The old man on the corner
Wants a change
The young man next to him
Wants much the same

The only difference is
Between the both of them
Is the direction
They think change should move ahead

The old man wants a change
Back to the good old days
The young man wants to move beyond
This continuous running in place

Leaving little hope
Of nowhere to go
When the past is something
The youth of today have never know

Making the old man afraid
Of where the future lays
Perhaps in a way we should pray
That the heart of each should be the change

Innocent days quaint in the country
With no idea of what was to come
When powerful men under false pretenses
Convinced us simple folk, to play along

Now doing their best to cash in a profit
Leaving little behind that we recognize
Their favorite word, I've heard is progress
But all we've seen here is the progression of lies

Not a single tree, have they left standing
Or fish in the lakes along running streams
And through it all they've had their hand in
Other people's pockets, sticky with greed

With the land cleared out they erected their buildings
Another angle at a slice of the pie
Between give and take they took our souls away
Leaving in their wake this barren waste of life

Innocent days quaint in the country
Are now far beyond long dead and gone
When power hungry men, under false pretenses
Convinced us simple folk to play along,
in their wicked game that's never done

The shooting of stars
That fall from the sky
The mixing of words
To questions of why
The beginning of something
Makes its demands
To help it along
As much as it can
The dreaming of places
That too few have seen
The look of sad faces
In search of a friend
The hopes of tomorrow
Shipped off in a box
The feeling of sorrow
No longer a thought
The taste of sweet freedom
Given away
Steps that are taken
The path that is laid
More than a notion
Of where you have been
The poem will live on
Well beyond its end

Although this may sound odd
As they're packing down the sod
Make sure you're buried alive
In the name of Jesus Christ

None of us rightfully know
Where we'll be, the day we go
Or the exact time
We'll up and spend our last dime

Just make sure your soul's not dead
When they place the silk beneath your head
Please take my advice
Make sure you're buried alive

Yes, it may sound strange
Packed away inside your crate
But those that lived for Christ
Will be buried alive

Where true life begins
Free from death, free from sin
Eternity on golden streets
Free from all our worldly needs

The present suffering that we have
Does not compare to what's ahead
Take this Godly advice
Make sure you're buried alive

Those of us in the know
Don't go through life without this hope
Living unafraid
Of what's to come beyond the grave

We're confident and sure
This shell will hold our soul no more
At last satisfied
Being buried alive

Don't let them bury you dead in sin
Which is no way for man to live
Make sure you're buried alive
In the Name and Spirit of Jesus Christ

can't make up your mind
on which side
you would like to lean

so, you stand
with head in hand
somewhere in-between

both hot and cold
cause lukewarm
where none of it makes sense

half and half
right and left
straddling the fence

what comes to light
working both sides
you're flimsy in foundation

after all this time
of crossing lines
mistakes that you've been making

playing both sides
you never find
you have that good a grip

to grab ahold
of your lost soul
straddling the fence

Look at us all, professionals
Taking pictures of everything
All of it on our camara phones
What is it that we're missing

Busy all the time filming life
With phone in face
That we don't see the light of it all passing by
As the hour is growing late

Not knowing how to enjoy ourselves
In the middle of the moment
A phone full of photos that we love to show
Saying that looks fun now don't it

Took in a hurry, these pictures of stories
When the moral to the story is
We should enjoy the time then keep it in mind
Before any more of life, we miss

...taking pictures like this

2 Poets of the same ilk
Coming together, head-to-head
Knowing it's surely God's will
Setting to rhyme, what needs to be said

2 Poets in control of the pen
Easily slipping into the flow
Both with an idea here to lend
No telling in which direction they'll go

2 Poets with a strong bond
A chance meeting, out of the blue
Where magic happens, like waving a wand
You feeding off me, me feeding off you

2 Poets coming together
With a strong desire for the truth
A fact of the matter, friends forever
After all, it's what families do

-Maddison Colman
-Mike Hauser