You had to leave my life
before I really knew you
We were in love so fast
there was no other way to live

You fell all about my life
I didn’t want to clean it up
But now the mess is mine
because what I couldn’t give

Falling out of love
Remembering is easier than forgetting
Walking away is harder than trying
But not if you’re the only one crying

You showed me how easy
it is to move on from my life
Now I have to jump over the holes
that I dug instead of filling yours

How many times did we kiss
I lost count but you didn’t
One day you said I could keep
what was mine but not ours

I didn’t think you could do it
A broken heart doesn’t work like it used to
Maybe someone else can put it back together
But he’ll never know it like I did when it was new

Falling out of love
Remembering is easier than forgetting
Walking away is harder than trying
But not if you’re the only one crying

If you've fallen short
You are not alone
If you are dying
It is we who must atone
For the failure of our disapproval
Because it is man who casts the stone
And not our God
Who invites you home

There are times I need the spread of a meadow, green and flat
Or maybe a field with perfect rows of corn as I drive quickly by
I want to see the distance but not so much that I cannot be a part
Because where do people exist except in common occurrence?

Hands across the void unable to touch each other
Giant clocks with hands that move though we cannot see
Hands reaching to heaven but all we can feel is the rain
The sun and moon shine upon us but time passes not so gently

Between mountaintops is there a promise for the future?
What we see and gaze upon is only a moment to contemplate
Though some live in God’s country it is not the pleasure of most
To walk upon burning sands is the promise that we will live together

It is the truth that you must see in order to know truth itself
And so we must see his presence in the things we cannot touch
Yet what we feel is the warmth of day and the chill of the night air
And the sense of self that brings us together on common ground

Your face became a field of pain
Plowed by tears that watered themselves
Somebody tried to make it a parking lot
But you're not so sad to give yourself away
You let that tear start all the blame
It traced the times he loved someone else
You tried not to remember what pride never forgot
But this time the roses let the thorns have their say

Passion is violent but not durable
And once the race has been run
What is left but contemplation
Vast and fertile
Horizons always beckoning
A test of true love
Loyalty and devotion
To a promise that has cooled
As does beauty of the flesh
Yet the fire of life remains
As does inner warmth
The love of the heart aches
And taking its place
Is the love of virtue
Enduring strength of the spirit
Like a lighthouse across the sea
Guiding those who wish to cross
To live within its purpose
Of a life never consumed with the end
But instead with how it is lived
Remembering the days when passion set its sails
And the winds of loving you cast their spell

In a state of waiting
For us to be civilized
Or so they believed
But it is only for God
And our true image
As only he conceived

They brought books
But we know the word
And it is not spoken
Now they bring equality
We know our desires
They will not be broken

Seemingly dystopian
A society unworthy
Humans without love
Instead exotic allure
Spice aroma pallet
A silken body glove

And now your world
Where needles *****
And camels groan
While the waiting ones
Only ask to be free
From words of stone

The sun rose again this morning
Though it cares not how I feel
And when we part in sorrow
It is the moon that helps me heal
Though it whispers calm assurance
Sometimes I cannot believe it’s real
So I wait until the sun rises tomorrow
To know what truth the light shall reveal

I’m floating on a lake filled by my imagination
I waded beyond the shores of acceptance to find inner inspiration
The deeper it becomes the easier it is to be me
I didn’t think about who you’re with because it is only the sky I can see

Sometimes it feels like we are so close
Our arms around each other whispering about old thorns without a rose
I was in the middle of a dream without a bed
I finally remembered why you left but forgot the things that you said

How can so many years seem so short?
That’s what happens when you don’t believe in goodbye
You live and pretend to walk on water
It’s how you convince yourself you never did tell a lie

When we first met it was so easy
Whatever we wanted happened because we wanted to be happy
It was the water quiet at our feet
Nothing made us worry because it wasn’t the way people usually meet

How can so many years seem so long?
That’s what happens when you have to wait out a new love
You die and sink in a lake full of regret
It’s how you know honesty wasn’t what you were made of

You can never promise it will be the way it was
They know you too well to believe that story again
It’s when the wind blows and the rain falls that life begins
If you tell her then maybe she’ll believe the story didn’t end

How can so many years mean so much?
That’s what happens floating between below and above
You live and die until you decide which one you prefer
Then you know if you’re ready to walk again for love

My eyes weep
The truth is so hard to bear
I wish to live only between day and night
It is the dusk that spares my tears
And so too the dawn
Like silk curtains that guard my slumber
Who would find me where time is fleeting
Not cherished
Or written about
Except as a beginning or an end
Where there is expectation or wistfulness
Never contentment
But for this I must pray
The end must be near
So to the beginning of hope
No matter how far the journey
It is only that it exists

Sometimes I want to wake up
But I cannot
I am conscious
Without form
Only feeling
Misty hazy despair
Inside a smoke glass coffin
But not a cocoon
I can see what it is that I am
Though desperation cannot hear me
And freedom cannot see me

Would it be that we were loved
Would it be that nomads had a mother
Would it be that we even knew our own name

Whatever is in my heart will wait
But for what is unknown except for life itself
We are the ones who must hope for a savior
Unnamed but true
For love is all we know
And the worth that man sees in our will to live

