faster
And I hope everyone will listen
'Cause if you don't you're gonna find out
That part of this poem is missin'

Well, I'm finally finished, this poem is over
And I hope you made to the end
It didn't disappear like I said it would
But wasn't it fun to pretend?


© All Rights Reserved

The very breath I breathe each day
Is imprisoned by your name
A captive of my heart's desire
With only your beauty to blame

I dare not close my eyes to sleep
For I'm haunted by your smile
Like the serpent in the Garden
Your purpose is to beguile

Even your shadow takes my breath
And causes my heart to stare
Forgetting to beat as you pass by
From the moment it sees you there

The flowers look on with envy
Knowing they can't compete
The magical smell of your perfume
Makes the flowers incomplete

Your name has held a thousand lips
Your beauty, a thousand smiles
At least a thousand broken hearts
Now, a thousand and one denials

I lied when I said I didn't care
Before you walked away
And when I told you, "Don't come back"
I wanted you to stay

When I said I didn't love you
The pain was on your face
I said it wasn't meant to be
I said I needed space

I told you I didn't need you
You hung your head and cried
I want you to know it wasn't true
I'm sorry that I lied

You stole my heart the day we met
And you never gave it back
And all the good you have inside
Is all the good I lack

You're better than me, you always were
And though this love was brief
I'll never forget the love we had
The liar and the thief

Here's another story that might be true
Or at least that's what I've been told
Don't tell my wife I told you this
Or I just won't live to grow old

It happened about twenty-nine years ago
Well, give or take a day
Now listen close to this story I'll tell
For it happened just this way

I met this girl back in nineteen-eighty
She was as fine as she could be
Well, I just couldn't stop checking her out
And she was looking back at me

I asked her for a date, and she said, "Sure"
So I took her to the picture show
We were sitting pretty close, while sharing a coke
When they turned those lights down low

In the pitch black dark my ears begin to ring
I heard a whistle that was loud and clear
So I told my date that I'll be right back
As my finger finally found my ear

I crammed that thing in knuckles deep
When I noticed that the whistle was gone
'Til I sit back down and the whistle came back
And that's when I started to yawn

So that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks
"This chicks got a hearing aid"
'Cause everytime that I'd lean away
That whistle would start to fade

Well, I thought I should be a gentleman
So that's when I started to (YELL)
I scared the girl nearly half to death
And out of the seat she fell

She said, "What's wrong with you, are you crazy?
I said, "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULDN'T HEAR"
She said, "Please stop screaming at the top of your voice,
Can't you see that I'm standing right here?"

Well, that's how it happened when I met my wife
And that's how this story goes
She had a real bad cold that night we met
And the whistle was coming from her nose

Well, when I started getting older
I decided to set out on a quest
I was gonna find that Fountain of Youth
Or, at least, I'd try my best

I stumbled across this forgotten village
Where only young people live
That's when I knew I'd found it
I was almost positive

I saw this beautiful stone fountain
Standing in the middle of the square
My journey was finally over
As I slowly walked over there

They had a tarnished silver dipper
That was hanging on a nail
Beside it was a old wooden bucket
And then, a golden pail

As I was reaching for the dipper
This little boy appeared
He said, "Careful you choose correctly"
And he suddenly disappeared

Now, I didn't know which one to choose
The wooden bucket or pail of gold
So I decided to drink a little of both
At least, I wouldn't grow old

And then a couple of hours later
I noticed, I wasn't looking too young
Then that little boy came back and said,
"Do you know what you have done?"

I answered, "Yes I do" before I thought
Though I really wanted to lie
I just couldn't make mysef do it
No matter how hard I'd try

"You have cheated," the little boy said
"Now you'll never find your youth
For by tasting both you've deceived yourself
And it became the Fountain of Truth?

So, needless to say, I really messed up
And I'm cursed for the rest of my life
Cause it doesn't matter how hard I try
I can never tell a lie to my wife

They'll be no more late night poker games
Or a night on the town with the guys
I've changed my name to honest Abe
For I can't tell no more lies

Now, the reason I wrote this story
Is, well, I really can't tell you why
I was gonna make a reason up
But, remember? I just can't tell a lie



© All Rights Reserved

Alone, I ponder my lost condition
Led astray by the son of perdition
Right or wrong will no longer have meaning
Things that I do, forever demeaning

The faint stench of sulfer now fills the air
Haunted by his eyes, his hellacious stare
His laughter mocks me as he claims his prize
The veins on his face are filled with his lies

Tempted, I stoop to a whole new level
Fooled by his voice, I follow the devil
The enchanting smile that covers his face
Now holds me captive, I fall in disgrace

My will now broken, I have no control
For he holds the strings, his puppet, my soul

It was time for our annual cookout
That's when my wife asked me please
"If you get the time and you don't mind,
Could I ask you to please cut the cheese?"

