Just when you think
You've got it made
The ground will shift
The earth will shake
Earlier
Than it will late
The cosmos never
Do behave

You dodge left
The world slides right
Made in the shade
But not tonight
You often may
But never might
After all
That's just life

In the moving up
They move you out
Before you ring
The final bell
And where's the hand
That holds the help
Now a day's
It's hard to tell

No matter who
Or what you're like
What used to bark
Now just bites
You found your lost
Too late this time
After all
That's just life

I strive to be
The one to see
The good in everyone

Beauty, Beast
Rich man, Thief
Not judged by what they've done

Paying no matter
To the social ladder
How high or low the rung

Which way they lean
Politically
If they reach down or they pull up

I strive to keep
Others needs
Far above my own

At my insistence
To see no difference
Between those who lost and those who won

Make it my mission
To truly listen
To both the old and young

And if I must
To only judge
With the hand of love

Moving through this life
Is how these days I exercise
With the shrugging of the shoulders
Rolling of the eyes

Shaking back and forth my head
In complete surprise
As long as I am in this life
I'll find ways to exercise

In the jumping to conclusions
Flipping out over what I see
I may not be losing that much weight
But certainly my sanity

Waving of the arms daily
Wildly side to side
Who out there can blame me
With the way I exercise

Folks on the right and on the left
Keep my head in spin
Moving ****** muscles
In this idiotic grin

Cause if I did not grin and bare it
I'd blow up twice this size
Life today I swear it
Is my only form of exercise

We promise this and give you that
The rest of it we keep
While deep inside we belly laugh
At a people so naive  

We say we care, what's fair is fair
Without skipping a beat
To tell the truth, we'll cook your goose
Then take away the meat

Behind your backs we hide that
Facts are rarely given
Fill your needs and say it's free
God bless socialism  

Never you mind the long lines
Just for toilet paper
We'll pat your hand say we understand
As we give your stuff to the neighbors

For safety's sake your guns we'll take
To cut down on surprises
Just in case you don't like the way
We deal with this crisis

So sit back relax, we've got this
We've made it our life mission
Problem solved, bend over and cough
God bless socialism

just because it don't slap you
doesn't mean you have a clue
with all you thought you thought you knew
what you think may not be true

just because it stands far off
doesn't mean there's not a cost
in what you save and what you toss
do not let the truth be lost

just because you are not moved
with wild emotions pulling you
to spin you in to where you loose
hold on tight to what is true

Are my best days all behind me
There's no way to tell for sure
No need now to remind me
Today I'm 64

This hill that I've been climbing
The ridge and other side far behind
Hard to believe the me I'll soon enough be
On my way to 65

In this life bite nobody's more surprised
How I ended up here so quick
With half a mind and bloodshot eyes
2 years away from 66

I really should stop this counting
I've only 10 fingers on these 2 hands
And with the nudge of arthritis hounding
Soon enough I'll be 67

Is there anyway to roll these old bones backwards
Being a dollar short and a day late
This old age it ain't for cowards
With knobbly knees on the way to 68

It's hard to hide the telltale signs
Here comes the wind, there goes the time
Before you know it, I'll rightfully own it
The ripe old age of 69

Throwing wide open the curtains on the uncertain
Do I really need to be diving in this deep
Where the moss grows years will show
The shuffling feet of 70

So you see there's no need to remind me
This apple is chewed to the core
With less days ahead than behind me
Today I'm 64

Kindly please, release the tsunami's
Earthquakes and hurricanes
Take whatever disease out of deep freeze
Set the sun up to bake

Have the latest virus reach a major crisis
Where peaceful riots misbehave
And the tornados, can you make those
Skip outside the alleyway

Take what is left of the last economic crash
Just add a different flavor
Long enough so that the next step of keep them on edge
Is the odor that they savor

With the toss of a dime throw in a mudslide
A forest fire or two for good measure
Whatever it takes to keep up the shakes
Don't forget a smidgen of cancer

Throw in a war or a rumor for sure
To keep them afraid of their neighbors
Have them judge men by the color of skin
And not by their best behavior

I'm sure there are others but this pretty much covers
This low rent life with high demand
Like a jilted lover holds onto your number
The consequence of sin

a time of white lies
are running through
ripping the red
burning the blue
what once waved proudly
to a star spangled tune
now seems
to be hanging loose
a bitter pill
this taste of the truth
losing its will
up to the hilt
the red, white, and blue

I've seen the best in men
And also seen the worst in them
Give more love to a stranger
Than they would their next of kin
Murky is the water
In how some people live
With a hit and a miss
Here we go again

