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Michael Murphy Jan 2016
I stand here on river's edge trembling with excitement
Gazing through the morning mist to distant shore I seek
A vision, once only dream, now slowly reveals

A silhouette of form so wondrous appears
The answer to the only prayer I've ever prayed
The destination of the only path, I've ever traveled

Only raging water of pounding force separates me from journeys end
Will it be the end of me, or will it be my destiny?
Michael Murphy Apr 2023
Read these words
Read them well

In these words
I do tell

My legacy
Is scribed you'll see

When I die
What's left of me

Are words of feelings
Failings, pain

And triumphs rising
Smiles again

Hearts so touched
The touched returned

Loves forever
And bridges burned

When I drift off
In endless sleep

These words I've sowed
Are yours to reap
Sharing poems is very personal but I think often that it may be the only way to not disappear completely.
Michael Murphy Jul 2016
My body is aging
My story is true

It's happening to me
It will happen to you

My right knee is steel
So now I can't kneel

I'm sure God understands
He/She knows how I feel

You see blue sky
My right eye sees just cloud

I hear no music
For you it's so loud

I once had two kidneys
Now I have one

I agreed over dinner
My sister had none

My hair is all white
It used to be brown

It's going away
Without making a sound

I'm not complaining
Just telling you true

It's happening to me
It will happen to you
laughing at myself, getting a running start to get out of a chair!
Michael Murphy Jul 2016
No one knows
No one cares
Where he goes
What he wears

If he comes home at night

He’s all alone
He’s all he has
A silent phone
Old photographs

Why should he come home at night?

An empty bar
A glass of gin
No loving arms
To tuck him in

He should have came home at night

She sat alone
day after day
While he roamed
She slipped away

He should have came home at night

She loved him so
She would've stayed
And now he knows
The hand he played

He should have came home at night

An empty bar
A glass of gin
No loving arms
To tuck him in

He should have came home at night
Started as a poem and turned into a country song!  Oops
Michael Murphy Aug 2016
To my love,

The sediment of friendship, kindness, and laughter will forge with time to form a bedrock of love on which we will build our home!

We will build on the strongest of foundations, using a special blend of respect, patience, and happiness!

The friends and family that come to visit through the years will stand in wonderment at how our house has stood strong through massive storms, the same storms that have destroyed the homes of so many!

The brick is fired in the furnace of life, tempered with adversity. The mortar mixed with faith and courage is the glue holding everything together.

Our house will absorb the rain, bend in the wind, and forever prove unshakable.

For it is the house we will build within our hearts and where we will reside for all eternity!

All my love!
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
You learned to be a victim, at a very early age
Father beating mother and witnessing the rage

Crying mother in the night, her pleas that went unheard
Knowing that it wasn't right, your life you thought absurd

Mother learned from mother, then passed it down to you
There is no blame, there is no shame, for it's all you ever knew

Now the time has come my friend, to rise and fly above
You have a daughter of your own, the one you truly love

You say that you're a writer, you wield a mighty pen
I say to you, "then write your life," pay attention to the end

Write of new beginnings, your history be ******
Write of all your strength, and love, and feel your joy expand

So be the author of your life, your legacy control
Now break the cycle of abuse, dig deep within your soul

On stormy seas your daughter sails, seeking mother's light
So brilliant shine the life you pen, to guide her through the night
Michael Murphy Mar 2017
Angel speaks...

Sleep to wake, wake to sleep,

day to night, night to day,

life to death, death to life,

Nothing ends, nothing begins,

only cycles through again and again,

love is the road on which all things travel
a lucid dream
Michael Murphy Jan 2016
There are words, not yet said
Not yet written, so not yet read

They're magic words, that make real
The love we share, the way we feel

Such magic words, you can't resist
They hold the key, of lips yet kissed

With these words, I will wed
Not your body, but soul instead

Forever mine, your heart will be
When Angels whisper words for me
Michael Murphy Apr 2023
I'm an apex predator
You better pray

In my hunting ground
That time of day

I'm hungry now
You're my meal

Circling above
Soon you'll feel

Ours lives now one
I devour you

Nourishing me
You're born anew
I was watching a bal eagle and trying to imagine what it must be like to be such a force of nature.
Michael Murphy Jul 2018
To travel to a place
Of wonders, few have ever known

To see the beauty under
So seldom has been shown

Explore the valley lush
Such pleasure lies within

Exploding in such rapture
Exposing lovers skin

To feel her hands upon me
My world begins to quake

Just about to taste her lips
Is the moment I awake
Not sure if I love those dreams or hate them
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
I'm a simple man

I don't understand

The hatred that you feel

You killed someone

You used a gun

How does this help you heal?

