This is California
Before it slides into the sea
Don't say I didn't warn ya
It's a beautiful place to be

It can certainly hypnotize
With the blueness of its skies
In every corner you will find
The sun can't help but shine

This is California
Exudes an attitude
Don't say I didn't warn ya
A completely different mood

From anything you've ever seen
Hope to have or hope to be
Once you're there you'll never leave
This California dream

This is California
The land of opportunity
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Before it slides into the sea

I have my share of what some call trinkets
But to me they're memories
If I lose my train to think it
I just stop and look around me

I have keys chains from the tropics
Tee shirts that say wish you were here
If you name it chances are I've got it
In the form of souvenirs

From the time I was in Canada
There's an ash tray never used
It was either that or a button
That proclaimed, I kissed a moose

I have all these things to guide me
When my mind stops running clear
If you need me you can find me
Reminiscing with my souvenirs

There's a Chihuahua doll from Mexico
A flag and stand from Japan
I can still feel the warm Hawaiian glow
In this bottle of beach sand

When I am old and beyond gray
I'll have all this to take me there
Back to the days I once made
In the form of souvenirs

It's Winter here
In Florida
How do I know
The calendar says so

There's the slightest dip
In humidity
If you ask me
The bugs are relieved
As far as all
Our winter clothes
Bermuda shorts
Are pulled down low
Out come the socks
Between the toes
Pull back the yarn
Where the sandal goes

And with the sweat
On my forehead
I'm pretty sure
There's a few drops less

People bring
Their families down
I can always tell
There's a bigger crowd

All the birds
Just sit and stare
With a knowing nod
They're going nowhere

Yes it's winter here
In Florida
How do I know
The calendar says so

I often hide behind
The poetry I write
If you only knew
What I was going through

You might not come to grips
Or even come to like
This poet here
That keeps on fooling you

In and out of seasons
This reasoning of mind
Who's to say
What is false or true

Warmer comes the weather
Colder stays the heart
With straight face
No one has a clue

As I press pen to paper
In another roundabout
Way of making
Rhyming words for you

This whole time hiding behind
Theses simple words I write
Where no one has a clue
Of what I'm really going through

Hey bro, I think you should know
Before I let you go
If you're still holding out hope
It's the end of the world

So if you haven't yet
Up and packed all your bags
There is little time left
For that or your regrets

You can kiss it all goodbye
Said the spider to the unlucky fly
Said the plane while still in mid-flight
Right above the crash site

All that is left is little left said
You can bet that we've made our beds
Oh and that price on our heads
That's a cost that we've never met

So hey bro, if you didn't know
Down the river we've all been sold
For a pound or two of fools gold
It's the end of the world

Both convicting and convincing
Pointing to what's true and right
My Daddy's worn out Bible
Always comes to mind

The pages torn and tattered
From years of loving use
My Daddy knew what mattered
From his early days of youth

As he poured over the pages
Daily in blood, sweat, and tears
No if's, and's, but's, or maybe's
His God he both loved and feared

Highlighted, both pen and marker
Words that touched his very soul
As the days grew ever darker
He knew the light to hold

And also where his strength came from
In the faithful words he'd read
Of God's grace to us poured out in love
To all who have the need

Both convicting and convincing
Pointing to what's true and right
My Daddy's worn out Bible
Always comes to heart and mind