Children on the battlefield
Streets in which they live
No warning as the shots ring out
Seldom do they miss
With silence from the general
Public is amiss
Hug and a kiss
Here we go again

With the little we have left
Can we not readily accept
I'm thinking we had better
Before we end up dead
It's every man for himself
In how he butters up his bread
With a swig and a dip
Here we go again

What do you do when the night lets loose
With the splattering of its stars
Watching the colors go through light to dark blue
Happy with where you are

As you gently go out nature stays for count
Ready to fill up the night
With its thousands of sounds drowning the silence out
In this the desert life

You wake in the morn as the darkness slows down
Which sleeps in the heat of the day
The secrets it holds are never once told
As the desert gives nothing away

Then it's back on the horse staying the course
With the destination hard to say
As you wrangle it in from beginning to end
In this the cowboy way

You know what they say about home on the range
Always in the back of your mind
There's a certain heat that nothing can beat
In this desert and cowboy way of life

add this to your memories
if you care to jot it down
of you and me weak in the knees
when we're both around

of the stammer and the stutter
more oft than should be allowed
if you'd like these as your memories
feel free to jot them down

to later show years down the road
when life turns bitter cold
the memories of you and me
faded pages of our love

jot down quickly all you see
if you care to have them last
memories to safe keep
these days of future past

to hold in hand the day we met
along with words we said
you might want to jot this down
if you haven't done it yet

We keep running in our races
But we're going nowhere brother
When will we all face the fact
That we need each other

Red, Yellow, Black, and White
Inside all the same
No matter light of day or dark of night
The family of man

Play the card of ignorance
Where hatred does abound
Loss of life and innocence
Never to be found

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew
What ever mold and make
I am here the same as you
All for heavens sake

I am not like you
And you are not like me
All special in our own rights
If I may speak truthfully

Gay, Straight, Trans, or Lesbian
However you play your song
We all sing the same tune of man
Why can't we get along

All the Nations have a notion
Of how to survive
If we take this any further
None will be left alive

The North, the South, the East, the West
Be it green or be it sand
We're all on this big blue ball together
The family of man

the only difference in
our differences
is the way we talk
the color of our skin

the hope most hold
won't come about
in this fallen world
if we don't figure out

that what we see
is the outside need
to take the in
and set it free

because just below
is the wanting soul
where the heart resides
holding out the hope

to change the shape
what matters much
from the shape of hate
to that of love

Let's sit back, relax
And all count out the cost
As the initial wave of shock
Wears itself thinly off

One side had to win
While the other side sadly saw
The beginning of the end
In what is now their loss

But aren't we still Americans
When all of this is said
Some voted with their hearts
While others with their heads

No need to roll over
And wish that you were dead
With history in the making
We've all gone through worse than this

While a select see a set back
To others it's a gain
What may have come as a flood
To some it's needed rain

True a few must lose
For another cause to win
But when it comes down to it all
Aren't we still all Americans

We let them take control of our lives
Without even questioning why
Accepting that with our needs being met
Never once felt the twist of the knife in our backs

At the time we turned a blind eye
As they all winked in sync with a crooked smile
Knowing once they gave some that we would want more
Under their thumb is now hard to ignore

At the time we thought it was fine
Trusting how they went and spent all our dimes
Knowing now full well it was all on themselves
Wining and dining while it all went to hell

They should have let this Sleeping Dog lie
Not only the bark but also the bite
Once we the people found out the truth
There's no turning back on what we should do

After all these many carnivore years
You can call it guilt or you can call it fear
I've made up my mind to decide
I'm going vegan this November time

So I broke down hard and read some books
Heard some tapes on what it took
From veggies steamed to veggies raw
From beans of green to yellow squash

As my nightly dreams were all filled with meat
I pushed back hard with collard greens
But still had no clue of what to do
With a turkey substitute

And that is when a friend came in
Who Tofu's the line at turkey time
So I read more books and heard more tapes
On Tofu fried, boiled, broiled, and baked

Opening up my kitchen to fine cuisine
Minus the best part...that being meat
As I promised myself I can make this work
My Tofurkey would be the finest in edible art

I had bought my Tofu by the pound
Lucky for me it is pliable
As I stretched and pulled and pulled and stretched
Until I had something that looked like a head

With my artistic abilities seriously in doubt
I'm pretty sure what I conjured was the head of a cow
So I pulled and stretched and stretched and pulled
No ones going to call me an abstract fool

As I bring to boil the 'Rodin' juices in me
And baste at my skills repeatedly
Where I come up with a turkey, giblets and all
And just for good measure I gobble a turkey call

