We were both impressed enough
At least our eyes were saying so
I asked her where she was going
For some reason she didn’t know

I wonder what you are really like
Is there any faith in what you know
I wonder if you are even aware
You went the wrong way long ago

You have no idea
No idea if you're gonna stay
And I'm so weird
You're gonna walk away

She tried to be everything that’s good
It makes it hard to face the truth
It’s easier to say I forgive you all the time
And only think about the games of youth

I noticed she was still looking at me
She had no idea how my mind just exploded
The entire thought was like a shot of whiskey
It went down hard but now my heart is loaded

You have no idea
No idea if you're gonna stay
But I know
You're gonna walk away

What storms exist in a beautiful mind,
   never to pass us by?

Drawing the sun from looming shadows
To separate what is to be known in time
Portioned among swirling ridges of worry
By horizons that never forget to remind

He found the way was not the winds,
   but to walk within the eye

Drawing the calm from looming concerns
To separate might be from once was
Portioned among flower beds to be saved
By those who decided to live just because

Which doors did he lock, trapping forever,
   the Furies that make him cry?

Drawing the good from looming terror
To separate his soul from flesh that breeds
Portioned among those who have not given up
By those who are willing to plant new seeds

Which door remains open within his heart,
   knowing not to ask God why?

Drawing reason from random acts of evil
To separate destiny from forgotten lives
Portioned among those with the will to live
By those who carry on after silent goodbyes

in the dark
a life of its own
is there a way to see you
it’s alright
it’s your own mystery
and you know why

the soft spot in my heart for you
is anywhere you decide to look
you watch me
in the middle of a song
or what the passion I live for
you know it could be about you
but you have be shared
the life I discover
is too narrow a hole to crawl

i can’t seem to decide
the monsters are so familiar
i understand them now
they can’t help themselves
so i ask a simple question
is love worth being eaten alive?

I keep searching for answers
But there’s none to be found
Everybody's waiting for the end
Problems make the world go round

My friend says, “It’s almost over”
I hear it every day
He smiles when he says it
It’s as if he is ready to lay

It’s almost over
But when will we know?
It’s almost over
It’s time to let it go
Time to let it go

There’s too many mouths to feed
And too many playing the game
Nobody has the answers
But they know who to blame

Could it be in your reflection?
Maybe that's too simple
Someone told you to look
But all you see is your temple

It’s almost over
There's no room to grow
It’s almost over
It’s time to let it go
Time to let it go

The more we want
The less we receive
No matter how much we try
The poor always grieve
God said pour the oil on my feet
Because I won’t always be here
He was right you know
The streets are filled with tears

It’s almost over
What debt will you owe?
It’s almost over
It’s time to let it go
Time to let it go

What is most important to think about?
A singer sang, “War is not the answer”
A God said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”
Still we weep for words that cannot save a soldier

We are beautiful but fear we never walk without
A man said, “Our daughters gave us flowers!”
A God said, “No man will know the hour”
Still we weep while our wrongs remain in power

What consequence for me
What consequence for you
Yes freedom lives in the hearts of men
But is it for me
Is it for you
Or those deciding the time to strike again

We are a memory of sin walking without doubt
A child cried, “When will I see my father?”
A God said, “Render that which is Caesars”
Still we weep upon a flag burying our sons forever

What consequence for me
What consequence for you
Yes freedom lives in the hearts of slaves
And it is for them
As it is for all men
And those knowing the time to strike again

Character without will;
a butterfly crawls into its cocoon,
walking away from true love;
who will exert it?

Humanity without strength;
a world at war with morals,
a nation governed by fear;
who will show it?

Ingenuity without vision;
a scientist splitting atoms,
a man become death;
who will see it?

Power without balance;
a culture believing in a man,
a man who knows;
who will challenge it?

How I walk
How I walk
Believe in faith
Believe in fear
Will the fields guide me
Will the forest shelter me
If I walk in faith

Where I walk
Where I walk
Closer to the land
Closer to the sea
I won’t lose myself
I won’t lose my children
If I walk in faith

Walk in faith
Walk in faith
When it is cold
When it is hard
Come to me
Come to me
I believe in you
Believe in me

How I live
How I live
The way I was taught
The way I was loved
My life may change
My past will not
If I walk in faith

How I love
How I love
My neighbor
My savior
Will I know them
Will I know you
If I walk in faith

Walk in faith
Walk in faith
When it is cold
When it is hard
Come to me
Come to me
I believe in you
Believe in me

The dead have been spoken for
But who will remember?
The living must speak for themselves
Will it be violent or tender?

The unborn risk their lives by our choice
In silence they wait
While our minds, a legacy of failure
Play God with their fate

What would make me finally act my age
When youth smiles not upon the wise
Is it to speak to young women without remorse
Or become the stranger who empathized

The shallow lightening flash of narcissism
Strikes close to our children
Which images will they choose for their life
Pleasure or to fight explosions inside the gates of heaven?

