years of sleep inside my eyes
rub the crust, close them tight
not sure i want to see this life
and what's become of us

some may yawn, turn their backs
smile and giggle, cackle, laugh
we did this while they did that
how did we miss the bus

directions that our leaders lead
stepping stones under feet will bleed
pocket greed fills their needs
use us till we're done

the only hand is in hand outs
heavy thumbs for holding down
with closed minds and closed accounts
it's easy to play dumb

too far in now to be saved
they've dug the holes to unmarked graves
with nothing left to give away
thank you for nothing

You can second guess decisions
Stew over your plight
Hear but never listen
To what others have in mind

Let it get the best of you
Not watch where your heart steers
Only see what's behind you
Wasted days and missing years

Do not make the best of it
No matter circumstance
If what first comes to mind is quit
You will never learn to dance

Only sip the negative
Listen but do not hear
Share in life but never live
Wasted days and missing years

Never see the joy in life
Or find time to right the wrongs
No concern where your mind dines
You'll never learn the song

Only look down, never up
Where the way is way more clear
Before you start you call it done
Wasted days and missing years

the river knows the secrets
rivers only know
promising to keep it
between the ebb and flow
darker are the whispers
the deeper that you go
pockets of cold
shivering the soul

the river knows the stories
the river passes by
lapping at humanity
the river hears the cries
toss a thought into the rapids
watch it drift on by
washing up on distant shores
further down the stream of life

I started out as a child
Knowing wrong from right
As I grew old and began to unfold
Somehow somewhere I lost sight

From the path that I was taking
To the road that I was on
No matter there's no mistaking
I lost the way to the way I had known

Easy said is easy done
Until there's nothing left
I found myself more lost than found
Most of all inside of my head

With there being no worse feeling
Than that of being alone
All I had for counsel was a blank celling
When I lost the way to the way I had known

My best guess is that the first step
Is coming clean with the truth
Then doing something about it
Pretty sure is step number two

Back again at the beginning
At this age might look strange to some
But it's hard to make a living
When you've lost the way to the way you had known

The time has come
To right the wrongs
To apologize
For all we've done

For the ones we've hurt
To make amends
As time draws nearer
To the end

The time has come
For humbleness
Responsibility
For this mess

For those we've hurt
Lacking tenderness
And ask no less
For forgiveness

The time has come
Where what must be done
Must be done
By everyone

Harmonize, apologize
Not placing or taking blame
Just saying we are sorry
For all we do and say

Paper or plastic
Is what they ask me
Standing in line
At the grocery
You have a choice
What will it be
Fill up the ocean
Or cut down the trees

Plastic will last
For a million years
We'll all be long gone
While it still hangs out here
We can bury it deep
But one thing is clear
Plastic will last
Beyond anything here

And you may not see
A tree round for miles
As we bulldoze them down
In progress selfish style
Not caring that
After awhile
There will be no trees left
For the grocer to smile

And say...

Paper or plastic
When they see me
Standing in line
At the grocery
Given a choice
In what will it be
Fill up the ocean
Or cut down the trees

I've got all the tools and tricks of the trade
To accomplish things that I've wanted
Sometimes proud of the mess that I've made
Most times without even knowing

Where I might have had a judgment lapse
On the when and where I got here
Often think that I can but then again
I come off as ill prepared

I try and plan it all ahead
Plan the best that I can
Cross the I's dot the T's till there's nothing left
Were nothing left is all that I have

Though I too often fumble
I still grin ear to ear
It's not hard to be that humble
When you come into it ill prepared

I take my tools through the twists and the turns
Tweaking when there is a need
Lessons given should be lessons learned
Although lessons given, never are free

If it looks like I've got it together
There's a smoke screen that needs to be cleared
In this life of happily ever after
I'm no more than ill prepared