Of course cooking the thing is another road and
I sadly lost Tofurkey 1, 2, 3 in the explosion
When 4 hit the score I invited my friends
Whose friendship with them will now take time to mend

Just because a turkey looks like a turkey, don't mean that it is
I'm now learning all this while I clean up the mess
As forks went to the mouths at the very same time
So did the retching along with the crying

But in a month they'll forget this entire sordid ordeal
When they get the invites for my Christmas holiday meal
With my time in the books and tapes I will spend
Looking forward to Christmas and a delicious soy bean ham

could we fall in love again
pretend we're newlyweds
side by side, holding hands
with the time that we have left

could we fall in love again
make it meaningful
raise what we had from the dead
bringing back the hope

could we fall in love again
follow those foot steps
live and let live on the mend
being the promise kept

could we fall in love again
like there is no tomorrow
leave behind the mistakes we've made
along with all the sorrow

could we fall in love again
in the frame of yesterday
make the effort, take the hint
let love have its way

could we fall in love again
start the day anew
follow through with the attempt
like two love sick fools

I've slipped and I've stumbled
Fallen all over myself
Butterfinger fumbled
Needing nobody's help
In life's wheeling and dealing
I've never dealt
Not sure I will ever win

I've tripped in mid-step
Misplaced my cape
Moved slightly left
When I should have gone straight
I'm the first at being early
To the art of being late
Not sure I will ever win

I've stepped out of line
Dug my own hole
Showing no signs
That I'll ever know
The in-between of day and night
In this out of control
Not sure I will ever win

Life
Is one detour after another

On this ride
From one end to the other

Where you find
All the mights and the may

Along the line
That life gets in the way

In the blink of an eye
It happens before you know it

The only sign
Is the moment that you're shown it

Where you find
One detour after another

In this life
From one end to the other

i just need pen
and paper in hand
to reach out for the stars

imagining
where i will land
is written in those stars

as the ink starts to swirl
out of this world
there and back again

no need to erase
this time and space
with pen and paper in hand

inside the minds eye
is where i go to write
relying on the word

to energize
taking to flight
across the universe

as rhyme runs its course
pointing due north
meeting and greeting all demands

i reach for the stars
through the poems open door
with pen and paper in hand

First they say do this, do that
When that's exactly what we did
Then they change what they just said
Up and down then round again

This is good, that is bad
More of this, less of that
This is bad, that is good
More or less misunderstood

Then they say not that, not this
Adding more onto the list
Stop it now avoid the crunch
The whole bunch is out to lunch

Do or don't be too surprised
As much as we all change our minds
If we knew the who's and why's
We'd all be running for our lives

once upon a time i knew
different friends as i passed through
and in turn they did too
in this wonder what became of you

never did we stay in touch
no reason why, just because
staying in touch wasn't so easily done
with the short goodbyes to the long gones

the older that i seem to get
the more my past that i regret
the friends i had that i left
i wonder now where they are at

and do they ever think of me
a soft spot in their memory
were they sad to see me leave
or did life go on with no skipped beats

all the people i once knew
passing time while passing through
i wonder if their thoughts runs loose
back to the me that they once knew

You bring the funyuns
I'll bring the french dip
The Diet Coke and
Large bag of cat nip

Aaron Carter's party tape
Your black light posters
My favorite cake that you bake
With the sprinkles all over

You bring the bling
I'll bang a gong
With T-Rex in the mix
But not that song

We'll turn the lights down
Turn the sound up
Dress like up-town
Eating hors d'oeuvres and fruit cups

Turn on the strobe light
Bring out the Skittles
We'll do this in Dixie
So you all can whistle

Hire us a band
In blue Leisure suits
With Jethro Tull's main man
To play the flute

Send in the clowns
Pockets stuffed with confetti
Wiener dogs from the pound
Pretty sure we're now ready

So send the invites
To family and friends
Come as you like
Let the party begin

Do as I say
Not as I do
What's good for me
Ain't necessarily for you

I am the one
Who makes the rules
I'll be the tool
You be the fool

What's good for this goose
No need to gander
Go on and meander
With birds of your feather

Because what I say
And what I do
Ain't quite the same
When it comes to you

So do what I say
And not what I do
Just stay under my thumb
As I make and break rules

It's funny how in life we have
All these expectations
Like we deserve the very best
Of the soup it's making

Reaching for the biggest spoon
Slurping a self righteous tune
It's how we eat, it's what we do
With mouths too full to think of you