He has a wife
And three children
And he joined the army
But there is no such thing as toy soldiers

He became everything they wanted him to be
A soldier
A warrior
Able to pull the trigger
But today he pulled the wrong one
The one that was for him
And him only

He wasn't following orders
Just his own
A mind is a terrible thing to waste
And his was wasted

It was time to ****
Non-believers
Sixteen people who don't believe
Not in Jesus anyway
Well they do
Sort of
But not like they believe in Mohammed

That's right
He shot them
Now everyone's mad

"Why?
Because everyone is dead!
Just dead!
I killed them!
That's what ******' happens!
Why are you surprised?"

They dropped an atomic bomb once
He got a medal

I am not a tourist
I will not be opportunistic
And I bring no camera too
Only a mind that will remember

I am not a tourist
I will not be dogmatic
And I bring no point of view
Only the will to discover

I am not a tourist
I will not be imperialistic
And I bring no statue
Only the humility of a pauper

I am not a tourist
I will not be materialistic
And I bring no Western virtue
Only the repentance of sinner

She was a delicate flower
Wind-blown hair and soft petals for hands
Wheat fields in the summer
Green meadows in the spring
But love planted her in desert sands

She grew beneath glowing embers
Pollinated eyes and soft dark soiled feet
Unafraid to be what she was
Knowing her strength
No matter how many storms she may meet

She was life itself
Though drawn to her every kiss flew away
Drinking the dew of dawn
Watching another sun set
Still she believed in what tomorrow might betray

To grow a rose garden by the drum beat of its thorns
Is to lure their hearts not by the scent of a flower
But instead by a dream that will be awakened by a flood
For the hearts upon which you play will be punctured
And the blood that flows will forever mark your life
What you thought was love was instead oppression
What you thought was life was instead death
For the way of the sword is not the way of the dove

Una Paloma Revolucionaria

Para crecer un jardín de rosas por el ritmo de tambor de sus espinas
Es atraer sus corazones no por el olor de una flor
Pero en lugar de un sueño que será despertado por una inundación
Porque los corazones sobre los que juegas serán pinchados
Y la sangre que fluye siempre marcará tu vida
Lo que pensabas era amor era opresión
Lo que pensabas era vida era en lugar de la muerte
Porque el camino de la espada no es el camino de la paloma

Is the way it turned out meant to be?
I don’t have a choice for my past
We needed something to happen
The love was not lost upon us
But our prayers still need an answer

You were gone before I could decide
You said it was time to walk another way
Your tears told me the truth
It wasn’t our hearts that could say goodbye
Just a life that needed more than waiting

I once told her she was too crazy for me
She said that’s how it works
Being nowhere but in each other’s arms
That’s what it was for too long
The drinks were what kept us afloat

I don’t want to live for another day
I’m learning how to ignore time
It’s too easy to borrow
You might have known this all along
I only know that day never came home

The setting sun is already gone
Tomorrow it will come again
But when you leave like that
I never know if it's the end

Nothing that changes is mine
I tried to keep it but now nobody can
But what happens next is you
And what happens to me is your plan

I can't think like that anymore
You want to talk small
But what I said yesterday
Was more than saying that's all

It was a nice day once
Like a child playing on swings
But what I see in you anymore
Is a child playing with my strings

The expanse of sand in the desert
Like mortar between bricks
Except the bricks are the people
Desolate but vital
The evolution of understanding
But for a man whose life changed without warning
It is the distance between meaning
And existence that is now most clear to him
Within every grain of sand is a reminder
Of a happier time
When sleep was meant for rejuvenation
And not for despairing
When a new day was for happiness
And not desperation
There is no turning back as every direction is now the same
The crossing is only about movement
For lessons have already been learned
It is now a time for steel to be bent
For our nature is always the same
And if we must live with it then we must suffer because of it
But would you wait to feel the peace you have now
Would you wait until it is gone
For the relief you would feel is upon you
It is inside you
Now
Enough to dance upon the roof of a car
Or quietly read with your child
Sweet relief
Sweet blessings
Unless you must cross the expanse to find it again
And while you remember that you once had it
It will not be until you walk on glass
Glass that does not cut but instead marks time
From here to there
Sand that becomes a liquid
Liquid that becomes glass
Glass that reflects the past
And reveals the future
And upon it you must walk
And through it you must pass
Until the time comes that your nature has changed
And your own forgiveness has been accepted
By you

I thought it was always the right measure
I’d notice how they had everything one could invent
It was as if an artist had drawn their pedigree
Yet it was darkness that the sun eclipsed
The life they lived was picked clean by the false messages they sent
To wake up to this realization was to know there was nothing left to find

I’ve learned that a place-setting once was life itself
When the news traveled slowly the time was spent on finer things
Now we quarrel and abandon the soft edges
But you must know that a pillow exists in my heart
Where you may lay your head close to whisper of the birds of spring
The walls still stand strong all around paying my reticence no mind

I’m sure you will be alright either way
I have not heard of any true calamity in my absence
And though I could never deny
That I’m as common as a yellow can on the shelf
And that I’ve never once felt that nerves immobilized you in my presence
I’m filled enough with life to strike fear into the silence I might leave behind

