They say everybody has a past
But why can’t I get past you
Tomorrow was our promise
But today it’s no longer true

You said I would be the last
And I said you would be too
But love that once was honest
Is telling someone else I do

It’s love that holds memories fast
If it’s the only love we ever knew
To hear them say goodbye to a promise
Is etching on a stone someone drew

They say everybody has a past
But the past is nothing new
You can pretend without being honest
But who are you going to compare it to?

The line in the sand
Once crossed
Is where slaves are made
And there is no return
Behind his back
The line became the spell
And blinded him
To the immoral slow death
The filling of the mind
Not of the calm spirit
But the stress of demand
Deep tension
With no way out
No care for the soul
Or dignity of the mind
Without self-reliance
Instead compliance
Where is the inspiration
Instead drudgery
Where is the purpose
Instead repetition
Where is the peace
Instead turmoil
Where is the love
Instead fear
Where is the happy
Instead depression
Where is the identity
Instead of I it is they
Where is creation
Instead destruction
In the belief we hold
It is to be forgotten
In a state of captivity
Like an animal
Waiting to be fed
It is to be lost upon us
They have bought our life
We wait for our time
To think freely
To speak freely
But we do not dare
We can only hope
That there is still time
Beware ambition
For it is only the few
Instead you will know
Dying of unknown causes
The trail of blood
Cannot be seen
Only felt in fatigue
Not a bent back
Or giant knuckles
But in temperament
As anger grows
While tolerance wanes
But his children smile
Because he goes
And comes
And everything in between
What they only see
Is the food
And the sun
But not in his eyes
They have grown soft
Like running water
But he is swept away
A branch that fell
From the tree he helped grow
Do not be fooled
The eternal life is not here
Do not be fooled
It is not near
Do not be fooled
Not in the sand
Once the line is crossed
Tell your children to run
Run from the line
Run the other way
There is nothing for them
Except to lose themselves
What importance do they pursue
If it is not inside
For no man can provide
If they cross to the other side

I remember your smooth skin
My fingers remember it too
But they never could trace the lines
That waited for me so far away

Now you asked me about my scars
And I remember the one I gave you
But though I didn’t use a knife
It’s deeper than what a doctor did today

I love your scars
The one I gave you
The one life gave you
If only you could love mine

The same old thing we talked about
But you decided to turn from us
It was all too much for you
You said you had too much to say

We only have a dying breath left
Everything until now and then
It’s up to us to cross the bridge
But he has a ring for June
I only have a tear for May

Still
I love your scars
The one’s I gave you
The one’s life gave you
If only you could love mine

It is always something small
Something you hardly notice
A moment,
when clouds form shapes
Our favorite meal,
a father and son feeling the love,
for one another
A ritual,
movie night,
a walk on Sunday
Then it’s goodbye,
forever no
But to the life you built
Not the vacation you took
But the small things
A day,
that became too many turn back,
when your son smiled,
just because you came home

I know how it is that I felt
But it was not a frozen heart
Nor did it melt
There was no need for stolid strength
Or ponds for weeping
It was only how I am
Refusing to live falling apart on the inside
Or unmoved by a changing life
I cannot give darkness any more length
Or make stones for keeping
But what I had in my heart
Was the stillness where prayers once knelt
And the whispering sounds of a new winters start

It does not require riches to smile
Or poverty to cry
It does not require a fool to make you laugh
Or a wise man to make you think
For whatever it is you believe
The next person you meet may change your mind
And the next heart beat you hear
May change your life

I'm not the answer
I'll always be the question
I'm not the reason
I'll always be the act
I'm not love
I'll always be heartbreak