She thought
I won’t read anymore
I only want to write about it
I won’t hear anymore
I only want to talk about it

The things she once knew
Were only in her dreams
Though a young boy spoke to her once
He said, “You are young, your beauty reigns, the equal of Kings!”
But she knew even Kings are scorned by those who are not chosen

Everything she knew and remembered was flat beneath her feet
She would not walk away but instead would always walk upon it

It stared back up at her
Like a mirror of her life
That was the way she remembered best
Like her dreams
The way the children would play
And though the boys threw rocks
She knew it was because they didn’t know how to talk to a girl
It made her smile now
Though it made her cry then

The smoke was lighter than air
And the sky could no longer speak of tomorrow
That is why she chose to look down at her feet
The war hadn’t reached inside her shoes yet
Her shoes looked lovely she thought
How long would they last?

She took them off and carefully laid them on the dirt
And she thought of them walking away
She bought them because of a certain boy
She didn’t know his name
He excited her
He read from the book like we was listening to his father
He spoke of their country as if it were his mother
But he was gone now
He spoke while she watched with others
The smoke followed his life
While the street kept his memory
Underneath her feet
Along with her childhood
And she wondered if the war would lie down beneath her feet
And show her what it did to that boy

What if I thought things that would shock you?
What if I wanted to do things you never thought of?
Could I tell you?
What if you thought things that would shock me?
What if you wanted to do things I never thought of?
Could you tell me?
Will we ever know?
What if we spent our whole life thinking past each other?
What if a smile was really a frown?
What if a frown was really a smile?
Go ahead
Be yourself
I’m not afraid of you
Don’t be afraid of me
Don’t play a part
Play your life
If you are someone else
Then be someone else
I’m ready to be who I am
Can we be different?
Can we still be together?
Don’t say what if
Don’t say I wish
Just be what if
Just be I wish
I’m one inch from your face
Am I making you uncomfortable?
Then do something about it
I just want to know
Are you an actor?
If you want to dream
Then dream
If you want to cry
Then cry
If you want me
Then come get me

I thought of you
As a forest
Or as the sea
You became waves crashing
And leaves falling down on me
I grew silent
Not knowing how I could make it be
But when I stepped back
I realized
I was still so far way from me
The things I wanted
Were black blue and grey
And as I awaited for it to appear
I knew one day it would be you I would see
But until the tide returns
And the forest is no longer a barren tree
What had become winter in my heart
Will on that day remind us of what we could be

In everything I do, there is no careless season
Time passes, knowing to trust every reason
You want the things that speak of forever time
How love is innocent and trust commits no crime

In everything I do, the moment has its own belief
Time passes, knowing purpose is not a thief
You want the things that love promises to be true
How tomorrow is us and today I spend with you

There’s a river just ahead
It doesn’t know which way to go
I thought we might walk along the side
Just you and me and the things we might have said
We might figure out the things we don’t know
Or just wait for another day before we decide

In everything I do, there is only what I feel
Time passes, knowing pain makes everything real
You want the things that a normal person wants
Somebody for you and not nights loneliness haunts

There’s a river we left behind
It told us we were walking the wrong way
I thought we might walk back up again
But even the rain couldn’t make up its mind
There wasn’t much left for us to say
We decided to let tomorrow tell us when

It was the shock of seeing her walls
They were still standing
And as he looked over her shoulder
She didn't have to tear them down anymore
Because he knew what she was hiding
It wasn't possible
There was supposed to be an entrance
And a small window to ask questions
Then a decision
But all that never happened
Then he said he would be right back
He had to draw on the walls of his cave
And she lived without him
Relieved that the walls remained
Then as she gazed upon them, he said something
And she turned as he wandered around
What are you doing she thought
And he said, "You alread know, I'm here for you"
But it was the cave that she wondered about
And he never would talk about it
It was not something that he could share
But all he could see were walls from the outside
Except for the one she had built
He was inside
Anytime he wanted
No matter what she said
But he kept his distance
There was so much to see while she followed
What are you doing?
He said, "I want to know who you are"
She screamed at him to leave
But he said, "I was born here. This is my home"
This was not what was supposed to happen
She was supposed to wait until her wall came down
But he was not interested in all that
It didn't matter
He was already inside her
And all she could do was gasp
Because she knew she was naked
And his eyes were looking at her body
And into her eyes
And into her past
And into her mind
And into her heart
And he was going to stay inside her
Because that was what she wanted
Even though the walls were built to say no
But she made the mistake of pushing them out too far
And into the spaces that she forgot to fill he came
To be the one
Because the one didn't need to convince her
He was just the one

Bending time
You don’t have to understand
Someone else already figured it out
Ninety years ago
How’d he do it?
It doesn’t matter
But you can do it
If you slow down
Do not live in the future
Each day must not be wasted
Live inside each moment
Do not look over their shoulder
Do not act impatient
Tomorrow will come
For what is haste other than time without feeling

Bending space
It’s something you can understand
If you think about ***** and elastics
Ninety years ago
He did it
But does it matter?
But you can do it
It’s where you walk
It’s what you keep
You effect everyone around you
You push them away
But it is your light that creates space
For in darkness is loneliness
And vision is no longer depth
For what is blindness other than space ignored