Indifference is not an act of desperation
To allow time to pass swiftly by without so much as a wave
Is to trust that fate loves as much as I do
And the wind I feel upon my face is upon yours as well
Let us find ourselves my love as it is sanity that we must first save
For I cannot take your hand without first knowing if you are my kind

Deep inside your darkness
A match flickers in love with itself, creating
moon glow halos around every heart beat

Does light matter to you once you swallow it whole?
What lives on the inside reveals itself only by sound
Except silent tears are louder than even joyful screams

Emotional tracked mirrors melting into your eyes
Haunted hallways blackened phosphorus faded to memories
But without my light your darkness finally set itself on fire

You decided nobody should find comfort in a lost soul
There are traces of love but you had to find them yourself
You don't need me my love so I will find my own way home

I can only pray for time to stop and smoke a cigarette

She is living in a time of peace;
a happy mind unknowing of
the Valkyrie deciding which
solider will live and which will
die while the smoke takes
pictures of the stench of death

What is left of my madness when her face can only smile?

Is she beyond the sound of  
Vishnu, “I am become death,”
knowing he was a man trained
to **** without remorse because
morality has become suspended
in the name of expediency

Would she be forced to roast marshmallows on a flaming tree line?

When the time is right; gasoline,
victory; when would her mind be
destroyed by information that did
not come from her father; he never
knew when to tell her what waited
along river banks lined with spears

Will she know nihilism until the resurrection is how man lives?

I don't want anyone reading this to develop an assumption about me but I admire the man you know? So I conducted an "interview" to see if I get it.....  Actually the person conducting the interview is not what I would necessarily ask or how I would behave. Instead it is an imaginary person who at times asks questions that reveal his own biases and brainwashed mind.

Jesus, why do I carry a hammer and a nail?
     It is easier to judge than to forgive
Jesus, why do I need you to speak for me?
     My father wants you to live
Jesus, why can I not turn the other cheek?
     You only know how to cause pain
Jesus, how should I live my life?
     Providing shelter to the poor is your aim
Jesus, should I become a rich man?
     Whose life do you wish to mimic?
Jesus, am I bound by the old law?
     The laws are the notes; listen to the music
Jesus, why did you have to die on the cross?
     To demonstrate the cruelty in the world
Jesus, why didn't you save yourself?
     So my father's glory would be unfurled
Jesus, why were you not covered in gold?
     Earthly riches separate mankind from one another
Jesus, why did you accept a sinner?
     Have you ever met anything other?
Jesus, why did you stop the stoning?
     To bring your sin into view
Jesus, why did you tell her to sin no more?
     She is no different than you
Jesus, should we punish others for their sins?
     Why does this concern you so?
Jesus, there are so many bad people
     Your own heart is all you really know
Jesus, shouldn't we fight evil?
     Who made them that way?
Jesus, God has blessed our country!
     There are no borders that keep God away
Jesus, we have to **** the enemy
     Blessed are the peacemakers
Jesus, they want to **** us!
     Are you the money changers?
Jesus, how can a country be moral?
     It all starts with you
Jesus, I'm just one person
     There are others waiting too
Jesus, I'm a good person
     Why do you scorn the poor?
Jesus, I work hard for my money
     But what's important, you ignore
Jesus, what's important?
     Loving thy neighbor
Jesus, I do love my neighbor!
     And yet there are so many you abhor
Jesus, I could never be like you
     All I ask is that you try
Jesus, I can't earn my way to heaven
     You must ask or you will die
Jesus, why must I ask?
     Because you have free will
Jesus, give me a sign
     I want to see if you are faithful
Jesus, why do I have to be faithful?
     Because you will not believe your own eyes
Jesus, I promise this time I will
     Mankind only believes the lies
Jesus, why does God love me?
     Do you love your own child?
Jesus, why doesn't he just accept me?
     He does even if you are reviled
Jesus, why does he want my love?
     He is made in your image
Jesus, what does that mean?
     Inside your emotions lives the message
Jesus, isn't life just about science?
     Can you measure love?
Jesus, I only believe what is proven
     Noah only needed a dove
Jesus, everyone thinks you are a myth
     What does your heart say?
Jesus, I am ashamed to bear your name
     Then why do you not turn away?
Jesus, if I believe will there still be pain?
     You were born in pain along with grace
Jesus, did I lose God's grace?
     Your pure heart God did not erase
Jesus, why do I feel so unworthy?
     Because you are finally humbled
Jesus, what is left of me?
     Out of stone love was chiseled
Jesus, I want to go to heaven!
     All who thirst for God will be welcome
Jesus, take me with you!
     *I will lead you to God's kingdom

The butterfly and the swan, our
most blessed creatures; for in
natural painful transformation of
crawler to beautiful freedom, of
ugly homeliness to majestic beauty;
what is natural becomes possible and
what is possible becomes hopeful

Upon stormy waters he walked;
but only still waters draw us near
with melancholy determination;
hearing that voice within, but
does it direct you to throw stones
for ripples that soothe or to break
apart the reflective image of what
you cannot understand?

We are anesthetized; for reality
is no basis for happiness and
delusion fuels pretension to be
what we are not; and so we applaud,
loudly, for strangers who wear our
colors; because what they do is
our greatness; but do we cheer
for them or ourselves?