As you take shelter
In a world of fantasy
Admire the rhyme
And the alchemy
But if you must know
Like the spoken word
It is empty
You cannot see what you heard
An uninhabitable furnace
Of blistering truth
And beauty
Neither to comfort or soothe
A cross of pain
The nails are hammered
Into each painting
As reflection is fractured
A dream
Or deep meaning
Is not a home
Or place for living
It exists
At the dreamer’s behest
For experience
And if you choose to be blessed
Then take a picture
From the nail
But as it is removed
It reappears to avail
Another seeker
Of love
Of common ground
To be free of
Isolated pain
In order to know
That like them
I sleep in the rain
Yet it is no way to live
Each day my mind returns to me
But when we meet again
You will know what I set free

the earth was once molten
then frozen
but the sun did rise
though man knew not to record its passage
the seas once surrounded the land
then it was divided
but the moon did shine
though man could only gaze upon it
and as nature lived
and lives
so does man now
within himself he must decide
to fight as a civil man would
or to live in the moment time will judge harshly
our fears cannot remain calm in the face of death
our adherence to principle will not remain unchallenged
who will hold the line as horses charge knowing no rank
in the pages that will be turned
and argued
what will be said of us
that the idea of civilization was intended for the generation that followed?
will we be judged as saviors
or despots?
we cannot know how a man chooses
to fight
to control
to terrorize
to survive
and in the time of man and his children
can he accept that history will remind others not to live as we did
or is it that history will laud his leaving for a time
within the walls can we sleep soundly
knowing that those who cannot prove their innocence died in the fields
between absolute evil
and the relative good that was unable to fight without fear
all men will die
it is in the hands of the few to decide when
and though our time is unseen
and the consequence of decision cannot be traced adequately for justice
will we decide what to believe by the will of our soul
or the perception of our mind?

It is how we must live, the will
We do not question our souls
For there will be no answer
Like the wind we cannot see
There is only a feeling upon our life
Or a love song in another language
We do not know the words
But we know the what it means
The eyes of God are upon us
Though we cannot see his face
So too my breath upon your neck
While you turn your back, to say no
For today’s storm is not about me
But I know why it must be so
I know why the forest must burn
And the sea rages against the land
It is the only way they know to live
If only you would not be so afraid
But yes, my love, I know why
It is your soul that I cannot question
Instead I will wait for your ship to land
You will know when the wind feels right
You will know when to capture my breath
And as the mast bends, so too your will

What is it that we’re doing here
We wear faces of the past on a cotton canvas
We stand behind words of idealism
Words to be ridiculed because they are too holy for mankind

Have we
Have we
Forgotten how to be
A man
A man
Moved a stone so we could see
An angel
An angel
Said the choice was ours to be free
To be free

I heard your voice tonight
It was your family that could not cry but instead serve
The blessing of life could not understand why they walked away
What had been hunted was not love but instead victory

Have we
Have we
Forgotten how to be
A man
A man
Moved a stone so we could see
An angel
An angel
Said the choice was ours to be free
To be free

Tell us what happened here
Who was standing in the midst of walls that would never stand again
It never is better, only worse
For the innocent have already been chosen to die

Have we
Have we
Forgotten how to be
A man
A man
Moved a stone so we could see
An angel
An angel
Said the choice was ours to be free
To be free

He didn’t think to write it in a language I could understand
But I wasn’t around so what difference to that kind of man?
Somebody finally decided to tell the rest of us what it meant
But the King’s English confused borrowing and fasting for lent

But then
He whispered
No faith is too great for nails
He whispered
No sin is too large for forgiveness
He whispered
No grave is too deep for a resurrection
He whispered
No prayer is too soft for hearing

The dreamer wrote letters to those that were always awake
Though the distance between then and now changes every day
I became lost not in the words but in how I chose to live my life
I held a promise in my hands but I didn’t know how to pray

But then
He whispered
No rock is too big to move
He whispered
No ocean is too deep to part
He whispered
No bush is too hot to touch
He whispered
No flood is too wide for a dove

I hope your silence is the same as mine
Our senses do not always tell us how to be
While imagined echo’s remind me of the past
The feeling I get is from a light I cannot see

We are so far our bones are crying
Missing each other is the only thing real
Is the next body the one to make me forget
Or is it in the dream I can’t make you feel?

