I will be free in my heart!
I will be free in my soul!
The light of Christ has made me whole!
A radiant bearer of Your light I'll be!
The joy of the Lord will flow through me!

Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelu, allelujah! (3 X)

Your tears
are a holographic ocean
containing all the sorrow
of the world. I will kiss them all
from your eyes.
Your tears
will be
my prayer.

In the shattered,
smoldering wreckage
of our love
I seek unceasingly
for that black box
that holds intact
my golden heart

I cry
Yes I do
I cry for me
I cry for you
for what we did
and didn't do
I cry.

I cry aloud
when I'm alone
I cry in silence
on the  phone
for all the love
we could have known
I cry

I cry

I cry.

Do you cry too?
I'd like to know
what moves your heart
makes tears flow in
places where it hurts to go
Do you cry too?

Oh, these sparkling stars,
filling our moonless night with light!
Let's weave them into a
glittering garland of
pure starlight
and wrap our hearts
together with it
keeping our love
pure and strong,
so it's brilliance
will endure
even after
our lives on earth
are only memories
in the eyes of the angels
that we have become.

"Faith is an oasis in the heart
which can never be reached by
the caravans of thinking."

God's always with you
He's always there
God's always listening
He always cares

God loves you even when
you haven't got a prayer
Just talk to Him, yes (so tell him all)
talk to Him, for  (about it now, for)
He's always there. (He always cares)

Writing poetry is like peeling off sunburned skin:
you tease off the biggest patch you can find
yeah, there! where the itch drove you out of your mind
then next where the skin gets thinner, and clings
what comes off starts shredding, and won't say a thing.
You peel what you can and scrub off the rest
(the thinner the skinner the obscurer it gets)
your poem is what's still burned into your chest

We chose spend this lifetime
chasing dreams for two.
If they escape us when we wake
I still got to sleep with you.

we may be, but
I feel our hearts
drumming
in rhythm
wherever I go

Baby it's 3:45
baby I'm barley alive
surviving on muesli
and oatmeal and such
"That's cereal drag,"
her laconic reply

For a lifetime this
squirrel hid his nuts so he could
never find them

Faded rose petals
pressed between
yellowed pages,
catching my
bitter tears,
turn
crimson
once more.

I believe in Jesus now
I believe in Jesus now
I'll tell you why
I shout out loud
that I believe,
I do believe
in Jesus now

For I have seen His holy face
I have received
his wondrous grace
All my sins He has erased
I believe,
yes I believe
in Jesus now

My Savior looked me in the eye
His love and power told me why
every knee to Him will bow
I believe,
yes I believe
in Jesus now!

I live in a house on a cliff
at the edge of the sea.
Every morning I wake
to the whisper of waves
telling me:

"We're taking it all away,
a little bit more every day.
Watch your step when you get
out of bed-- there may not be floor
left to tread
on your way to the place
where your living room
used to be."

I walked yesterday down a hall
where this morning there's nothing at all
in the place where I lived, wrote and sang
so happily.

I wish I could move away
but I know that it's here I must stay
until all I have is taken away by the sea.
the loss to me is great
more than mere real estate
For it isn't a house I'm losing, no--
it's me.

Not my stop, but
     I take your hand
still the thought of
     pull you with me
leaving makes my
     kiss you fiercely
heart feel hot – to cross
     together
beneath the buzzing light,
     escaping
silently into this crisp night.

Roses are lovely
yet easily torn.
Like sensitive women
they need those sharp thorns.

When the most potent
words are found
within the marble
quarry of the heart,
are chiseled free
from the incoherent
mass, set thoughtfully
in the right places,
the poem becomes
a living being,
its song
echoing long and long
in the deeps of the soul
whence it came.

Sweet my lady, I long to see
Inside the heart and mind of thee.
Were I to look there, what would I find?
Gracious lady, tell me your mind.

Do you fear I do not love thee,
Because my face you have not seen?
Or do you trust my love's unchang'd,
As it has ever been?

Do you care to know my heart,
Or have you tired of me?
My lady sweet, do tell, do tell,
My lady sweet, do tell me.

As lovers will, I feel bereft
In exile from thee, sweet!
My lady I confess to thee,
My fears I lay at thy feet.

Whether you love me yet or no,
I will not my love betray, though
Without you my own light grows dim,
I hardly see the way.

Love struck a spark
when first our eyes
into each others gazed--
once kindled there,
pure passion flared
into a fiery blaze.

Love fiercer burns
each time we meet.
The dead cry, "It is sin!"
these hearts alight,
twin torches bright,
blazing in the wind.

So this then is hell:
to live on in pain
with a heart that won't die
though no love remains.

Deep below the surface
of a sea storm-tossed, frenetic
lies buried an ancient sailing ship
once bold but now pathetic.

Her rigging long since torn away,
her masts and canvas rotten,
naked bones alone remain
of sailors long forgotten.

She bore these brave adventurers
toward a brand new land.
She and they alike were cursed
never to reach a strand.

But if ye look more closely
at her shattered, mouldered deck,
ye'd find the priceless treasure here
hidden in every wreck.