You say ISIS this and ISIS that

I do not comprehend

I'm a simple man, I know Ice Is cold

I fear this is the end !
Michael Murphy May 2023
I have a little Attention Defi... what?
Lost my focus, I can't see

Not quite done with A
Now I'm moving on to Z

I cannot master anything
My interest starts to shift

I know a little bit of everything
Believe me, not a gift

If only I could focus
I'm afraid that isn't me

I might still have a chance
If I can master OCD
Michael Murphy May 2023
You're talking in circles
And ever so fast

Lie after lie
You're trying to pass

Drinking and Drugging
Are making it worse

You think that it's helping
It's really a curse

You want money from me
That I can't do

You think that it's love
If only you knew

True love is resisting
Your pleas in the night

Your angry words hurt
I don't want to fight

If I ever give in
To your devils I fear

It will **** you for sure
And we'll both disappear
My adult adopted daughter suffers from bipolar.  She is usually ok until she gets bored and turns to drugs and drinking.  Hard to help, and hard to watch.
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
Angel and Devil both

Set their tables with verbal delights to entice and entrance our souls

Both masters of wit and wisdom with polished form we are drawn in

We see beauty in both for they're both well rehearsed

I fear I have been Angel and Devil both
Michael Murphy Jan 2016
I keep my life in boxes, neatly labeled and arranged
Here's the box I have for you, no surprise, it's named deranged
Michael Murphy Apr 2023
First cut

Such pain
Stomach punched
Doubled over
Couldn't breathe for weeks

Second cut

Such pain
Stomach punched
Couldn't breathe for days

...Fifth cut

Pain
Trouble catching my breath

...Tenth cut

Nothing
You can get used to anything!
Michael Murphy Jul 2016
Believe what you want
We're in all different places

We're all different people
With all different faces

I refuse to preach
What I learned as the truth

What was drilled into me
While still in my youth

Muhammad , Allah, Jehovah, or God
Some will say no God
And you will think odd

I will say not
Let's respect one another

For aren't we truly from ONE father ONE mother

In a time long ago
In a place far away

There is no one alive
Who remembers that day

For if you did
you surely would say

That we're  all from one place

Oh brothers and sisters
It's time we embrace
We are not really all that different.
Michael Murphy Jan 2017
I am a Carnivorous Zebra
I'm the only one of my kind

From the herd I've been cast
Because I just won't eat grass

So behind the strip mall I dine

Big blue boxes are a carnivores dream
As they fill them at the end of each day

With burgers and cheese
Eat as much as you please

Being a carnivore is really OK!
I know, I know, I'm strange.  We were talking about how much fast food is tossed at the end of the day, and how wasteful it is.  I got a picture of a carnivorous zebra in my head and it made me laugh.  I hope it makes you smile!
Michael Murphy Jun 2023
When I was born my father was 100% older than me
He was 40 and I was brand spanking new

In ten short years, I was 20% as old as my old man
He was 50 and I was 10

It increased to 33% when I was 20, but I was too busy to think about it

I believe I told him when he turned 80 that I was finally half his age

I wonder if I had told him that I would be 99% as old as him if he lived for 4000 years; Would that have made a difference? Would he still be here running the race?

Probably not. Who wants a kid that's the same age?
I think there were many times when my dad wished I would stop talking
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
In spring after a long cold winterjscldj
Chjnlsl nojcdsosdjc nksdkc j cnojsencru
Kitty
It would have been a great poem, but my cat had other ideas.
Michael Murphy Oct 2016
Change isn’t easy
It’s incredibly slow


We always keep taking
The path that we know


So how can we change
Where do we begin


The first step for us
Must come from within


We’re running on empty
We need fuel for our fire


Just feel my love
Let it spark your desire


When I feel your heart
It’s a natural high


I’m a thousand times stronger
I swear I can fly


Let’s give into our love
Let it sweep us away


You’re the vision I see
Whenever I pray


I feel we can change
The whole world with our love


It’s the answer to change
From our angels above

That crazy, mind altering, time, when you first fall in love is a power like no other.
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
How do I teach if I've never been taught?

How do I love if I've never been loved?

How do I give if I've never received?