Bending love
If you want to understand
The trajectory is effected by the heart
Today
You can do it
And it does matter
It is a gift
But you must draw it near
You cannot wait
You must let them know
It is a risk to let them know
Use your eyes and your smile
In time the space between you will change
Though all you need is within
For what is love other than a heart with a soul

I know it now
There is no time to think about the past
I know someone needs my apology
Though we may never meet again, still
Everything they need is in my conscience
Because the stars are always waiting for me

I finally came around
But I pushed myself too far
I wonder why it all had to happen that way
I was trying to be what I knew was right, still
It’s what I once was and what I want to be
Because the moon will always talk to me

I still recognize myself
I never did learn how to relax
Every conversation was like a movie
The ending was never like I planned, still
There’s nothing inside that’s changed
Because the sun will always rise for me

I knew it as a child
But it took so long to believe in it
I used to think about it underwater
I liked the quiet sounds of calm, still
I’m the same person I’ve always wanted to be
Because the only heart I know is inside of me

There is no need for words if they can be drawn

Nothing to add

Red Indian sunsets
Green beautiful eyes
Blue oceans deep

Nothing to subtract

Cyan flickering flames
Yellow honey moons
Magenta universal harmony
Black sky framed stars

What is reflected into our eyes is every emotion we feel
And what we feel is not the same as what is written or heard
But what we see is the same as what we feel if we open our eyes
For a brush is the sunset that reveals the night sky without a word

I see no meaning
When fires destroy a beautiful forest
I see no purpose
When oceans wash people from their land
I see no wonder
When nature decides against us
I see no streets of gold
When suffering is not by our own hand
But you know why I am blinded
For the senseless cruelty of life
Even to take away only a humble wish
Is why I must crawl in the dust until I hear my own call

I can feel you next to me
You can’t hear what I say so I say it to myself
But I hope you think about me
There’s a love and this is what it said
There’s more to a dream than a kiss
That’s the only thing your heart could ever see

I woke to a conversation in my head
But nothing made sense
An obsession in the dark cannot see the picture
I could only hold the brush tightly as it moved
Though the beginning was lost forever
The coming light will reveal what I need to remember

Whatever stands on the far shore
Thinks the same of you
Horizons comfort though the sand sinks beneath you
Yes I can feel you next to me
But no matter how many times I say it
It will remain the same until I decide what to do

I know more about your pictures than I do about you
I don’t care if it makes me weird
It was the only way I could be close to you until I get over
The things we both feared

You weren’t the prettiest girl I’d ever seen
But you were the most alive
You don’t have any money or care about tomorrow
It’s a life so different than mine

Every time I look I know it’s how you used to be
That’s because time has already passed for me
And the days that make you happy today
Are the ones that once made me happy to see

I keep forgetting if it was once or just a dream I have
The past can seem so real
But not as real as what you can’t wait to feel again
Even if it’s from a picture you must steal

Greenbelts, old clothes and earrings love the rain
Make-up never runs when it’s really you
Nothing matters most of all the rules
There is time for smiles tomorrow is for pain

Every time I look I know it’s how you used to be
That’s because time has already passed for me
And the days that make you happy today
Are the ones that once made me happy to see

Never had it been of the application of force between
interludes of terrible waiting that getting on with hostilities
was more calming than the imagination of the horrors
that lay ahead

The initial wave knew the sacrifice would be written about
until the heavens decided that history was full enough of
our failures, shaking loose its detachment from the fate of
its hapless creation

They were led by men who could be counted on to exhort
them with words as to their duty; to be told of the good
hunting to come, but to men who had no fantasies of their
own, words only fabricate a hero

There was no marksmanship or survival skill that could
shield a man fated to crush the spirit inside the prayers
uttered by his mother; there was no training that could
prepare him for life or judgment day

And yet those whom absolution abandoned to their own
devices had fallen in love with their conquerors only to
weep bitterly as the beachcombers liberated them from
their supposed occupation

It made them wonder of the desperation that was
stronger than hope; about how a woman could fall in
love with the eyes of the enemy; and how the enemy
could have a heart for love

But his witness of human nature amidst the horrors
of despots would remain in abeyance until the fears of a
common man had met courage in the moment he realized
how mankind could never love him as does a God

He wondered if he would be different; would he be death
unable to laugh or understand a broken nail; would he be
able to believe in men; would he be able to love someone
when he knew his heart was left behind?

It is your own blood that seeks itself and that of those
to whom you've shown your heart; and there is no greater
bond than what grows from the same vine and that what
is cultivated by sharing the burden of removing the stones
that create walls between men

I thought of a soul mate and perfection in love until I remembered that a fantasy is not where the tears of reality are welcome or where the mistakes of human emotion are forgiven or where the ******* of being someone's dream is released so we can be who we really are

There is no canyon wider than that carved
by the ocean; there is no river longer than
that fed by melting snow-capped mountains;
there is no waterfall that falls furthest than
that which bridges the marriage of peaks
and valleys; there is no life beyond death
than that remembered forever by giving
it to save another; and there is no hole
deeper in the soul than that which cannot
be filled by the blood of a heart that digs
endlessly with the broken hands of a father
when he is apart from his daughter