Do you still straighten your hair
Is it for me or just for men to stare
I can’t decide how I'm supposed to feel
I let you go too easy
Now they want to make you theirs

I feel like I’ve been in prison for stealing souls
I thought I was being honest but things change
You don’t know how the next set of shoes will fit
You don’t know which rooms you will rearrange

I know about those other men
Loneliness is something I understand
You said they were nothing special
It hurts that somebody held your hand

Do you still straighten your hair
Is it for me or just for men to stare
I can’t decide how I'm supposed to feel
I let you go too easy
Now they want to make you theirs
Make you theirs
Make you theirs

Hey baby you got me thinkin’ about you
That’s how it always starts
I’m gonna’ say what I got to say
But are you gonna’ hear me tonight?

My dreams moved right in with yours
But I think they already knew each other
We just have to forget about losing
At least we’ll remember when it was right

You got to give me more than a smile
But a woman wants to see a man work
I know what you want me to do
I’ll run for you baby
That's the game we both have to play

Hey baby you got me dreamin’ about you
That’s how it always starts
This time I saw you before the sunset
I wanted to see you in the light

Don’t give me no hard time
There’s plenty of time for that
Go ahead and put on your crown
The jewels will guide me tonight

You got to give me more than a while
A woman wants to make a man wait
I know what I’m supposed to do
Sit still for me baby
The game's over why don't you stay

we are
part of the procession
of no tomorrows
shrinking… day by day
recording though our memories
upon our hearts
and tiny footprints in ink
windows
opened to nature
birds
that never change
while we…. year after year
lose ourselves
fate seemingly fire upon water
though each generation lives on
ignoring the past
assuming lessons without experience
is a fire without a hero
sin without redemption
is pleasure without love
our vessels
mystical knowledge of our existence
physical feelings of pain
and love
pictures drawn upon skin that burns
and peels
our heart to be revealed
yet buried with our bones
We are
part of the march
of endless past
growing… day by day
forgetting what we cannot change
inside our minds
or scars aging like rings inside a tree
windows
closed to our fears
courage
that never changes
as we… year after year
find ourselves
fate cooling ashes of sacrifice
as each generation lives on
remembering the future
assuming faith will lead us
as a hero wearing a cross
redeemed because we loved
our vessels
shed of our weakness
floating upon the promise of our suffering
mental feelings of pain
because of love
dreams etched upon the walls of longing
that never sleeps
our heart to be experienced
to be saved
along with our souls

It’s so hard to see you now
I finally know what to say
If only I knew it then
But my heart was so wary

The end of the road
Is not where I want to live
The way it all began
Is the memory I carry

I would have said kiss me now
But the battle in my mind
Wouldn’t tell my heart how
I built the wall I finally climbed

Now I want to say I want you
But you can’t see me
You have your own life
There’s no one else to marry

But you’re still my girl
And if you didn’t know
You do now
You do now

I would have said love me now
But the battle in my heart
Was not enough to win
There’s only regret I can find

Crying for yesterday
And if I didn't know
I do now
I do now

I thought I heard you say my name
But your lips never parted
Did I dream again
Or is it time for me to answer them?
I thought I made them up
Instead I was the fiction

It seems my past is now a movie
But the echoes of love sound new
Or the walls in my heart are perfectly formed
The memory of your eyes never fade
And in the darkness where I cannot breathe
The only truth is how much I love you

You made your bed
You wouldn't listen to me
You didn't ask the mirror either
You answered your own question
You're the fairest one of all
And I wasn't the one who could reach you
So pull the covers up tight over your head
Accept the darkness

I know it should be so simple
Boy loves girl till death do us part
But sometimes the way the winds blow
I can no longer find my own heart

There are so many words to say
I need to make them heard by you
Can you hear my whisper ringing loud
Inside your life that I will make new

We are not the dying kind of love
But being apart is a crying kind of love
You don’t have to think about it
You don’t have to talk about it
I know it’s what you’re made of

I want to travel a road to anywhere
If we get there we’ll have to plan again
I’d rather a peaceful song of togetherness
Not searching but being with my friend

The balcony sun is worth the moment
But who’s worth the time remaining
It’s someone who has known what’s passed
And forgives the times my mind is raining

We are not the dying kind of love
But being apart is a crying kind of love
You don’t have to think about it
You don’t have to talk about it
I know what you’re made of

Is there another way
Where we are no longer plagued by guilt
For the time we must take for ourselves
Or by people who cut corners and sleep well
While we must choose between judgment
Or forgiveness
Know each will fall short of its mark

What I’ve imagined
Is only a dream that can never be true
For there are too many of us
But where we belong
And where we are needed
Is the same place
Yet what is further away
The discovery of our true self
And the peace it promises?
Or the journey around the world
Taking pictures
While we try to forget?