Teach, love, give

Change the World!
The solution is simple, but so complex
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
Chewing words, this one's sweet, look a sentence, more to eat

Crunching nouns, I love the sounds

Grinding pronouns into grounds

My favorite words are adjectives, like herbs they're flavor additives

Conjunctions help to bind the meal

Verbs now helping chew with zeal

Not sure I can articulate how much I love what I just ate!
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
I keep drpping a letter, all _ver the fl r
There g
es anther, rlling ut _f the d r

I stepped _n _ne n
w, it's under my tes
Why s
clumsy tday? Nbdy knws

_h well


  o   o                   o   o    o    o    o     o       o   o o ooo
Did funny things with my underscore, oops!
Michael Murphy Sep 2016
When I was eight
At the park

Playing football
Getting dark

Older kids
Stole our ball

I can't stand bullies
Not at all

Then out of the blue
Three more kids appear

Did I mention they're black
So now I felt fear

But to my surprise, they said
Give the ball back!

What's going on?
I thought they were black

This confused my young mind
From all I was told

Stay away from the blacks
Or you'll never grow old

That one little act
Fifty years ago now

Changed the way I see color
Changed my vision and how

Today I was out
With my eight year old son

God, how I love him
We're having such fun

Then I see someone starring
No, it's more like a glare

I can't be that ugly
It must be my hair

Then an old thought creeps in
From way, way, way, back

She's glaring at us cause
I'm white, and he's black

So my prayer for this world
And I hope you don't mind

Is the day we can say
We're all color blind!

Amen
All true!
Michael Murphy Nov 2017
That day, woke up,  stood, stumbled,
There was blood

This day, took a trip, the rain came,
Stuck in mud

A day in March,  bank man came,
Took my home

A day in April, bad hair day,
Lost my comb

I drank too much, on day in  May
The next day,
paid the price

Was in the dark, on day in June,
Electric off,
Not so nice

A year from hell? I guess,
... But not

The Lessons learned, learned well
Have not forgot
Been through a lot but still enjoy every day.
Michael Murphy Dec 2019
Crystals on the windshield, ****!
Forgot to start the car.

Blizzard blowing daggers
Close is now so far

Decision do I quit and stay
Or trudge forth through the night

Fear has conquered want
I'm abandoning the fight
Michael Murphy May 2023
You're old and yellow
A crooked fellow
and still support me so

I keep you covered
Like a secret lover
I guess that you should know

When you're in pain
I cry too

I hate to see you
black and blue

I love your friends
You keep them close

Just know it's you
I love the most

I can barely see you
far away
I gaze down towards the floor

I can't reach you
as you lay
Can't help you anymore

I hate to say this
but I need help
to keep you nice and neat

My Right big toe
I love you so
You're the anchor of my feet
If I won the lottery I would pay someone to tie my shoes.
Michael Murphy May 2023
If you paint your canvas white
embracing just the light

Keep neatly out of sight
the wonders of the night

No colors on your page
No red expressing rage

No blue to show your mood
Your emptiness conclude

You're missing all the splendor
your magic brush could render
Just a short one. I was thinking about how so many people want everything to stay the same.
Michael Murphy May 2016
Plug into me
And you will feel
A love so strong
You'll know it's real

I'll charge you up
I'll make you smile
For what I feel
There's no denial

Can you feel
My Energy
Let it flow through you
In  all you do!
Was playing with writing lyrics.  First try.  Always amazed at the lyrics of great songs.  Humbled when I write
Michael Murphy Nov 2023
The entire universe is a fantasy

Except for

Is real
Never write poetry after 8 beers
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
Living = Love + Learning + Laughter
Not so complicated in theory!
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
A seed so small, holds so much promise, keeps it's secrets for the sun

In the spring reveals and life renews, when the waters run

Eternal as the seed we are, for God has made it so

The knowledge that's inside of us has no place else to go!
Michael Murphy May 2023
A calm release
Morphine drips

No lucid thought
upon my lips

The pain now dull
Once beating strong

The dream world waits
It won't be long

I'm flying now
I cannot lie

Such a trip
I'm so **** high
I've had my share of operations where I was introduced to a myriad of narcotics. I have to say that I am fortunate to not have an issue with addiction because it was fun.   I wish I didn't turn in the unused drugs. There are days!
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
Come live right here in my magical village
Everything in abundance, so no need to pillage

You'll see that there's more than you ever will need
So no need for money, and no need for greed

All the food you can eat, or drink if you please
All the shelter you want, so you never will freeze

All the *** that you crave, love the birds and the bees
**** robots provide, and they're free of disease

We don't allow violence, evil doers beware
Sentry robots galore, ensuring your care

If drugs are your pleasure, use the ones we supply
They're clean and they're measured to ensure you don't die

We suggest that you work 20 hours or less
Still having a purpose we find it works best

There's no one that governs, restricting your choice
So do as you please, it's time to rejoice