To those who sacrifice, it is a
constant; to those who do not,
it is a moment; but we live with
our fears no matter who dies
for them; fear because of our
children; fear because of war;
fear because of pride; fear
because of ignorance

What was once a child’s kingdom,
narcissism versus intellect, is how
adults now separate themselves;
the victory of a beautiful face over
character is complete; mannequins
who cannot speak enable those
without conscience to ignore the
consciousness of their soul

Silent love, quiet discomfort,
one human becoming God, for
their blessing is salvation on earth;
but blessings are relative; relative
to where we were born and who
loved us as children; we begin without
the knowing of favor; what we learn
of ourselves is where we begin again

Art is not competition but expression
reveals life; revelation of consciousness;
our heroes must only make us feel; we
ignore their flaws but does that prove
we are forgiving or only want vicarious
pleasure no matter the cost or the
rationalization of the conditions of victory?

The fisher of men’s souls spoke to all
men; for it was written from a mount; but
what do we embrace? War or peace?
Riches or charity? Arrogance or humility?
When ripples reach the far shore what is left
is the question that wet living glass asks
about what we see and what we believe;
because calm reflection is the only storm
we can survive

Who plays a game?
Who learns to speak French enough to drink their wine
To make a life for their children
Is it enough while others resist?

Just a mile from freedom town
The men all gathered there
They weren’t going to stand down
No flag could block the glare

They said it was time to defend
The words they read were near
They didn’t live to play pretend
Their beliefs stronger than fear

It became clear
Crazy was doing nothing
But doing things you don’t want to do
Is like being a ******* in the middle of a war
Or sacrificing a life for people who won’t know the difference

Turn off the radio
The news isn’t good
A soldier who’s seen death
Is always ready to stand up
He’s fears not for his last breath
Does he live in your neighborhood?

Who plays a game?
Who learns to pray every day walking under an umbrella
Fear instead of faith
Is it enough just to exist?

Just a mile from Crows ridge
The people all gathered there
They weren’t afraid to cross the bridge
This time it was their turn to dare

They said it is our time now
The dream was finally near
Still they burn inside the vow
Fifty years gone without fear

It became clear
Slavery was doing nothing
But doing what you have to do
Is never losing again in your own home
When the past remains a part of your resistance

Turn up the radio
The song says you should
A singer tired of death
Is always ready to stand up
He cries in between each breath
If I were him I wonder if I would

I don’t know if I wander about in your dreams
I just can’t decide if I’d rather be rumor or fact
I feel like a silent movie with a broken light
I need to know my audience so I know how to act

I had a pain like something serious in your chest
It felt like I should call a doctor but it’s not that bad
Most times I forget it ever happened
But this time it lingered and made be sad

It’s too bad we can’t tune our life up like a guitar
We get stretched and left in a corner somewhere
But in the right hands we can make magic again
It’d be easy if we could just find someone to care

I think I need to start by not thinking about happy
It’s a goal but at the same time it’s just too much
Why does life always have to be a project anyway?
The only way to get there is to lighten our touch

It is very difficult to explain what someone means to you who you've never met. I suppose we all have our heroes and those we admire greatly. But beyond admiration, sometimes there is someone who has an effect on how you view the world; an effect that shatters your naiveté and profoundly opens the door of the human mind, personal behavior and possibility. For me, Muhammad Ali was that person.

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

That one quote of his is all you need to know about the man. It transcends sports and the violence of his chosen profession. And while we all admire the sheer will of his being to over-come a near death experience in order to win a fight, it was his willingness to accept ridicule, scorn and accusations of treason or of being a coward that showed how much more his will was than just beating up another man.

As a child I was loved boxing and studied up on its history, especially the heavyweight division. I was aware of Jack Dempsey and the long count, Joe Louis and how he fought Max Schmelling, the pride of **** Germany and how Joe came knocked him out in the first round after a previous loss to Max, but then later in life he became friends with Joe Louis and assisted his former rival financially in his later years, eventually financing his military] funeral in 1981. , Rocky Marciano and his undefeated record and Sonny Liston with his terrifying scowl. But to me Muhammad was the greatest of them all because he combined power and speed. He could fight like a middle-weight and stand toe to toe with the strongest men who entered the ring with him.

But all of that suddenly didn’t seem to matter when I learned that he refused to go to Vietnam. At the time, like so many of you I was a child. All I knew about the war was the child-like fantasy that our soldiers were supermen and that we were going to win the war. We were the good guys. And yet here was this black man, so known to me suddenly refusing to go. I learned about a phrase called “conscientious objector.” I wondered how a person could just say they wouldn’t go because it was against their religion; especially if this same person was savagely beating people in the ring. It was a dichotomy that I do not fully understand even to this day. I wondered how a man who had the courage to enter the ring and fight would be called a coward by other men who would never challenge him to a fist-fight. I wondered about hating our own country and saying that he had no reason to hate the Vietcong. I wondered about what our country had done to blacks over the years and how maybe, just maybe they had a point.

And I wondered about becoming a Black Muslim and changing his name while calling his former name, his "slave name."