We wait and then our life changes
Nobody can teach us how not to be sad
Because it is sad
It is not something that we should ignore
And we pray for the time to pass
So we can find that place

What we are known for
War
Leisure
Comfort
Power
And we read the ancient words
Written by those who knew of these things
But who died in anguish
As confused as to their fate
As to their birth

We watch people perform
Their actions staged for us
Rehearsed over and over
It all seems so natural
And we escape in amazement
But we cannot rehearse
Our life is improvisation
An artist is given latitude to experiment
We believe in their courage
Yet we are expected to get it right
Every time
Every day
Or else we are judged

And that is where we went
To be judged
To live with it
No matter the good inside of us

I wanted to ride a slow mule
And let it decide where I should go
Could I survive if it chose the wrong direction
Would I have enough water
Would the moon guide us?
Would it make me crazy
Maybe it would be best
The old man nobody talks to
Only trailed by their opinions
Thinking I’m already dead
But they would never know
For the crazy man watches them
He no longer matters to them
So he walks alone
Freely
Watching how you improvise
But still he learns
That is what is crazy
He is old
Yet still he learns

He does not want to die in confusion
He wants instead to die with hope
The hope a mother has for her baby
And he will be ready
For he found what was inside
And he no longer needs to take pictures
For now he can see
Because he decided to look

And he believes what he has found

For it is only to love someone
A humble woman
One who does not think she is pretty
Even if she is
It is not to be better than her
But instead to share your own humilty
For this is how we must wait
Knowing our place
And who better to be by your side
But someone who will wait
Because she taught you how

let it make you happy
like a dead head
because you're pretty today
it's your song
somebody said thank you
they were glad to see you
you had a good time
it's ok
clear your mind
you have to do it for yourself
the world wants you to be angry
you can't hide from it
but the feeling is the chance
when it is upon you
take it
paint your face if you have to
look in the mirror
laugh about it
you feel like an out of tune guitar
but still you make music
that's how it works
a moment
you can't paint
but you made a line
and crossed it twice
then smeared it
red and yellow
just like your painted face
look at it
and laugh
let it make you happy
that's what just happened

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

Water to quench my thirst
Wine to soothe my mind
A book to consider truth
Another to consider a lie
To be assured or to doubt
That is why I drink the wine
The water is only a curse
Because it keeps me alive

I don’t need to be told
I’ve heard enough
My heart is involved
But is it what I want?
I cannot turn away
I hear howling music
Like wind when it is cold
And the nails that haunt

Bright and steady
Confusion masks itself
How could it be this way
The entrails of an answer
It tells of our failures
How can we be sure
Will we ever be ready
For joy instead of anger?

Only a child can be honest
They will soon learn otherwise
Only facts live in their eyes
But within us there is sin
We teach them that it is so
Because it is all that we know
Chastened we think of a promise
But innocence is not for men

What is in the air you breathe?
Is it a belief in a man
Or the answers to a prayer?

What is in the water you drink?
Is it the baptism of your soul
Or the depths of despair?

What calm do you see in his face?
The inspiration for a greater good
Or what is in his hands alone?

What has religious fervor wrought?
The desire to howl with wolves
Or a gentle heart ready to atone?

What are in the words you speak?
Is it the absolute truth
Or the hedge of perception?

What are in the words he speaks?
The promise of freedom
Or the requirement of his opinion?

What garden do you till?
That which raises fists of stone
Or flowers of individual expression?

What do know of your neighbor?
Is he full of understanding
Or correct minded without reason?

What power would you give the state?
The power of your fears
Or the power to be humane?

What is the will of your heart?
For a power greater than yourself
Or for a love that comes from within?

What is true comradeship?
Is it formed by conflict
Or by honest compassion?

What is the meaning of life?
Is it a line drawn on a map
Or love and human emotion?