The gentle drawl of Guy Clark's voice
beckoned me from sleep,
saying that when his father died
he'd found no tear to weep.

It wasn't that his dad was mean,
nor that he didn't try,
Guy couldn't find a worthy tear--
he wasn't yet ready to cry.

The blade was broken off the knife
a half inch from the tip.
He could almost feel its  jagged edge,
recalling that camping trip

His dad had let him take the knife
to a Boy Scout Jamboree
it was there he broke the blade tip off
throwing at a tree

That knife had served at daddy's side
when he went off to war,
saving his life in combat.
Of that he'd say  no more.

His father never said a word--
put the broken knife away.
It rested in a dresser drawer
until his dying day.

It was only when Guy's hand had found
and closed around the handle
that he knew, amid the sudden tears
Dad had loved him more than Randall.

The birds of the air are my brothers,
all flowers my sisters,
the trees are my friends.
All living creatures,
mountains and streams,
I take unto my care,

For this green earth is our mother,
hidden in the sky is the Spirit above.
I share one life with all who are here.
to everyone I give my love,
to every one I give my love.

Roots anchored deep
Limbs lifted high
I abide in both worlds:
Earth and sky

Reaching through space
Kissed by the sun
I dance with the wind
And invite everyone:

"Oh children of earth
Find shelter in me
My life is to give
For I am a tree."

Roots anchored deep
Limbs lifted high
I abide in both worlds:
Earth and sky

When the journey's over,
when the race is run,
when the light is dying,
and all your days are done.

At the end of the highway,
when the final line is crossed,
at the last ray of twilight,
when the night says you have lost,

there's a brand new beginning,
there's a brilliant new dawn!
Your spirit will awaken!
Your soul will carry on!

A thousand blue dreams
float together
in fluffy white
diamond sky moments
smearing rose-petaled beauty
across the sky,
where delicate cool Spring
gorgeous,
washed,
still weeps
Winter's tears.

you do have
eternity,
and yet,
you may not
always
have
me....so

come,
swim with me
beneath the sweet
summer moon,
sleep next to me
one lifetime,
be my playful
goddess,
lover,
friend,
here
in this
lake,
this forest,
this
now.

Forgive me, please--
I ran away
I couldn't stay
where I was despised.
I had no idea
how cruel she was
to you.
I thought
she lavished you with love,
all the love she
denied me.
I wish I had known.
I would have taken you with me,
taken custody,
and run away,
pushing you
in that big
teal bicycle wheel
stroller
you loved to thrill ride in,
screaming with delight
when, running at full speed,
I took the earthen ramp that
made you fly, and as soon as we touched down
squeal,
"Again!"

Or we could have escaped when
I used to toss you
high in the air, and catch you,
if, just once, an angel
would have come to our
rescue and caught you up,
and then me,
and flown us far away to Hawaii,
where we would have lived
very happily
while you grew up,
knowing every day
that you are loved,
unconditionally,
and safe,
protected by your
daddy elephant
from the icy blasts of indifference
and all harm.
Daddy elephant's big ears
are always listening
to the whispers
of your heart
and our hearts
would have understood
and respected
each others feelings,
fears, wants and needs.
We'd never need to fight
we'd say just what we felt
and be unafraid
to talk about anything.

In some cultures
they believe that
everything you imagine
is real.
In that spirit
and with all the love
I couldn't express,
I give you now the childhood
you dream of,
may you feel it
and know
it is true.

I've got too many questions and not enough answers.
Have you got some wisdom to share?
I'm far out at sea, no wind's blowing for me.
I'll take any truth you can spare.

"Three points of contact! Cover your bases!
Hedge all your bets, but shoot for the stars!
Follow your dream, but remember your zip code!
Keep some of it liquid--invest in gold bars!"

Wherever I look and whoever I ask,
Their words only lead me astray.
There must be a wise man, a really old wise man,
Who truly can show me the way.

Tossing and turning, sleep now eludes me.
I get up to wash off my face.
Stumbling into the bathroom, I flip on the light switch,
and the mirror blows up in my face.

There stands an old guy in the mirror before me!
Where is the face that was mine?
The wrinkled old guy looking back from my eyes
Says in my voice, "You'll be fine!"

What can he mean? And who can he be?
And what's going on around here?
He says, "One more thing: you don't need to worry--
You really have nothing to fear!"

"But how do I know if I'm doing what's right?"
He says, "Trust your heart and your soul.
You're doing that now, just keep on without doubt!
You're well on your way to be whole."

"But what if it doesn't work out like I planned?"
What if my dreams go astray?"
"Then make your dreams bigger than ever before,
Plant seeds and stay out of the way."

"To harness the power that's waiting to help you,
Feel free to dream big and dream bold
What do you want most to give to the world?
That no one be homeless or cold?"

"Whatever you want to change in the world--
You can! Just start where you are.
Keep singing your song 'til a friend sings along
Go ahead and shoot for the stars!"

"The very best piece of advice I can give:
Find something that's near to God's heart,
Bring more love and kindness into the world,
She'll help you right from the start."

"Maybe Jesus was just a guy who was sure
that love could make the world better.
Of course he was right and it still seems to help,
until it comes down to the letter."