Just one simple rule, and I'll tell it to you
"Do no harm!!"
Stick to that rule, pretend that it's glue

No hurting the fish or the animals here
No hurting each other not even a hair

Break that one rule and you'll leave us that day
By our sentry robot, promptly taken away!
Argh! I tried to buy beer at 7 am, but there is a law against buying it before 8!   Makes me crazy!  Just sitting in a room thinkin dumb things up so they keep their job!  I want my own country! Jimmy Buffett has it right!
Michael Murphy Apr 2023
So sick I see
I see death and war
A loving couple
That loves no more

The orphaned child
The broken limb
The pious soul
So wracked with sin

Watch flowers spring
From sickened soil
To die again
And lay to spoil

A faceless man
once proud and true
So what's the point
I point to you

If God there be
Is this the goal
That grief impact
Eternal soul

Is there a moral
To this story
Will grief-filled paths
Then lead to glory
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
In pages of prose I have removed all, and stand before you, naked and exposed

Nothing hidden, so study me well, but know I am vulnerable now

Pay special attention to the scars on my heart

If you look very close, you will see, a void where your love should be
Michael Murphy Aug 2016
The greater the joy
The greater the pain

With knowing the sun
Will turn into rain

Doesn't help me to grieve
Doesn't help me at all

Watching her leave
And feeling the fall

So incredibly high
Now swimming in tears

I was touching the sky
With our love through the years
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
Oh, the fertile mind of a child, plant a thought and watch it grow wild

So much to explore, and they always want more, with such vigor, which leaves me beguiled

Tend it well, give it light, plant good seeds, keep it bright,
most of all keep it safe from the prey

Using love as the feed, it is all that you need to keep it warm at the end of the day!
Michael Murphy Dec 2023
Long after the fire
The embers are too hot to touch
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
Our lips first touch, so sweet, so tender
Fulfilling dreams, my Angel's render

I breathe out, you breathe in
Now it's me, you feel within

Feel the warmth, my soul exude
Drink the love, my heart has brewed

Get lost in me, I'm lost in you
Old world gone, we're born anew
Michael Murphy Nov 2023
I'm  living on a Bubble

Floating, flying free

Each wind I change direction

High above the sea

Colors burst around me

Just  rainbows you'll agree

Loving my existence

Fleeting

as it may be
The older I get the faster time flies. Trying to pack in as much happiness as I can
Michael Murphy Jul 2016
When we first met
She was unaware

How far she'd fall
How much she'd care

How deep the love would
Weave between

Our hearts no boundaries
Can be seen

A love so strong
So sweet, so kind

A love she thought
Would never find

Her broken life
Would never mend

The love we share
Will never end
Michael Murphy Dec 2015
There is rutabaga, and ratatouille, gotta love alliteration
Then Albuquerque and Tallahassee, are somewhere in our nation

And Saskatoon, Saskatchewan found in Canada, my dear
In old colloquial, there were hooligans and shenanigans, I fear

At school I use a dongle it connects me to my work
I hope I didn't bumfuzzle you, didn't mean to be a ****

Just one more word on my short list and to see what it can do
Find the one you love and in sweet soft voice just turn and utter **"pooh"
Michael Murphy Jul 2016
I asked
She said no

I asked again
She said no

I asked again
She said no

I left her for the arms of another
she realized I wasn't asking

She said yes

Too late
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
There was a life
There was a love
There was a time I'm thinking of
There was just this
Just happiness

And now it's gone
It's gone......

I turned around
And you weren't there
No sun shines anywhere
Just loneliness
There was your kiss

And now it's gone
It's gone....
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
Take control of your life
Take control of your heart
You're never too old to have a fresh start

No one can judge you or make you feel bad
It's your perceptions, you see, that are making you sad

You'll never need drugs, forget happy pills
The thought that you take them just gives me the chills

It's as simple as this, I know what I say
I'll give you my secret how I'm happy each day

It's a decision, you see, it's all up to me
I choose where I look, only happy I see

When bad comes along,
tries pulling me down.
I just smile and laugh as if nothing is wrong.

So live in the now and love all that you see
I'm telling you how just let yesterday be.
Michael Murphy Nov 2015
*******, blowing, play me well
Bending, chugging, the notes do swell

Pounding out from inside of me
Hear my love in the melody!
Michael Murphy Mar 2017
Hidden poems
Kept out of sight

Secret pain
I cannot write

Broken dreams
Cut my feet

Distant goals
I'll never meet

Broken heart
That never mends

Bleeding out
I can't pretend

Smile dims
My laughter ceases

Shattered life
With missing pieces
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