I never saw it coming
I thought we were in that place together
I knew I’d finally found something
But being with someone who is lost themselves
Is living between perfection and thinking it all might end

I just want to live for a little while
It seems you’re more concerned with dying
If it’s all in God’s hands then what’s left in ours?
I’m watching you live for a future that may never arrive
You’re thinking about how you might you lose another friend

You picked out a flat earth for yourself
You don’t like shadows or horizons
Wherever the sun goes at night
You just invent another one

I never saw it going
But you were just passing through
I felt like a coffee shop on the corner
I made you relax but you longed for more
I said it’s alright you’re still going where I’ve already been

You picked out a small garden for yourself
But you don’t like fences or thorns
Whatever flies away in the wind
Plants itself where love refuses to be born

One day I'm going to spend the next ten years in a bar
Don't ask me to leave or I won't come back
I assume you like my life savings
I'm going to sell my car
I'm going to sell my name
Then I won't have to raise my kids anymore
They'll know where to find me
Burning poems into the table with a Cuban cigar
If they're lucky they won't be embarrassed
If they're lucky they'll get it
But if they're not they'll think being a lawyer is being a star

Will there ever be peace
Or is it only what I am able to ignore?
Is it peace in my world only
Or peace for those too who are poor?
Is it peace for my family
Or peace for suffering in times before?
Will there ever be peace
I don’t know Lord what you have in store

Will there ever be peace
Or is it only when I close my door?
Is it peace for an empty wallet
Or only for those who have more?
Is it peace for a full closet
Or for those with an empty drawer?
Will there ever be peace
I don’t know Lord who you saved it for

was it because I was so young
or was it love because it was love
and it was you who I wanted to see?
was it because the life we led
knew nothing but the sounds inside
until our eyes finally opened
and we finally heard one another?
was it because I finally felt desire
even though you were so far away
and I could only dream of a song

the echos of why fade
the limb braced itself
for the burden of my life

innocence tied the knot
guilt wept but then forgot

lust for vengeance
blood for hatred
death to forgiveness

it was not the way I wanted it to be
but a dream is not always true
I wanted to wish for these thing
but the wish would not listen to me

as it washed away I saw what it could be
walking where only animals once lived
made me feel sad but what could I do
when the world is begging me to set it free

I have a headache
And I'm tired
Once I was young
But now I'm unwired

Anymore
Meaning I not

I can accept the truth
Even if it hurts
Maybe that's why I'm tired
But lying makes it worse

Anymore
Meaning it does

You don't mind saying it
It's easy for you  
I have to accept your life
You told me what was true

Anymore
Meaning you are

I took a walk
I could hear the traffic
But I was far away
The trees eased my panic

Anymore
Meaning I was

It's the change
When they don't tell you
You know where you stand
And they do too

Anymore
Meaning I know

Still, I can take it
I'm still the same
If it means to be a man
Then I can't complain

Anymore
Meaning I  won't

what is just
to be born as the breach
the door
between good and evil
in the image
of the father for us to choose
with fear
and the will to ****
to survive
as only the wicked know how
their burden
though the dove returned
endless guilt
learning to be kind to another
but failing
as the relationship with the creator
languishes
except in the heart of a rainbow
every soul
pierced by a crown of thorns
every love
lanced by the point of a spear
every wall
falling to crush those who approach
black sails
filled with naïve dreams of eternity
from Jesus
to the beaches of hells angels

what is just
to read the words of a dream
written by a man
was he crazy or a prophet
he was ready
it was to save us all
and he knew
before diamonds were mounted
he knew
as she looked into his eyes
yesterday
they did not think of prophets
as it was written
their boots sunk deep into the earth
his mother cried
it had been so long between them
he loved her
but he could only dishonor her
he knew
but he lived the only way he knew how
not for her
not for the prophets dream
he was chosen
for a prophet knows of men like him
because he knows men
he did not have to dream about sin
it was dust on his sandals
but no difference for rich or poor

what is just
how can we know except we are here
it was not the spirit
as it moved across still waters
it was not light
as it split the darkness in half
it was the chosen one
as he gave himself up for us to decide
but there are no pictures
only the longing deep inside for truth
from the time of God
to the time of Satan’s last temptation
some hear a voice
but why is it always about death
some witness a dream
but why is it always about obedience
our nature is given
a rose and a thorn love and hate
to be denial
but who would sever a limb?
we did not ask
yet we are judged as he was
three thousand years
still the wicked walk among us
we live with his silence
though the message rings loud
but would you hide
if the rain refracted the light no more?