It's funny how in life we see
Other people eating
It's only you, it's never me
With the bowl I'm keeping

Reaching for the biggest spoon
Continually it's nothing new
It's how we eat, it's what we do
In the slurping of life's soup

Burned by fire
Slain by sword
No calling higher
Than for the Lord

The prophets profit
Nothing here
But drawing those
Ever near

Thrown the stone
The lions lair
Being not their own
Tossing cares

The prophets profit
Beyond this time
For the other side
Eternal life

Shunned and shamed
Losing face
All for the sake
Of saving grace

The prophets profit
Saving souls
Filling dockets
For the Lord

giving up, giving out
giving all i have
every inch, every ounce
till there's nothing left

all the hints, all the doubt
all that has been said
teeny tiny, large amounts
placing all my bets

holding up, holding out
all that is allowed
just enough, not too much
standing solid ground

open windows, closing doors
shinny and un-kept
moving over, run for cover
till there's nothing left

Should have first kicked the tires
Checked underneath the hood
This lousy lot is full of liars
Too late to change my mind but would if I could

Guess we'll have to wait and see
How this vehicle runs its course
By then we may be in way too deep
...Buyers Remorse

I never doubted the constant commercials
Pointing me to the need of greed
A pearly white smile that spoke of hope
Up on blocks, covered in weeds

No more drive thru Happy Meals
All the buildings are closed
Never once thought it'd be that big a deal
...Buyers Remorse

A promise said ain't no promise kept
This cat now out of the bag
Is it me, he, or she out of our heads
Could someone please queue the laugh track

Cause no one in their right mind is laughing
Too late now to shut the door
Can't believe all this is happening
...Buyers remorse

I wear dark shades these days
To not give myself away
With every eye roll that I have
Over every little thing that's said

I gladly hide behind this mask
Every smirk and laugh I have
For the times where it counts
It even hides all the frowns

I play music in my ears
So the chit chat I don't hear
Nodding my head to the beat
Makes them think I'm listening

I'm thinking this is bases covered
Unless you come up with another
If you do please let me know
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone

Ring the bell for new beginnings
Ring it for the promise kept
Ring the bell for happy endings
Almost there but not quite yet

Ring the bell through cries of laughter
Ring the bell through tears of joy
Ring it loudly with the answer
Ring it high above the noise

Ring the bell in times of trouble
Ring it for both hope and fear
Ring it for the proud and humble
For those both far and near

Ring the bell in times of darkness
Ring it loudly in the light
Ring the bell for those who need rest
Ring it for the lost to find

Ring it through the streets and alleys
Ring the bell around the bend
From the mountains to the valleys
All the way up to the end

pick a subject
take a dip
pack a line
where it fits

clever, playful
ever bold
as you dabble
in the fold

move it, use it
shake the mat
make a list
slap the facts

tell it, sell it
mark it sold
looky, looky
it's a poem

He rolled out of bed
Switched on the internet
To the dark web
Where secrets are kept

Unhappy with life
And his slice of the pie
Has a shelf full of trophies
So he doesn't know why

What he planed to do
Was join in a group
As unhappy as him
With the same bad attitude

They complained as they typed
Typed and complained
No one had a real answer
But all faulted the man

They decided to riot
A peaceful protest
Burn a few buildings
Cause social unrest

With the camera's rolling
The stage is all set
End time bells tolling
For the government

Out fighting fascists
These fascists in drag
All that they are
Is all they're against

Left in their leanings
Don't dare get in the way
Of the secrets they're keeping
This modern day KKK

With the breaking of words
The bending of truth
It's just what they do
Rebels without a clue

Where in a dog fight
Dogs don't care who they bite
In the succession of barks
They should have seen all the signs

When the dust finally settles
And the smoke has all cleared
Our untimely hero's
Will be the ones that they fear

This once was a mighty ship
Majesty of the high seas
With a people well equipped
To fill in when felt the need

Often times when waters rise
Worried minds, starboard to stern
Where innocence goes to die
Lessons lived not often learned

Comes the age of reckoning
Pirating the ship at bay
No need to sing, God save the queen
When she no longer has a say

Over time ill equipped
In a world that switched from sail to steam
Where power takes more than it gives
In the wake that it leaves

Mighty once this sinking ship
Pounded by todays angry waves
Is this any way to live
Floating on top your own grave

When it comes to me
It's fairly easy to see
There's not a whole lot
To my wants or my needs

Take what you like
Love it or hate it
You'll find overtime
My life's uncomplicated

Doesn't take one to know
I'm not the best in show
Though ready and willing
Steady in flow