I have to admit I was puzzled
I couldn't imagine what she means
So that's when I went to the kitchen
And opened me some beans

By the time I was finished
The people started to amass
My wife said, "It's time to get started,
Would you please pass the gas?"

So off I went to get some more beans
By now I was getting pretty full
Trying to figure out who would be first
To offer my finger to pull

By the time I got back it had started
But it ended in minutes to my shame
I burned down half of the city
I was standing too close to the flame

In a time of drought
The angels count the raindrops
That quench the earth's thirst

The hinges on the door are worn and rusty
Its windows cracked, the floors, faded and dusty
The front porch swing lies crumpled in a pile
With mud daubers claiming the bathroom tile

The fireplace brick cast in impotent disarray
The wallpaper peeling in a mournful display
The stairs and its banister ripped apart in divorce
Time stops for nothing, it's taken its course

Weeds set up residence where roses once grew
The trees bent and broken that the wind blew through
I let my mind drift to a happier time
As I stare at those trees that I used to climb

I put oil on those hinges every Spring and Fall
Mama waxed the floors and I'd skate down the hall
On that front porch swing I stole my first kiss
Who could have known it would end up like this?

I would run up those stairs and slide back down
'Til Mama would shout and scream with a frown
Now broken and battered, just barely a shell
It still paints a picture with stories to tell

Before I ever write this tale
I hope you will all forgive me
It was just a horrible accident
It was dark and I just couldn't see

I was driving home one night
On a narrow country road
It was raining, something awful
When I heard my tire explode

I lost control and couldn't stop
That's when I started to swerve
I heard a thump and a terrible scream
As I came to a stop in the curve

I thought I'd hit a possum
Probably even broken it's legs
Imagine the horror that I was in
When I saw all those Easter eggs

Yep, you guessed it
I had killed the Easter bunny
Ok, everybody stop laughing
Cause I really don't think it's funny

I tried to find that poor little rabbit
And maybe give him CPR
But when I finally found him
He was stuck to the grill of my car

So, I picked up the little fellow's basket
And all those broken shells
I had to get rid of the evidence
Cause you know how a rotten egg smells

I buried him in a shallow grave
Under a giant oak tree
His basket and all the easter eggs
Are in my trunk under lock and key

Well, again, I want to apologize
So, forget everything you saw
At least, we know that a rabbit's foot
Just isn't that lucky at all

Now Mama didn't have any money
To buy us candy or a card
So we always had our valentine party
By the creek in our own back yard

Grandpa brought the pocket knives
And handed them out to the kids
Mama was watching every move we made
Peeking through her mama eyelids

We picked the biggest oak tree
To carve our lovers names
Yes box, No box, Maybe box
Written from Cindy to James

The whole dang town carved their names
All of them trying to get Julie
But Julie was already spoken for
Yep, she belongs to me (yours truly)

So if you're running out of valentines
Grab a knife and come with me
Carve Yes box, No box, Maybe box
In our Home town Valentine Tree

In the middle of an abandoned churchyard
Stands a lily, who all pass by
Growing in winter, spring, summer and fall
Just simply, refusing to die

Some people called it unnatural
As they plucked it from the ground
But when the sun came up, the very next day
Again, that flower was found

Day after day, they would break its stem
Like a thousand times before
But the lily would be resurrected
And spring to life once more

It was even covered with gasoline
As they stood and watched it burn
Once again, while everyone slept
The flower, would just return

They decided to bring their shovels
And dig, til there was nothing to save
And that's when they knew this lily
Was a marker, for an unknown grave

A little girl who was long since missing
Abudcted in the night, while she slept
Never found, and they never knew
The secret that this lily kept

Her body was moved to a gravyard
With a gravestone, so everybody knows
The little girl missing, has finally been found
And is resting, where the lily grows

"You're the spitting image of your daddy"
Everyone used to say
But I was young and full of fun
And didn't see myself that way

My father died when I was four
And I can barely remember his face
The only memory of him I've kept
That I wouldn't let time erase