These things all entered the mind of a child. And I didn’t know what to think. But as time passed and he continued on as a boxer, I continued to admire his skills. I admired the way he carried himself after his defeat against Joe Frazier in their first fight. That was a shock to me because I thought Ali to be almost god-like in his skills and the way he lived life. But then he came back and later defeated Frazier twice. It taught me that we can be great even with a blemish as he was no longer undefeated.

And then came George Foreman; another terrifying man in the ring. Even more terrifying than Sonny Liston. Nobody thought Ali would win. But win he did and it was the greatest victory of all; because it was a modern day tale like David versus Goliath; Ali showed how his mind was his greatest weapon and how it can help a person overcome any odds; any disadvantage if they are willing to use and believe in themselves. Again, the possibilities of life were presented to me. You can do it another way.

But you have to believe in yourself.

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

And now these words mean so much to me because I believe I have not wasted the past thirty years of my life. I believe I have changed. And I believe I am now able to consider all possibilities before I decide what I believe and how I should judge the actions of another person. Though we are taught not to judge we find ourselves in situations where we are forced to judge. And when a man refuses to serve while another man does serve, giving his life for his country, then it is hard not to judge. And I’m not here to tell you that Ali was right not to go because I know I have friends who went along with their Fathers. And they deserve every honor and not a message that they died in vain. But what Ali did was make me think about the future and a world where a young man should not be forced to give his life for the ambitions of another man. Or the fears of another man. It taught me to think about peace and love. And to understand the culture and burden carried by another man.

Because not everyone is raised by loving parents. Not everyone was born free and made to feel special. Not everyone can live a life of relative ease.

And very few have the courage to live their life by their conscience. Muhammad Ali was that type of man. A black man in America, straddling the times of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A black man living in a time of hate and violence. A MUSLIM black man who saw a CHRISTIAN black man assassinated for speaking out for TRUTH, JUSTICE AND LOVE.

All I can say to my children is that this man WAS A MAN.

RIP Muhammad. You rose before us all and now you can take your place among angels who stand waiting for your great soul.

To have done something, have you learned anything
other than the fact that it could be done and it could
be done by you; the next day do you tell everyone,
do you expect deference or do you quietly wonder
about the need for accomplishment without insight;
what if they carried you off, joyously praising you for
something that made them happy though it did not
change their lives; would it mean so much to you to
have changed their feelings for a moment so deeply
that they would remember it forever even though
it was not enough to enable a child to be fed by it’s
mother who cannot pay the rent on time; would you
rationalize the use of a tool that had no morality or
virtue except the blankness needed to achieve the
result so desired by those who cannot achieve it
on their own; or maybe a body so desirable that
you cannot hear a word she says because what is
that compared to the fantasy that you have built
around her face; it is only a matter of knowing why
you live and beyond the crashing times of your life
what you would do that could make time meaningful;
can you make up your mind to share these things
with me; can you make up your mind to waste time
while we create feelings that only the hand of another
can summon from within; can you tell me how you
feel without fear of the retribution of honesty that
someone who only exists not to learn but to consume
would deliver; no matter the day or the time, you do
not know if it is the beginning or the end, only that
the next decision you make could be the one that
changes your life if only you can discern between
growth and mere existence

And as we part
Has time ever stopped
As when two arms extended
With finger tips touching
In the instant
Of a lifetime
That will forever be remembered
And cherished
More than the love making
Because in the sorrow of parting
The longing in our eyes
Is felt deeper
Than any touch
Or embrace
Or memory
For the moment
That I step out the window
Before gravity
Before reality
I fly
And live
As never before
And never again

So today is the day
You thought about being old
Your prayers suddenly became real
You saw your Dad in the backseat of a car
Until you remembered he’s no longer there

My eyes were closed
But I was still awake
I saw only grey until a small hole appeared
Inside were tiny pink flowers on a window sill
Now I’m wondering what they were doing there

It’s come down to this
Everything is a sign
It’s not so much about enjoying myself anymore
I wanted to ask someone whose been here before
So I dug a hole just to see if anyone was there

Doing yourself a serious favor
Is trying not to think so much
The answers are the usual questions
I’m not dying young but which way is the door
I drove off I but gave money to a man over there

i do not feel any darkness inside of me,
only the sheerness of the oppression of the ages,
raining down from atomic skies;
along with the fears of so many who cannot see;
as ignorance draws not from the well of freedom,
nor listens to the wisdom of sages,
but instead courts the fascism of seductive lies

A free man walking
Suffers from no illusions
But what grows green from rocks
Is what he seeks
It reminds him that hope never dies

A free man talking
Suffers from no emotions
But what he hears from ticking clocks
Is how a baby sleeps
Not knowing why his mother cries

A free man provoking
Is like kicking sand into oceans
People hear the way he talks
But ignore why he speaks
They only see white in his darkened eyes

A free man trying
His mind rocked by constant motions
It’s not so easy to feel these thoughts
The truth of the matter is all he keeps
While she drowns in seas that only rise

You told the old man he didn’t have a young mind
That whatever he once knew he could never find
And even if he did it didn’t matter to a new generation
They know better because they thrive on his indignation