From The Streets

We once feared the survival of civilization
Now it is the survival of culture
The assurance of mutual destruction
Madness
A godless government
Wary of one in him do they trust
The posture of destruction
To agree on a way not to strike first
And to believe in the rational man
The desire to live
The belief in the future of their people

On earth

Order them in
That is the order
That is what must be done
But can it be done
Who can do it
Someone must advise
Someone must decide
The gulf separating advice and decision
Is the gulf separating man from heaven
God or no God
It is mankind who must order them in
And it is mankind that must die

Man killed God
God is eternal
Man invented God
God is incorporeal

The voice of our adversary is subdued
Almost sad
It is so that he wants to live too
He is not a mad man
Only living as all men live
Within the desire to care for their  world
A home
A neighborhood
A town
A city
A state
A nation
It is all the same if all is at risk

But it is no longer at risk

The fatalism of heaven controls our minds
But it is not more powerful than human weakness
And the need to be loved by God is our  weakness
We must prove ourselves worthy
And it is our precise belief that is most holy
Not because God told us
But because we believe it
And if we are wrong
Then we are nothing
Not us
Or our people

It is now man versus man
Our God versus their God
Our culture versus their culture
Our law versus their past
It is our history that we sustain
We walk its streets
And remember the words of our parents
The must mean something
How can they not
We are their blood
The blood of our nature
The blood of our God
OUR GOD
The one to which we pray
The one who gives us strength
The one who tells us we are worthy
Yes
We will be saved
For we are saving him
Saving him from lies
Saving ourselves from our lies
For it was written by us
And we must believe those who died for them

And those who died at the hand of them
For everyone who died

Just to cross a bridge
Or to believe as they want

It is personal now
We have allowed life to become greater than we are
Now we are taking it back
Vengeance is ours
To each of us is the power to accuse
The power to ****
The power to teach our children

What will we say first?

I don’t know what to take seriously
It seems it is only how I feel anymore
Anymore
How I feel anymore

I’ve passed the world by
Watching for the smiling grievers
Just like me
Trapped by choices made long ago

The way a sad man can laugh
Is just another miracle of life

Hopping, stone to stone
The distance widening each time
The place to stand ever smaller
As long as my feet are dry
I will be held together by these small joys

I think I have been blinded somehow
It seems I’ve lost my way
My way
I’ve lost my way

I don’t have to make myself write something
That is where I live now
Not in a closet
Not in the jungle
I don’t have to prove that to you

I wonder about someone who takes life literally
With a sword in their hand, dividing life before them
I’ve felt the blade, ****** deeply
And they told me it was God saving me
Still, I continue on

I am subdued not by sadness but by outrage
I am subdued not by outrage but by sadness
Hopping, stone to stone
Carefully placed before me
An old man cannot survive without his dignity

I think I’ve not prepared myself for this
The greatest challenge of a life
My life
The greatest challenge of my life

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

Don't burn my skin without a reason
You don’t like the fire for yourself
So why is it good enough for me?

I thought about a guitar
It can make you feel like crying
But I can show you the real thing

It’s hard to understand
I thought I saw myself
Instead it was him
I thought I saw you
Instead it was her
It was time for a change
But who made it happen?

