The light turned red
I stopped and fell into a song
Or the lyrics
Or the beat more likely
I started to make them my own
Just the cadence as a guide
Reminiscing about things
That never happen to me
I allowed myself to float
On that lake of stolen memories

And then
The light turned green
While still shaking off the memories
That clung to me like water
I took my turn and rolled forward
That is when it all exploded
And I learned
That just because it’s your turn
Doesn’t mean you go next
That knowledge came at the cost
Of my left leg
But it is ok
Now I’m all right

Thanks for being the heartache
That lead me to the daybreak
Of the rest and best of my life
You were the detour I needed
Without it I couldn't have succeeded
In finding the one
That makes me wish the sun
Would stretch its run
And give me more time
With the one love that is mine

You will never make a change in time
If all you do is nickel and dime
Gotta step out of your comfort zone
And be ready to live life close to the bone

You can go far from your home
Just throw care to the wind and roam
But making it back from a distance land
My son, that is what makes you a man

you ever feel like,
when you are watching,
       silent and still,
the sun give up on the day
just letting itself be dragged down
       below the horizon
just letting it all end
and you think to your silent still self
      i can relate, I can relate
take me down
take me down too
     take me down with you

You may sit and wonder
what do all these words
come to as a sum
as the writer
I would say
it means all
that is left when it is
done

She had been watching me since I got on the train
Building my story in her mind
Steeling her nerve to approach me
With a deep breath she rose from her seat
Pushed herself down the aisle toward me
She dropped herself in the open seat beside me

She asked, “Are you a runaway?”
I said that depends on how you look at it
We are all running from something
But I think I’m headed in the right direction
Semantics I guess,
but I felt I was running toward
not running away
just moving on

Thanks for your concern kind lady
I can see it in your bright brown eyes
That someone ran away from you one day
You are only hoping to correct that error
but I cannot help you with that pain
that is your journey

she headed back to her seat
and left me to my windowpane
I considered her question as the miles rolled by
And with every turn of the wheels,
I get further from

But no one back there is missing me
Back where I was a younger man
There’s just confusion and resolve
To live the life you were handed down

I can’t accept that legacy
So much more on my mind
I’ll take my chances out here
On the rail, with fate, my roll, and time

Just take my chances out here
On the rail, with fate, my roll, and time

The higher you fly
The louder you must cry
Before they will hear
All that you hope and fear

When you live in a cage
You must eat your own rage
But that is not my ride
I tend to choke on pride

So spread your new found wings
There are many songs yet to sing
And so much music to write
Don’t be afraid of the height

It is just a child’s carousel
Round and round like the stories to yourself you retell
lean way way out for that big brass ring
And all the love and beauty you think it can bring