Be it in the giving
Or the undertaken
I'm making a living
Uncomplicated

There's too much going on
To want to join in
Wherever life's going
Or wherever it's been

No need to kick back
And proclaim that I've made it
Just accept the fact that
My life's uncomplicated

I have this Coin here in my pocket
That I pull out when there's a need
If I told you it was magic
At that point would you believe

It's been passed down from generations
Hand to hand, smooth and bright
A ceremony few have witnessed
And now the Coin is mine

I don't abuse the Coins good fortune
Wishing for that which money can buy
There's so much more that is important
That the Coin's used for in life

The Coin warms up in my pocket
When I get close to where I best can serve
Fulfilling the Coins purpose
In a simple action or kind word

Is the Coin really magic
Or just a reminder to do what's right
Do you have a Coin in your pocket
That you count on like I do mine

When I am old and gray like my Father
I will pass the Coin to the next in line
So it will continue to bring forth justice
To those less fortunate than you and I

If you're looking for the answers
About to come undone
You know you take your chances
If you do it without love

If the hate inside you festers
Until your heart is raw
If all the love has left here
Who is left to sing its song

You can try and seek forgiveness
From those on the other side
But with God as your witness
Love will never be denied

You can blame the sin of man
For that's exactly what it is
When Satan plays the upper hand
On how we interact

You can move out from the here and now
Into another relm
You can take a class to show you how
Pay attention where you can

But unless you convince the others
That it's the perfect move
You will never find another
To join in love with you

Everyone in town knows
Philmont is a mad scientist
It's not his little hunchback buddy
Or the crazy smocks in which he's always dressed

It's not the lighting clouds over his house
Or the strange sounds from which his basement grew
No, it's not any of those things
That gives the town it's clue

It's not all of the darkened birds
That hang out on his fence
Or his subscription to Weird Science Weekly
And on what experiments his time is spent

Not even when things always turn up missing
Down at the local graveyard
No, it's the 'HONK' if you love Mad Scientists sticker
On the bumper of his car

Turn me on, I'm a radio
Spin my dial straight to Rock & Roll
Cranking up the volume, smoke um if you got um
Vibrating deep to both the heart and soul

Starting with the 60's in case you haven't heard
Music brought the doctor with the rocking cure
To the blues that ailed me, wasn't hard to sell me
Once the boys from L.A. opened up The Doors

Feel free to turn the dial now to the 70's
Keep the volume loud ya'll as pretty as you please
Pushing all my buttons cause every song says something
In this age of Rock & Roll discovery

I'll even crank the 80's as the ladies stare
At the men in makeup with the crazed teased hair
From Bowie down to Poison and all the other chosen  
Now let's slip into the 90's if you dare

With the volume up we're now all screaming grudge
With me it's all Rock & Roll so who am I to judge
It'll take years for me to land once I tasted Pearl Jam
All I've got to say is thank you very much

For turning me on cause I'm a radio
Spinning my dial fast and furious straight to Rock & Roll
Smoke um if you got um while cranking up the volume
Vibrating deep to both the heart and soul

Why is it, we as a people
Continue fighting Black and White
Instead of truth and justice
Between the wrong and right

To many of us wearing
A righteous crown of thrones
What we need to value
Washed out by the storm

Could we not see it coming
Blinded by our pride
Are we not  brothers and sisters
The same color on the inside

Is it to much to ask
That we all get along
And not judge each other brother
By the color in which we're born

Then perhaps, we as a people
Will not see the world in Black and White
And every day embrace the grey
In a world that's color blind

making this all up as i go
from one end to the other
any wild guess is as good as the rest
if you never blow your cover

sailing away with a straight face
without a soul being the wiser
what i don't know i fake it in tow
while majoring in the minor

this slight of hand is all i have
being slightly out of mind
making it up as fast as i can
balancing on this wobbly line

...called life

When time and space
Makes a mistake
And spins out of control

***** in its wonka
Who would have thunka
Only those in the know

Beam me up Scottie
The hottest of toddy's
So I can propose a toast

Here's to the days
We used to say
We did but now we don't

Wearing a cape
In the form of escape
As superhero lore goes

Up, up, and away
Before it's too late
What's coming nobody knows

In this space and time
To late to rewind
And spins out of control

i hold to a few different views
from more than a few of you
be them false or be them true
after all they're all my views

there are times that i might find
i view my views through different light
never hold your views you view so tight
that you can't find to change your mind

cause you too have a set of views
that bend and mold the shape of you
still we misconstrue our stated views
in what we say and do
and in how we hold our views