You can't make me anyway
I already know the story
You believe in somebody else

It’s not about my glory
I think somebody should have that long cry
It feels good to empty your heart

You may not believe how that could be
But crying like that makes it easy for someone new
I don’t want them to drown in day old sorrow
And they will know that what I tell them is true

Oh London
We weep for you again
Hatred upon your streets
The cancer over which we weep

Oh London
Is it so the next life to be lost
Is less than the virtue inviolate
We preserve no matter the cost

Oh London
Is it so the fears we harbor
Are less than the courage
Of the martyrdom of the free

Oh London
Is it so we walk the streets
With carefree gait and whistle
While evil threatens our peace

Oh London
Is it so we must forever believe
In faith and innocence first
No matter the life we grieve

Oh London
Never surrender
The final refuge of civilization
Rests upon your ****** crown

I can’t feel if I’m passing through my own head
Or if it’s a movie projected by someone else
I talk so much trying to close the doors
It once was a large room with everything in it
Now it’s fingers of rivers flowing as the ice melts

I wouldn’t have thought it that way
But thinking is living and maybe it’s my fault
I cannot stop the complications of my garden
It takes time and patience, the answer is not easy
Too much sun burns and you can’t drink ocean salt

I watched someone blow smoke rings
I never could do things like that before
Instead I honor the ways of reaching for a bottle
And some old guitar blues prog playing in your head
The time past is a train that runs no more

I don’t mind waiting by the tracks
A barren tree silhouette shadowed by black and white
Being brushed off is a girl looking at her phone
I’m not entertained except by what’s hard to reach
You walked on by while I returned to the light

The young man
listened
He watched a face
move
He thought about  
words
And then he spoke
deeply
They asked how he became
wise
He said it was because of
them
But he did not memorize
facts
Or carry a notebook full of
blame
He only opened his heart to
others
He was not afraid to show
them
And because they knew it was
true
He was able to bring them
near
Because the truth of a
feeling
Is all it takes to make a
friend

As the darkness entered her eyes;
they widened instinctively,
as a barren landscape in the migrant rain
or a guilty heart
reading a book about grace
She'd lost the spirit;
oh it was still there,
like the soil after a long drought;
but it wasn't good for plantin' yet
It had been a good life,
up to now;
now she straddled her youth
and what remained of it;
at least what remained of her pretty face
She was still pretty
They told her everyday
It seemed they wanted to move too fast
As if she was desperate
Desperate for a man
But she wasn’t
She was no tombstone waiting for a chisel
He was gonna’ have to his job
She was gonna’ make him do it
Even if she only had a week to live
He had to put in six days to get the seventh
And she’d wait for him;
she'd be resting on the porch,
just like God rested;
waiting to see if anyone deserved all of that

I thought about what he would say
I was grown and you raised me right
We had our time together as a family
And it is your love that gives me light

I thought about what I might say to him
It’s hard to live in this world without you
As I got older you gave my life new meaning
Now I know why my Dad loved me like I love you

There is still time for hope
I can find it in my love for you
There is so much for me to question
I don’t understand God’s will this time
But I once prayed that it be done

I thought about what we would both say
Would we talk about the day you were born
Or the day you left to become your own man
I was proud but still my heart was torn

Maybe it would be best
to let our eyes talk
to let our hearts talk
to let our tears talk
it’s time for words to rest

There is still time for hope
I can find it in my love for you
There is so much for me to question
I don’t understand God’s will this time
But still I pray that it be done

Pretty girl standing with her man
The world laid out in front of them
Turning on every moment as best as it can

They had their ups and downs,
Drama film makers, circus clowns
Neither of them wrote the soundtrack
But they knew how to walk among the trees
Listening to autumn voices falling all around

I wanted to tell you long before I knew you
Maybe I’m actually living in that time
But then I thought memories are stronger than hope

You know what you want
Skies that long for your touch
Sunsets that pause to look at you just before they set
Sometimes you think you love nature more than love
But rainbows can't make you feel like the day we first met

Pretty girl standing with her man
Was it yesterday or a dream shared between them?
I hoped it was today because it meant you trusted love again

Spaces between my fingers
Lips that only feel empty skies
A heart beat without an echo
Until someone say's baby you're mine

Upon me walks alone the longing
For the reflection from your eyes
To fill the distance between us
Until someone say's baby you're mine

If there is no solution
Then why do we fight
If we can't change a heart
We can't make it right
It's not so easy to say
What one man will do
He has lived his life
He has his point of view
He doesn't know you
There's no time to try
He only sees your anger
And can't understand why
Who tells us the truth
Who tells us to repent
Is it a poor man crying
Or the one collecting rent