What kind of clown would mock someone so helpless
He can’t prove himself anymore so you call him useless
It was early one day when you decided to be that way
Something happened so now you mock people who pray

The world has become yours just because of your youth
But that doesn’t have anything to do with the truth
I wonder how much you can learn if you reject the past
You’ve had too many wasted mornings that will never last

The bravery of the spoken word matches the fear you create
The easiest thing is to know which side you should hate
Or maybe that’s the hardest until tomorrow comes to save
Either way you can decide then if you were a afraid or brave

The forces that bear upon a man’s life are felt only by him
You can’t take the time to know when you are driven by whim
The activist mind is uncompromising as a wave before it crashes
It may be your greatest love but it leaves nothing not even ashes

There are so many things to be aware of but why are you so sure
To bury an old man as if his life meant nothing that he could cure
To not know how his children loved him even as they grew old
Is to say all you know is all there is in a world who’s story you told

I'm not sitting on the fence
I just want to love the world
That's all I want to be
A beautiful dreamer
That's good enough for me

I'm not sitting on the fence
I'm over here locking the gate
Can't you read jack?
The sign says no trespassing
You don't live here go on back

I'm not sitting on the fence
I knocked it down the other day
All the animals left the farm
The rooster stayed anyway
Opinions don't do him no harm

I'm not sitting on the fence
I haven't changed my mind in years
I decided I know everything
You want to argue go right ahead
I hear a bell you can't un-ring

I'm not sitting on the fence
I'm not gonna listen
I'm smarter than you
You want an insult?
Just try to tell me what's true

I'm not sitting on the fence
I know what I like
Take your time to decide
I know why you're leaning on it
The barbs are sharp on either side

I don’t want to learn to live without loving you
Maybe there will come a day when I forget
But that’s not a day I want to regret

I can’t make it happen all the time
I can’t be involved with anyone on stage with me
I need somebody who doesn’t know who I am

Don’t worry about how they look at me
I see it too but waiting is all that seems to matter
It’s my past but do you know how to be tomorrow?

Until I touch you again I can only tell you how it feels
A half full bathtub is how I seem to live
Drowning, breathing, clean, *****… it’s my mind you know?

I’m going to do it; I’m going to make you think about love
But it’s not how it makes you lonely without it
It’s about how it’s not comfortable and how you forgot that

I’m going to draw you in with small talk
Then before I stop the storm will blow the swings from the set
We're not playing the game we played before my love

Side mirror lament
Blinking back the past again
Red bandana tears

I watched her image
I wondered as she talked on the phone
How old must a woman be
To want to live alone?

Forgotten wander
Thoughts that became some other
Another blank page

There are no buttons to push
I am not someone to read
My emotions are not random
But you will never know my need

Rush inspiration
Ego-infested display
Compromised poem

In the yearning for respect
Creation becomes a means to an end
The irony emerges
In thoughts I cannot defend

Watching my children
Oblivious to discord
Reaching for Daddy

In spite of all the hate
I have become nostalgic
They are happy
Leaving worked its magic

Hard work is a gift
For yourself every day
Slumber not want not*

It’s what I do
It’s not greed
It’s all for them
That is why I bleed

I think this is my question
Was that really for me?
Your smile has scattered my mind
Like children at the end of a school day

Screaming and yelling recklessly
Running away from tedium
With no thought to anything
But the happiness they will spend

And when you laugh
Birds of a different feather
Gather with no thought of difference
But with hope for your call

As do I
Or is it just who you are?
A girl with a smile for a stranger
Because life is about what you give

Her skin crawled with fire ants underneath the surface
She couldn’t sleep long enough to dream anymore
Trying to live a life of perfection
She stopped loving everything she once lived for

She was born a foolish dreamer
But the fear of living her dreams was too much
Not knowing if she would ever reach the sea
She became a rock because it was easier to touch

What she forgot was she was the one to break the soil
It didn’t have to be explained to anyone
It didn’t have to matter at the moment
But one day they would realized her fears were their reflection

She wanted to live in a world of high fashion
Cultural expression alluring  rainbow canyon mystery
Until it’s over you can never know what you came to be
She asked someone a question, they said, "It’s your fantasy"

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

It was a distant shore, alone as he was,
but connected by the sea,
like flat lands laying with man-made shadows;
the sand, for a moment
held footprints in memoriam of a child’s laughter
except what the land remembered
was a family apart

It was the love of a child’s emotion,
tragically killed by reason,
like signs meant to warn those who would favor nature,
as history suggests,
who once walked freely but are now ghosts,
haunting progress
with uncompromising songs of the heart

It was the will of perfection, it’s power,
meant to conquer laughter,
could not accept those who live vicariously,
in a land where the sun never sets;
but unable to bring order to the tragic clinging tides
he walked towards her
consumed by thought, but intrigued by art

It was a struggle for power,
though master and slave were interchangeable
each loving one another,
though he tired of the compromise
for once the moon appears
the grudging day must lie still once again
as long shadows wait for a new days start

It's just down there
Underneath it all
Not getting much notice
Feeling pretty small