There is no seed that knows its
purpose; there is no warning of
a drought or a deluge; nature
must accept side-effects as part
of the will to live; the hands that
would cultivate the soil around
it are the intention of  its fate;
earth worms wait for unborn
roots to decay making their blind
existence worth the space within
which a fisher who lives on bread
alone strikes his ***** near; as
sprouts appear the surface only
welcomes them with callous
indifference because what already
lives has been scarred by nails
that have rusted by a story of
either true suffering or one of
failure to accept that there is no
man who does not all at once
meet the moment of judgment
by those who found the hammer
first; but now to survive in a forest
eager to avenge fires set by elements
that perished long ago it is a matter
of rejecting all pretense of the name
on the instructions for growth; it is
necessary to love every creature
no matter their natural state or else
perish under the guise of all that is
good; when in the course that a
monster must be defeated by an
equal or greater monster it is
then no longer a world that
remembers its intention; instead
it becomes a world that has
decided the garden is no longer
for comfort but instead for the
wood of spears, the pollen for
poison and the soil for burial;
for no man who began buried
next to death can live when
death becomes the reward for
being free

Ah yes, it does appear to be so
I've finally met my match
For the ideals of my soul
Have verily been surpassed
For what I pray upon the hearts of men
You would take by force
Instead of accepting our flaws
Or allowing nature to take its course
You empower your emotions
To whom there can be no appeal
But is it the spirit of brotherhood
Or revenge from which you steal?

Guilt, sorrow or obligation are not
love or compatibility; a soul mate
isn't there just to make you happy;
these things cannot tell you where
your true self lies; it is only in the
courage to stand up for yourself
that you will learn to live as the
person you were meant to be

It is wrong to take the gifts of another
under false pretenses; the sooner
you know the better off you will be;
only true understanding opens the
door to your life; once you learn to
live alone, you can begin to share
your life; the decision to share your
life must be made from strength

The decisions of confusion will cause
endless turmoil; know who you are
and then you will know what you can
give; make your decisions knowing
your true self; shed the desires that
others have for your life; it may be
that their wishes come from their
weakness

Always remember the things you've
wanted to be and take them to heart;
that is who you are; find that person;
you are never to old; it is never too late;
find that person; it is inside you because
you remember all your dreams; it is
time to live; find that person, it is you

Even the truth pauses if
you ask it for the time; a
woman who is smarter than
you still likes it when you
smile at her; every elevator
stops on more than one floor;
a kiss doesn’t always settle
an argument but it still feels
good; if you take the time to
complain about frivolous
things then you already are
its intended victim; there’s
not a woman alive who can
prepare you for the next one;
you will always be unsatisfied
if you take yourself too
seriously; if you can paint
something that you’ve never
seen then you have an
imagination; if you can paint
something that would unnerve
your mother then you are free;
there is nothing you should
ask of someone if you excuse
yourself from the same rules;
a grown-up desires the same
things but knows too much
about tomorrow; if you think
it is too late to discover your
true gift then you are wrong;
to live life waiting for bad news
is no way to live; to see that
others live the same way is
to know that you are not alone;
there is someone out there
for you but if you keep your
heart to yourself then he
will walk past you like a
stranger on the corner; no
matter how creative you are
someone can do it better; if
your ego exceeds your
capabilities then you will
live a life of delusion; the
best way to become empathetic
is to become obsessed with
describing the feelings of
others; a true artist is always
waiting for the next creation
no matter how great the last
one was; the impatience of
the imagination is unleashed
once you recognize that it
exists; there's always one
more love in your life but you
have to give them the chance
you swore you would never do
again; the day you decide to
justify yourself instead of
challenging your beliefs is
the day you stop learning;
there are three ways to change,
a painful mistake, hearing the
truth from your best friend or
comparing yourself to somone
great but without the desire
to change you will remain as
you were when the truth tells
you that time is no longer its
concern; whatever is lodged
in your mind causes disbelief
in something, but have you
built the wall in the right place?

She knew his eyes were different
It wasn’t how they looked
It was what they could see

His eyes shined down upon her
He told her she was beautiful
Though she turned her face to his
She didn’t believe he was truthful

She knew her eyes were different
It wasn’t how they looked
It was what they couldn’t see

The mirror cast shadows upon her
She thought it was being truthful
Still he turned his face to hers
His heart only saw what was beautiful

They said there was only one man who lived a perfect life
But the world wasn’t ready for what they couldn’t believe
Even the rock upon which the church was built knew fear
The power of man on earth is what made his faith leave

Life used to be about food and shelter for your family
But life is not kind to a man who rolls up his sleeves
A man gave his land to the children who planted flowers
But when he died peace for a day was something to grieve

The candle flickered and yet the wax remained
It was his time to run and close the window
He wanted to live life without worry of tomorrow
But now tomorrow waited with the news of sorrow

An angel laid her head on a garden hoping nobody would notice
Sent by heaven, she thought of what man could not conceive
An angel was blamed for the fall of man but no one knew why
She wanted to tell them but only God knows why he chose Eve

A lonely man cried, life blamed him for making them feel their guilt
The holes could not hold water because nobody taught him to weave
He knew that people thought it was his fault that he lost her long ago
She was all he could think of but lost love only knows how to deceive