My mama used to stare at me
And say, "You have your daddy's smile"
As tears would fill her loving eyes
Though he'd been gone awhile

Now I'm a daddy of my own
And I don't hear that anymore
They tell my son he looks like me
Like they did when I was four

Each morning as I go to the mirror
I can see my father's face
His smile will always part my lips
An image that I embrace

She writes the words so carefully
Making sure they rhyme
Her poem is simply a work of art
She patiently takes her time

She tells the story of a dragon
And how his wings unfurled
A magical place beyond the clouds
In some far and distant world

She writes about the dragon's heart
And the place from whence he came
She writes about his breath of fire
And the power of his mighty flame

She pauses a moment, to gather her thoughts
As inspiration guides her hand
She writes about a golden lake
In this forsaken fairytale land

A land that's filled with shadows
With danger around every turn
Her dragon seeks his victims out
With another village to burn

Then she writes her hero's entrance
A knight with a golden lance
He enters on his stallion of white
For he is their only chance

Her dragon attacks with a vengance
To deliver her knight his pain
But his lance had flew straight and true
And the poet's dragon was slain

She smiles as she turns the page
And basks in her dragon's defeat
Her work of art now sealed with a kiss
Is one she hopes to repeat

Valentine's Day is dead to me
Now It cuts me like a knife
See, February the fourteenth
Was the day, Cupid stole my wife

I told my wife how special she was
With flowers and candy in hand
She replied, "Yeah okay whatever"
And I really didn't understand

I thought I left the toilet seat up
Or said her mom was fat in my sleep
I tried to ask her what I did
But she just wouldn't utter a peep

Then out of the blue, I noticed
A tiny arrow had pierced her heart
I knew it was that love fairy
That had torn our marriage apart

She said," I'm sorry I just can't help it,
I love that little dude with wings,
He makes me feel alive inside,
With all the happiness he brings"

"He even likes to watch chick flicks
What more can a woman ask?"
I knew I couldn't compete with that
For It was just too great a task

Well, the days went by like minutes
Til one day, when I came home
Our bank account had been cleaned out
And I found myself alone

I still see them every now and then
And now Cupid has even grown a beard
My wife was always partial to those
So it turned out just like I'd feared

Don't worry about me, I got my revenge
I'm dating Mother Nature and never feel no pain
For everytime, they leave their house
She always makes it rain

An echo is the sound of loneliness
It can come in many forms
It can even be a broken heart
That's weathered many storms

It's found in every teardrop
As it falls from someone's cheek
Or maybe a feeling of hopelessness
In a time when things look bleak

It's hidden inside betrayal
Like a promise in disguise
It's found in all our shattered dreams
That takes the form of lies

It's found in every heartbeat
That used to beat as two
We can find it in confusion
When we don't know what to do

An echo is the loneliest sound
That one will ever hear
We'll always hear it more than once
For it will always reappear

Now here's a story for Halloween
One that you won't forget
A little story of forbidden love
Called Wolfio and Drooliette

Now Wolfio was a werewolf dude
With his hair down to his toes
And how he hooked up with Drooliette
Nobody really knows

You see, Drooliette was a vampire chick
With her fangs all covered in red
But Wolfio really dug that chick
From the ground, cause she was dead

Now Drooliette liked those hairy dudes
They made her go weak in the knees
He washed his hair in Pert shampoo
Cause he heard it got rid of the fleas

And though he had to stop fetching sticks
A sacrifice he was willing to make
They don't sit good with the vampire chicks
Cause it looked like a wooden stake

Now to say they lived happily ever after
Would probably be telling you a lie
Cause though Drooliette will never see death
Poor Wolfio had to die

Now don't be sad, but this story is true
And before you say that I lied
Just say hello to Drooliette
My brand new blood ******* bride

I stumbled into a graveyard
And found written upon a stone
"In this place lies the human race,
Who died greedy and all alone"

It was dated Two-thousand and thirty-five
The year that man had died
The tomb was split just a little bit
So I decided to look inside

I saw what will be our future
Or maybe I should say our end
Covered in soil were barrels of oil
And money, too much to spend

I saw miles of nuclear weapons
As far as the eye could see
A place so sublime it was frozen in time
For all of eternity

Bodies lined the inner chamber
A warning to one and all
The price of greed means death indeed
The writing is on the wall

I stumbled into a graveyard
And found written upon a stone
"In this place lies the human race,
Who died greedy and all alone"