It wears itself well
Holding under the strain
Looking for a bit of polish
Trying to avoid the rain

Living in a closet
Crowded, lonely and dark
Hoping to be picked today
Maybe for a walk in the park

It doesn't know its worth
It thinks it's just a shoe
But it protects every little step
On my journey to you

Find the truth, for whatever it may be about why men are killing each other it does not **** God; if he exists then the history of man's inhumanity towards one another and why they may puzzle you with their behavior is irrelevent. Stop justifying that which is the province of Caesar. Are you concerned with being a world power or with being a fisher of men's souls? Regardless of your religion, read the sermon on the mount carefully, then ask yourself what is being asked of you. Then when you see someone who is different than you, you will know what to do. Drop your sword. Do not be afraid. For what you profess to believe is not about how or when you die but about how you live. You cannot judge. Think of your own nature and how you must appear to God. You do not know why another man acts the way he does. You do not know why he is afraid of you because you are only concerned with why you are afraid of him. Elevate yourself above geopolitical politics. Protect the rights of all men. Honor your God in peace. He does not require your help against those who do not believe exactly as you. That is not what is being asked of you. If he is God, then he will never die no matter what happens on Earth. But is it his will that lives or dies in your life? Who decides? You know what to do.

No instrument could torture
More than memories of their room
He cursed all thought
Under blankets that once held her
Because they had violently fought
Within the darkness of his gloom

No half pint would do
For a man who talks to himself
“I know!” he yelled
“Don’t tell me what is true
It was by my hand she was felled
Her love didn’t die by itself”

“I can’t really sing”
Said the sad man sadly
“But if only I could (!)
Words that ring
From instruments of wood
Would always love her madly!”

The staggering symphony
Sounds that mocked romance
He wept hoping the morning dew
Would awaken her sympathy
But the answer he already knew
Her heart had given it's last chance

It is within the province of the personality where freedom finds its voice; but never assume that the freedom exhibited by someone else precludes their capacity for kindness and a gentle spirit; for what is foreign to you does not marginalize their humanity.

I have a garden in my head
Of emotions that need to be pruned
There’s a memory for everything
But I need to make more room

I got to tell you something
And it’s about my life
It’s changed like I never knew
But it’s something  I like

I don’t have the dread
And I know what to do
I get up every day
With what I’ve been through

A doctor told me some news
But I shrugged it out of view
I’m not supposed to worry
Maybe God will see me through

I wonder about him a lot
And what he thinks of me
Everybody has their opinion
About their own personal deity

I was walking in the mall
And a pretty girl tried to sell me
She said, “Take it, take it!”
But I told her, “Nothings free”

It wasn’t so much that I said no
But that I didn’t lose my train of thought
When a smile shines so bright
Sometimes you can easily be bought

How can I wander amongst the minstrels
And the ladies in waiting to capture my heart
When I no longer live in their world
And cannot play the expected part?

There’s something I got to tell you
I’m tired of being miscast
The person you thought you knew
Hs become a stranger to his past

If you want to talk
Then let me know
But don’t bring your desire
Because I let mine go

I don't want to be the goodbye in you
I just want you to be the hello in me
Don't think about making up your mind
Being a friend is not about how it ends
Time and emotion are both the same
May your feelings be the same as mine

It’s more than I could see
I had to trust you were really there
I tried to find something for you
Something to help you find me too

You are hanging onto the wind
Spending time looking at a birds wing
Wondering how it could be so easy
When life for you never was

You lie in bed wondering when
The young girl that had her choices
Would at least be noticed again
I'm telling you I did

Getting older is like musical chairs
Running around for one last love
There’s no time to make them wait
But if I must then my life is for you

I can’t change your past
I can’t, I just can’t my love
But I can tell you it's not you

You lie in bed wondering when
The young girl who grew up
Will find her last true friend
I'm telling you I am

Your body walks on sand
But where is your mind?
Your smile in another land
What did you hope to find?

The ocean pulling you in
Cold swells tickle your feet
You think of where you've been
Who were you hoping to meet?

Your eyes glistening like pearls
The moon, startled by your beauty
Forgets to make its tidal swirls
Is someone waiting in the city?

Wading into the darkness
Realizing your place
Reaching for an unseen answer
What will it replace?

Is paradise real?
Yes, if only for a moment
From unhappiness it must steal
Are you someone’s ornament?