The candle burned brightly and yet the wax was gone
It was his time to run and open the window
He wanted to live life without regret of yesterday
But yesterday reminded him why God made a rainbow

I read your book
I listened to your radio station
What you forgot about me
Is nothing is just conversation

I'm paying attention
I hear everything you say
When you don't tell me what I want to hear
I figure you meant it that way

You didn't talk about missing me
Or love at the end of the night
I'm not gonna' convince you
You already know if it's right

You might be wanting new
If that's what you want to do
Then be brave this time
Walk alone for once baby
And see if he comes along for you

I know I'm laying in a drawer
And you keep me inside your head
I'm out here and I know you
Love didn't tell you we were dead

I already know what you like
And you're crazier than he knows
Maybe you want him to find out
Maybe you're wearing new clothes

You didn't talk about missing me
Or love at the end of the night
I'm not gonna' convince you
You already know if it's right

I want to tell you what is happening in the culture

Our people are afraid
They do not know how they are going to die
But even more frightening is how they are going to live

What does it mean to live?

How do you live?

Are you aware of yourself?

We are very aware our own being
We have consciousness
But we can only see what is physical
We feel things
Anger
Joy
Pain
Jealousy
Fear

Let me see if I can explain it

I feel pain
So I exist
I cannot feel your pain
But I can imagine it
I fear for my children
therefore they are as real
as I perceive them to be
in the light of my anxiety
If I see you
is my conclusion clouded
by the mere fact of perception?
Would I know you better
had I never met you?
Would it be better
if I never knew you?
Because then
I could not describe you
and my silence
might be closer to the truth
leaving you as everyone else
but deviant
in terms of more or less
depending on your perceptions
of who you are
and how you should interact
If I experience you
do I know you?
Or do I only know you
as I affect you?
Can I tell another
about you?
Or will my perception
**** my objectivity?
Is it better not to experience
as a method of knowing?
Is it better
that I not verify who you are?
Instead only imagining
without the use of my senses?
Shall I close my eyes?
My ears?
My mind?
Can only a baby be objective?
Is pain the only objective feeling?
I knew pain at birth
But knew nothing else
What do I know now?
I know what makes me happy
I see what happens to others
I hope it doesn't happen to me
But I have little idea
in the point of all this
I know as much as I did the day I was born
Will you live in a better world
if you are not described
by me?
If I hear what you say
how can I know what you mean?
Are you being sincere?
Or calculated?
Are you understanding
what it is you say?
Am I understanding
what you say
when I cannot know
if you understand
what you say?
All I can know
is that you take up space
And that time has passed
But how can I know this?
I cannot occupy the same space
Though I heard your utterance
I am not waiting for it
It happened
And so time
has passed
as I know time to be
So there must be space
and time
Because I am affected
By time and space
And so I am
But are you?
Does A equal A?
It does if I don’t question
what I see
or what I hear
But if I speak
then you are lost
because I only perceive you
as an object
But do I know?

Do you see what I’m saying?
Maybe you can explain it to me
You came here and I’m the first person you encountered
If you leave after talking to me you may know everything you need to know
But I’m not the answer to any of your questions
I live here
For a while anyway
We believe lots of things about why we are here
We believe lots of things about what happens when we die
Do you die?
We do
And if we are good at anything it’s not thinking about dying
It is too overwhelming to think about
We are not good when things overwhelm us

People are born and they die
Born?
What does it mean to be born?
It means to come into existence
But you must come into existence from someone who already exists
And it is painful for them
And it will become more painful for them as it grows apart from its creator

People die as they expire
They die as they are killed
Dying is when your time is up
Being killed is when someone else takes your time
But we don’t know

Do you know fear?
We do
For ourselves
And our culture

What is our culture?

It can be many things
It can be the color of our skin
It can be the language we speak
It can be where we were born
But really it’s in the way we think
We start with our mother
Our Father
Our brother
Our sister

Then it becomes more
It becomes about where we belong

We hate being alone

We hate being alone

I can’t say that enough

Did you know we judge one another?

What does it mean to judge?

It means to decide who is worthy and who is not

How do we judge?

It doesn’t matter how we judge
We just do
We pick whatever it may be that makes us feel better
The color of their skin
The language that they speak
Where they were born
The way they think

But usually it is about our circumstances
We don’t like poor people
But it’s really because we want to believe they made themselves that way
It’s a superiority complex rooted in our desperation

It’s not good enough anymore to just eat and live in a hut
Yes, we want comfort
We don’t like to be too hot or too cold
We don’t like to feel hungry
We don’t like to be uncomfortable

Why is it so hard to be comfortable?

I don’t know
It just is
We have to work very hard to be comfortable
Not just for a day
But for our entire life

We love it when we don’t have to work so hard
But it’s not good enough not to work
We must go somewhere
A different place
A mountain
An ocean
A place with old buildings

Then there’s drugs

That is how we escape as we sit
Or stand

You see most people cannot change their minds
Not their opinions
Their minds
Not as they sit there
Something artificial must do it for them
Or they must wait a long time
But they have to want to change their minds
And they have to know how
But nobody teaches us very well
Some people act like they know how to teach us
But we have to do it ourselves

The strongest people we know are those who know they are going to die
Yew, we all know we’re going to die
But we are ok as long as we don’t know when
But when someone say’s when
Or soon
Then it’s on
That’s when you know you are alive
And it’s like being on a drug
Because your mind changes
And everyone is amazed by your strength
We can’t imagine knowing
We don’t want to know
The only way we can survive is to know we have a long life ahead of us

And yet we continue to struggle

Let me tell you what is happening in the culture

We cannot decide why we are here
We cannot decide how we got here
Did someone create us?
Or did we just happen?
Neither choice is easy to understand
Or accept
So we divide ourselves
But those who believe we were created have divided even further

It seems they want to be the chosen people

They want to be the ones who are the favorite of the creator

Why?