As we prepared for our last goodbye
I cleared my mind of the past
I memorized her face
For that was what was cast before me
I had to remember that moment
Without a memory of our mistakes
I wanted something good
To see an unknown beauty
To believe in love
A new beginning
And when you spoke
Your farewell was as sad as your hello
For I had rescued you once
And now as you again set yourself adrift
I watched a human heart that I once loved
Sink under the weight of an unsolved mystery

Another good woman
Misunderstood by a good man
She loves what’s right about life
He just loves her

Taking guardian angels for granted
You can’t always count on them
Sometimes an angel needs you
It’s the one standing in front of you

Even if you don’t feel the same way
The further away you get
What’s important seems to come together
Clouds and oceans make a world for us

Another good woman
Up against a wall she didn’t see
Believing in someone who can’t love like she does
But years later he said you hurt him

She didn’t want him to know
She fell in love once before
She thought he was the one
Now it’s over
But she's not ready to close the door

She lost her heart
She wants to write about it
But her new man can’t understand
He thinks she’s still in love
It's something she can't admit

She’s trying to be hard
But that’s not what life's about
She can’t deny her past
Or how it made her grow
She’s just being honest
But it’s making him doubt

She decided not to think about it
She had to pretend
But a dream can't be controlled
And the past can never be forgotten
She wonders if her heart will ever mend

She’s trying to lower her guard
Sometimes life won’t let the tears out
She hopes her feelings don’t last
She's trying not to let it show
But she needs to be honest
Even if he decides to walk out

what right do I have to fail
or to let you make me feel less
is that my right
to let you **** my mind?
you have that gun
words that I allow to penetrate
it's my choice
to let them in
to let them become who I am
but I have a gun too
arrogance
confidence
and it is my choice to offend you
to be so sure of myself
because that is what must happen
or else I will die

Some people think if they survived
Then they’re alright
They take their blessings with them
And play a game of pretend

My hands are still *****
I know things aren’t right
Unfinished business is still a choice
I need to decide on a loud or silent voice

I won’t drag the past into a new life
It will remain only in my sight
With a soiled memory is how you left
And being wrong is what I must accept

I turned to my soul and made it my God. I wanted to know who I was and found nothing but despair until I realized you cannot live on a bridge; you must continue on....

A dream is never too old
It will never be over
For it is your breath upon which it relies
And as long as your heart beats
Or promises are made to yourself
The gratitude of life will remember

Love is worthy of you
As you are of it
And art is your mistress
Wait not another moment
Live believing in chance
Your dream will know what to do

But do not rely solely upon fate
You are destiny knowing the secret
Love will always be true
If you will live
As if you have already found it
Because it is trying to find you

May your age matter not
And only the fact of your life matter much
It is the dream that is on the rise
And not the sleep that lays you down
Consequence may choose
But it is not a reason to hesitate
Not for those of us who take chances
To discover what we wish to say
Not to hurt those who are different
Or those who cry because others are indifferent
But for those who do not have money
Or a way to wipe a child’s tear other than with love
We must write
We must paint
We must sing
We must discover how we change how their emotions
To soften their hearts
To redirect their minds to a place of happiness
For when we are happy
We are also happy for others
We are understanding
And grateful enough to turn the pages of a sad story
It is our gifts that will extinguish our own needs
And our fears that will raise them up again
Yes, may your age matter not
For it is what you can be to others that matters much
And the dream that you possess is ready to walk upright
If only you will let it

You are so beautiful
But I can’t think like that
I can’t think of lying in bed
That’s how dreams start

It was only a hint
A look from a brave eye
It’s not so strange to you
It’s the light of every man

Walking in the crowd
How do they do it
How I really feel
Is just a mistake I made

I heard a song
The kind for a wistful stare
I felt that way once
Until I saw him take your hand

I never feel empty
Or even lonely
It’s that an ordinary life
Is not what dreams accept

Giving you my love
Without a doubt
Maybe you won’t take it
But not because I didn’t try

You were crying
I watched you walk away
I hoped what I thought was true
But you never would say

I know about freedom
And how love can take it away
But I’m willing to take a chance
Going nowhere can be so cruel

It’s what I need to know
I think you said it already
I saw you smile
When I wasn’t looking