Soon you will leave
Flying on sweet wistfulness
There is no need to grieve
Beyond the clouds, togetherness

Who could take me seriously
When I have never lost my pride
Never felt hunger
Never feared for my children
Not like they have
But if I hold your hand
And you hold his
And he holds hers
Until we hold the hand of tears
Where the river begins
Then we will be together
And I will be able to speak
Words
Screams of anguish
Because then you will know
That when I speak it is not for me
But instead it is for them
For I do not have to suffer to cry
And I do not have to live like them
To die in shame
Because I was unable to carry them
Or make you believe in them
Like God does

I thought I knew her limits
I’d never been that afraid of a woman
But she was just as afraid of losing me
I should have known why she shattered the glass

It was what separated us
The things I once said
While we laid in bed
Promises to make you stay

I thought she would never do it
I’d never seen a woman that hard before
But love was something she knew too much about
I should have known desperation has two lives

It was what separated us
The things I once said
While we laid in bed
Promises that pushed you away

I thought she’d miss our life
I'd never seen a woman that happy
But her crooked smile said you don’t have all of me
I should have known what she was saving

It was what separated us
The things I once said
While we laid in bed
Promises that make me pray

It was thirty six years ago today
Sergeant Pepper has nothing more to say
He never did go out of style
But a bullet erased his smile

They blew his mind out on the streets
He didn’t notice that the times had changed
A crowd of people turned and stared
They wondered who they should blame

He laid his heart in the fields
His mind protected from hate
Strawberries will forever grieve
Over the violence of his fate

We played his mind games
While he gave peace a chance
Why didn’t we know it was real?
His feelings not a song and dance

Will we ever come together?
Dreams are like diamonds in the sky
He asked that we join him
Though love and peace had to die

Another man of peace they had to ****
We cried even though it was God's will
I'd love to turn you on to him again
Come together, find a new friend

Number... number nine... number nine
We're talking evolution not revolution
Number nine... number nine... number nine
Never forget to imagine the solution

To describe what a picture only knows
in fields where our hearts once did gather
while daffodils shed its children all around
is to see what you feel while the wind blows

Beyond a blessing is a promise to keep
we are only so eager when we are afraid
artful hopeful prayers ask graces pardon
for the hurtful things that we always speak

In the chance that the silent moon gave us
was a common hurt that we once shared
we walked together feeling knowing crying
over things our scars no longer care to discuss

You said you wanted to be pretty again
as if I was somehow worthy of your life
yet if you had not become the light I see
then our past would have lived in vain

When we give up our finer things for grief
we realize being alone is not a just game
losing only means a ration of hardened hearts
that the lonely substitute quietly for belief

In the stolid minds of those who cannot
are the memories of someone who could
and in them lives a friend who knew you well
ready to show you all the things that you forgot

I thought about growing up
Then I remembered
I did that a couple of weeks ago
So now what
I watched my old self
It was a wild girl
I once knew how to handle her
Now I just wanted to raise her
It all seemed so pointless
Getting wasted
Talking about seeing you on the other side
Now I think about slamming doors
I want to tell my neighbor how to change his life
To quietly close a door is power
It is control over the air around you
Because you begin to glide
But I don’t think he can do it
Don’t get me wrong
That wild girl looked so good
You never grow out of that
The problem is she wants conversation
And fun
You have to chase her all night
Who has time for that?
While I was thinking about it
I heard some chords on a piano
Everyone was impressed
But I knew it was a trick
It’s called practice
Sometimes it’s just better to leave
It’s better to be your parents
It’s better to be strong
Standing accused of being an adult
It’s amazing
To wake up so bored
Because there is no dread
No secrets
Everything is in front of you
Nothing is watching
Nothing is behind the bush
Nothing is in my hand
Except the longing to touch you
And that’s just it
I can’t grow out of that
It’s like love is always a child
I thought I’d buried it
I saw the flowers drop into the hole
But then they grew
I’d only planted them
Somebody said you were a nice girl
Yeah
You were
I know that
Wild is wild
But nice is loving a cat
And you did
I wondered if she stared out the window
But I know better
Reflection was not her style
Neither was regret
She’d as soon die on a plane crash tomorrow
As grow to be an old lady
It was all life to her
You just live in the moment
Then see what you got at the end of the day
Then forget it
But I couldn’t live like that
I had to assume I was going to survive
For a long time
I don’t want to beg
I don’t want to live in the cheapest place I can find
But I will
If I have to
Because I have before
Before I grew up
It was only a couple of weeks ago
Or years
Or decades
Or another life
It seems I lived one once
I think you were there
Unless it’s a dream
But there’s too much detail
I never sleep that long anyway
It had to be real
That’s why I grew up
Everything a young man needs
Was inside you
And I was there
Inside
And now I walk away
All grown up
Because you were so wild
And I saw myself on the other side
Emerging from the fog of your crazy world
But it was beautiful
Like a morning cloud in a valley
I was in the valley
Now I’m on a hill looking at the cloud
And I know what’s going on down there
Because you’re still there
Because I am an adult
And I hate it

It was her impression that was most real
She was able to translate my love from life
She understood the tongue spoken in my soul
One thousand
Two thousand years ago
She was there
As was I
Like the stars
We always existed
But instead they watched us each day
And lit up our graves with their own memories
She remembered how we died together
And for each other
What else could it be?
For through the ages
In the many guises of life
We always found one another
Born in different lands
Life as children
Until the years passed
Wondering and walking alone
Cold nights in desert sands
Emotions deeper than the deepest ocean
Deep enough for mistaken lovers
Deep enough to save the last breath
Before we met again
It only took a few words
For our eyes recognized the past
And the future
There were no dreams
Only expectation
We both knew
No matter culture
No matter distance
No matter how many souls are born around us
No matter how many times our flesh must perish
We are as time passed
Remembered
And as time itself
Forever