Because we are afraid

The most difficult thing it seems for a human is to believe in equality
This means you are the same as everyone else
But it matters that we are not
We want to be special
We write books about it
We sing songs about it
We pray about it

The only way to be equal is to believe the same thing
If you do not believe as does another then you are not equal
Or so it seems
You are different
Yet the creator remains silent

So we believe Shamans

Wise men from India

People who reject the ways of money

Or at least those who appear to reject money

And yet they need money too

But there is something new to consider
You
You have not been included in our consciousness
We wondered about you
But you are not a part of our beginning or how we end as a species
We think we are all there is

But that is no longer true

So what does it mean?

That is what is going on with the culture
The search for meaning
Is there more than to live
To love our children
To love another human being
Is there more to it than that?

Do you know?

You see we are not very interesting
Unless fear means something to you
Unless you enjoy watching people do things that make no sense
Unless you enjoy cruelty
Unless you enjoy greed
Unless you enjoy lies
Unless you enjoy conflict

Then we are a very interesting species

But we cannot tell you how to live

Because we don't know how

We don't know how to live or how to die

So we wait for an answer

Do you have one?

It may just be watching Joe Cocker screaming about getting help from his friends

Maybe you should talk to someone else

They showed me a flag when I was a child
I was standing next to Bull Connor
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I thought I should wait

I saw fire hoses and dogs
I thought it was a television show
I hoped it wasn’t true

They showed me a flag when I was a child
I was standing next to Martin Luther King, Jr.
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I thought I should wait

I saw a man pointing from a balcony
Another man lay dead
I hoped it wasn’t true

They showed me a flag when I was a child
I was standing next to George Wallace
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I thought I should wait

I saw a man standing in a doorway
He wouldn’t let another man in
I hoped it wasn’t true

They showed me a flag when I was a child
I was standing next to Cassius Clay
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I thought I should wait

I saw a man win a medal
I saw him throw it into a river
I hoped it wasn’t true

They showed me a flag when I was a child
I was standing next to a Grand Wizard
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I thought I should wait

I saw a man wearing a robe
He lit a cross on fire
I hoped it wasn’t true

They showed me a flag when I was a child
I was standing next to a black Panther
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I thought I should wait

I heard a man say something
“Teach people to stop being inhuman”
I thought maybe it was true

They showed me a flag when I was a Dad
I was standing next to my son
He looked at me
But I said nothing
I wondered if I should wait

I thought he should have his own opinion
It was time that I give him mine
I finally knew what was true

They showed me a flag when I was a sinner
I was standing next to a cross
It stood silently as I looked
This time I said something
I knew I could no longer wait

What man can judge another?
When a flag reminds them of their dead brothers
I need to tell everyone what was true

We The People
Sailed the same course
Some willingly
Some by force
We The People
A document to inform
A more perfect Union
No matter the storm
No more kings
No more oppression
No more taxation
Without representation
Checks and balances
And the rule of law
Mitigating injustices
Safe harbor for all
The secular trinty
President, Congress, Court
Not one above the other
Veto, fiat, tort
Our common interest
Our common defense
Our common liberty
Our common justice
The domestic tranquility
And the general welfare
The pursuit of happiness
And the resources we share
Civil rights
And our protection
From a despotic government
Or an insurrection
Free to worship my God
Or your God
Freedom to find God
Or deny any God
Open discourse
Speaking your mind
You have an opinion
However unkind
Collective grievances
Peaceably petitioned
We walk together
But never threatened
To bear arms
For our security
Or being forced
To quarter unwillfully
To remain secure
In our sanctuary
Unless presented
With writ of entry
Neither held
Absent habeas corpus
Or loss of property
Unless agreed by us
Never forced to testify
To contradict our denials
Or brought forward
In duplicitous trials
To face our accuser
In much haste
Represented by counsel
Our peers decide our fate
Not one but twelve
Examining the facts
We are brought forward
But only this court acts
Reasonable recompense
For fine or bail
Cruel or unusual retribution
Shall not avail
The enumeration
Provides illumination
But within the penumbra
Shadows suggest freedom
What is self-evident
Requires no list or count
Nothing to encumber
Or restriction to surmount
A union has formed
But sacred remains the individual
The tyranny of the majority
Is never permissible
A living breathing document?
Or construction unbending?
But as we amend
Change is never ending
Open to interpretation
If you see a right
Others may disagree
Who can see the light?
The spirit of intent
For all to see
Freedom to choose
Secured by liberty
We The People
A sacred quest
We The People
No more no less

They built beautiful buildings
and buried their dead in an abbey
that even bombs graced as they
exploded where the grass now grows

But the land is as old as where you stand
And what pain they felt is now a mystery
Do you hear the voices of the graves,
Or the glory of a shadow that stains their history?