"Now it's your turn to shine," the wise man concluded.
"Don't think that you can't, 'cause you do.
Give all that you've got in that warm heart of yours,
You'll find that big dreams do come true!"

You say you love me baby
but you sure don't understand--
you say you love me baby,
but you just don't understand--
my love for you is stronger
than the lightning in God's hand.

You'll love me for a lifetime baby
or maybe even two,
yes, you'll love me for a lifetime, baby,
or maybe even two,
when the sun itself has burnt away
I'll still be loving you.

You think that you can quit me,
like a drunk can can quit his *****
you think that you can quit me, mama,
like a drunk can quit his *****,
you'll never do it, baby,
no one loves.you like I do.

Everybody's heard about those rose-colored glasses
the ones that make the world look sweet.
If I had to choose between roses and RayBans,
the roses would win in a heartbeat.

Whatever you look for is what you will find:
cold and dark or sunny and bright.
I'll take the rose lenses every time,
to see my world full of light..

God in the wind, the rain and snow,
God on high, and God below,
God with me, where'er I go,
God! God! God!

God in the cold, and God in the fire,
Burning away all base desire,
Setting all my soul afire,
God! God! God!

I sit in a chair
outside our front door
with a view
of the surrounding forest.
Flies buzz nearby,
birds chirp a little farther away; and
geese argue heatedly about something
at the neighbor's pond.
Someone is nailing something,
swinging a hammer hard.
I close my eyes,
taking it all in: 
flies, birds, geese, hammer, sunshine.

The rhythmic pounding goes first,
hammer slipping out
of my mental grasp,
then the geese fade away,
still arguing,
followed by the
flies,
birds,
sliding from my awareness
until
there's just
the silent sun
shining
on an empty chair.

comes the
time
when
mist
must
ask
with
delicate
tongue,
"please
whisper."

she texts me
from the kitchen:
inviting me to share
a breakfast of eggs.
whose?
i wonder,
idly speculating
is this a come-on?
i'm sure of it when
she follows up with:
i'm open to pregnant conversation
sunny side up

there's a band-aid on my finger
where you cut me yesterday
slicing rotten pieces
of my vegetables away

you didn't even notice
it's your sweet nearsighted way
so no drama was enacted
and i had no need to say--

My man,
play!
           Forest      
                          Wind      
                           ­                 Life
                                   Car      
                     Spray            
      Knife
gorgeous blues
(symphony from love)
drunk
like hot chocolate

I found your hand
sleeping
like five birds
in a tree
(heads tucked under wings).

I did not wish to startle them
so I stood near, singing very softly
an old love song.

Slowly they woke into
their own sunrise.
Together, singing, they
flew down
on iridescent wings,
bringing me
your touch of heaven
(and, in that old love song,
the sweet harmonies
of love's dawn).

your hip's irresistible curve
calls me, "come and revel
in the magic of your love!"

my fingertips' caresses
whisper adoration,  
each finger
a laser shining
love deep into
your every cell,
igniting a wild fire
that awakens you,
consuming
your sleepiness

as you
waken,
turn,
and our lips meet,
we burst into golden fire.

Sing on, sing on,
sweet nightingale!
You fill my night
with flowing song.
Enraptured, I
will drink of you
'til moon and stars
are gone.
oh yes!
'til all the stars
are gone.

Sometimes, when poets write of love,
we speak of body parts,
but the part of you that I love best
is hidden in your heart.

How can I kiss your kindness?
Caress your thoughtfulness?
That's what I adore the most,
beyond your mounded *******.

The fount of understanding
flowing from your lips
is even more attractive
than your shapely waist and hips.

Your ready sense of humor
is very **** too!
You get the joke that others miss--
I love that about you.

While others pant of naked skin
and love that's passion-driven,
we share a secret smile because
our love is baked with leaven.

A heart that loves you and is true,
a hand to hold that doesn't cling,
someone to talk to all life through,
a friend to trust with everything.

I didn't intend to do that--
I HATE it when people
sneak up on me
with evangelical intent!
I merely opened my heart
to hear a poem, and
God bubbled to the surface.

No, not that God,
the one claimed
by the Christian right:
(who want you
to believe that Jesus
is a Republican--)

I mean the God you knew
as a kid.
Of course there's a God!
It's so obvious when you look,
wide-eyed and innocent,
at the miracle of existence--
how cool it is
just to be alive!

But then, growing up,
you found out
that there are Religions
that each have all this STUFF
about who God is.
They make it seem so complicated!

But really it's very simple:
Just love.
Everyone.
Always.
Devotedly,
passionately.
And--
forgive EVERYone.
That's all.
No, it's NOT easy,
but it is simple.

It works in every heart
It works in every culture
It works--
with or without
religion.

Religion might help you
find your heart's door handle--
reading about
the loving kindness of
a saint,
an avatar,
a rabbi,
a mystic,
a Sufi,
a Master.

But it could be
that God is always
singing a love song
to you
through a flower,
that rainbow,
a sunset,
the voice of a friend,
or even,
my beloved,
this little poem.
Are you listening?