Our own people
They live as do underground worms
Only a mile away
Past lights that confuses stops and turns

The poor, forgotten, live alone
They are not exotic enough for us to care
We know them all to well
There is no ancient writing to draw us near

Instead they live on cracked pavement
On ground that will be holy a century from now
Because then the history of our descendants will matter
But today we smile while they wipe their sweaty brow

It is not their beauty that matters
But instead the contemplation of a thousand dreams that never came true
And while you stand next to a mountain or a cathedral
They ask in a language you do not understand
What does it have to do with you?

The truth is,
my mind sweats more than it bleeds
Every puncture is filled,
salty tears water the debts of tomorrow’s seeds
The sun goes down,
but I’m never sad about something I seek
I work at what I am,
the things I believe are never easy or weak
To see things as God does,
a prophet studies leaves until the fall
What can we know,
it is in the silence between us that hears the call
I know I was,
but it wasn’t anything I could explain over drinks
You wanted to laugh,
so it never was a question of what each of us thinks
The lie is,
that I can forget everything I want just for you
Until you ask,
I will just assume that what I just said is true
But I know,
it can be as complicated as I want to make it
And you know,
that the reason I do that is because I can’t fake it
Stand up to me,
I need to know that no love can be about itself
All I do now,
is think about how bad I want your picture on my shelf
When I talk,
the things that happen seem to be unaffected by me
But when you suffer,
I remember that it was probably because I was too free

Do you know who I am?
I am someone who wants to help you
I wonder what you think of me
At least during those times when you do
I could never explain myself
I’ve become a bird you watch fly away
But is it out of fear
Or is it only freedom that can never stay?

I will never drown to find myself
I’m as fascinated at what is above as is underneath
But if that is what it takes to find you
I will look inside shells where I can no longer breathe
I listened as life began hurting you
To feel so helpless while someone cries for relief
Is to know how a God came to be
When tears are all I have it is time for a greater belief

What is happening to us?
Every flag is being burned while our hearts divide
My anger is riding beside me
Maybe that is why what I do best is never decide
I wanted to promise you
But I decided to wait until the time was right
Nobody knows when that is
First they must decide between dark and light

Do you know who you are?
You are someone who helps peoples struggles
I see how you so want to be good
But your soft eyes can’t blink away all your troubles
We saw each other’s reflection
What was real was that we saw the same thing
We saw the emotion we carried
And we longed for what a kiss would finally bring

It was silent beauty
I never tired of it
But it did not reach for me
It gave itself to the eyes of every stranger
And though the sky held it close
It's light passed without remorse
Only to draw the water near
And because the ocean washed my feet
I was transformed against my will
And what I became was the strength of a picture frame
Because to stand beside you
Is to live with beauty I will never forget

He thought about right and wrong; but
it didn’t seem to matter to the wolves
that gathered their forces against an elk
whose merciless death lent red contrast
to their mouths and the snow that fell
silently upon reality

As everyone scrambles for their ancient
texts and what was painstakingly copied by
the counting of each symbol, the strength
to reach into a dead animals heart to
find what if what was meant by survival
of the fittest included God’s word

He felt so far ahead of his time though
he really lived in the past; he saw laughter
he could not hear and cries he hoped
would not last, but to be happy about
simple things meant solace in the silence
of creativity

He preferred the shackles of rebellion rather
than the freedom of acquiescence, but when
veins burst, choking on words that insist upon
opening in the presence of  those who cannot
understand there is nothing he could do except
part the clouds with a trumpet blast

Imperialistic words invade happy moments
As you allow his saber to leave its sheath; we
slowly rub the tips of our fingers across the blade
fully realizing our power yet we only clinch our
teeth; there is too much to lose as we no longer
sleep on a sofa contemplate the dawn of madness

We want to be relevant and only see it in the eyes
of our children but he will let anger boil away all
helplessness; there is no test considered worthy
of a lifetime; he wanted love to be true but who
will really know; it made him wonder if it is for
him or for you

Love became a dark alley where discarded cards
go but he could not be defeated because he plays
no game; you see squares, circles and lines while
he sees space, emptiness and backgrounds; there
is no recognizable pattern that induces confinement
and not one moment of shrewd calculation

He spent money with no thought of tomorrow, no
evidence of presence, but he’s been through that
and what is left are images, spaces and empty places
filled with long ago wonder as he found it was better
to climb a fence than pay the toll for the memory of
a moment of freedom was worth the cost

The path to freedom is lined by sin
But is it your own or of someone else?
No matter how aggrieved you may be
It is a true heart that always melts
The flames of rejection burn deep
While the reasons are sparks in the wind
But to live under the yoke of oppression
Is to live a life of anger never to be forgiven

As you turned your head slowly
I could see black shadows changing to crimson
While the flame in your eyes flickered in wait
The light walked it's way up my body
Like the sunrise up a stone mountain side
When we met we didn't turn away
We stared longer than we could endure
But the pain of being unsure was not greater than love
The excited faces all around us became blank
Our hearts were no longer buried under our fears
No longer demure, your eyelashes drew me near
Your breath made my hair stand on end to catch the wind
I wanted to sail beyond all sense of where I'd been
And yet as I walked towards you we knew the games would begin

There are men who stoop low
While their pain builds slow
And their women clean homes
Full of dreams and wistful rooms
But still they live this hard life
Because their God told them so

He stared at a sunset nailed to a wall
Scraps of inspiration were in his hands
The envelope was white and empty
He had sent the money to foreign lands

There’s a way to survive
Even if you’re dying inside
There’s things that you know
And things that make you grow
But you will never begin
If you let someone tell you no

He never had a conversation with her
When it seemed she thought him her equal
When she was young she wanted someone else
Now she thinks she’s starring in the sequel

There was a time to remember
The bullet was in the chamber
But he didn’t take the opportunity
Though he was angry about inequality
It was why he lost her love
She could only think of him with pity

He was separated from her brown skin
And the one who once carried his son
They all had dreams of a different life
But they learned to live apart from their own

You know me
I'm like you in many ways
It's only a matter of taste for the details
But I feel what you feel
You don't have to impress me
Or be the prettiest girl in the room
I don't want you at your best all time
We can't live together like that
I just want you to live near where my mind Iives
To understand my neighborhood
And the things that are pressing down upon me
I only need a bit of room to find myself
Or at least to remind myself who it is I'm trying to be
It's not that I can't be myself
It's just that I'm trying to be who I want you to be
Or maybe I'm trying not to expect so much of you
I just want things to be peaceful between us
I want you to be able to take care of what is important to you
And to live the life that is right for you
And if that means we cannot be lovers
Then let us part as friends
And if we see each other again
Let us remember there was a time when we saw something in each other
And it was enough to make us dream
Let us never lose that day

Whatever the night may reveal
Or the day may choose to conceal
It is of no consequence to my being
If I cannot discern between morning or evening

However intrigue may make us smile
Or how the self-evident nature of man may beguile
It is of no consequence to my being
If I cannot understand the way I should be living

Whenever fear failed to dissuade me
Or courage only became stupidity
It is of no consequence to my being
Because reason was something I was missing

Whoever loved me in spite of my reticence
Or who walked away despite my penitence
It is of no consequence to my being
If I cannot understand what I am feeling

They wanted to make a movie inside your heart
It was to be a story about love and pain
But it also had to be about the truth
Would you ever watch the past again?

There is a man standing on the stage
He wants to tell you things you can’t believe
He wants to whisper life back into your eyes
It is your chance to play the part that he conceived

The raw nerves of your life loom
But no amount of flesh can play pretend
And as the camera moved closer
You asked them to remove the lens

Faraway lands whisper in your ears
For you always consider your dreams
There is no weight of distance or time
If imagination can be what it seems

Yet what you wish to conceal
Are not so much your dreams
But instead your doubts and fears
Who do not live for movie screens

Nothing can prepare you for the real thing
You will never know if it is right until it is over
You watch him speak as he tears up the script
He has decided only the heart can be your lover

Living life as a metaphor
A face without features to explore
Emotion without skin or form
Rain and wind in the eye of the storm
Chambered piano notes fading, carried away
By wingless birds with feathers waiting
A horse with a river for a tail, trailing
A brush with colors, an artist unveiling

For every time that I felt sadness and grief
I wondered why you couldn’t get over your own
A lady who walked alone thinking of her lost husband
Said I was destined to bury understanding with my bones

I heard a song that was unfamiliar to me
It was in a language that cried out to those who know
A man who once sang that very song to his children
Wondered if anyone would care about foreign tales of woe

I walked alone watching a young man
He felt the confidence that only ignorance can provide
But he mocked me with his very presence
I knew what I knew but still I felt old on the inside

But then the sun rose once again
And what it was came to me when I was awake
But I could not decide between sorrow or joy
Because the day had not yet come for God’s sake

My dreams can’t imagine anything more than you
And I can’t wait to sleep with you on my mind tonight
If I can’t have you now I’ll wait for another day
But you are always my girl when I turn out the light

I thought about missing you so much
My dreams aren’t really about anything new
But that’s why they are better than a fantasy
Because what I dream about is what I know about you

I can’t imagine anything more real than you
That’s why a dream can never be a memory
The only thing that matters is the way you are
And now I can only dream to forget my misery

I wanted to turn you into a song that made someone cry
It is the only way to make my way to another day
But the melody is only something that I can hear
And the way it makes me feel is the way you make it play

He wanted to make a t-shirt
He put Einstein’s picture on it
Underneath the words said
“You don’t know ****”

He imagined being a crazy singer
One who made the crowd go nuts
Not because he gave them happy talk
But because acting crazy takes guts

I’m not sure what I’m going to do
But I can guarantee
You’ll remember what happened here
Because I made you feel crazier than me

It made him feel connected
Not to the fools all around
But to knowledge of those that did
But most of them are underground

He read about the place they blew up
All the horrors tried to run and hide
But somebody finally gave a ****
And dug up the truth lurking inside

I’m not sure what I’m going to do
But I can guarantee
You’ll remember what happened here
Because I made you feel crazier than me

That's right
Crazier than me
I made you crazier than me
You'll never know how easy it was
To make you crazier than me