We started out with pastel
Soft colors at their best
Over time we drew the lines
Then filled in all the rest

The further in that we went
Brighter were the shades
Water coloring away the nights
While waking to acrylic days

Much too soon we drew the blues
When envying the greens
Angered at the reds we'd choose
Brushed with jealousy

Till the colors that we saved
Over time did fade
Helping tell what we knew full well
We should have layered more the paint

Pulling out the markers that
We had yet to mark us with
And colored on each other gone
With the little we had left

when it comes to indecision
i can't quite decide
am i for it or against it
or just along for the ride

if i don't move do i lose it
or is it the other way around
with all these choices in the choosing
raising all these doubts

yes, no, maybe
can i get back with you on that
all of the above if it'll save me
from dealing with the facts

cause when it comes to indecision
i can't quite decide
am i for it or against it
and is it worth the fight

over here he's hammered
over there he's ******
couldn't they think of anything better
than a mind-numbing bar all night long

that one there looks plastered
up against the wall
which ain't no laughing matter
especially if he doesn't make it home

this one is three sheets to the wind
in the air-conditioned breeze
there's one hugging the porcelain
dirt upon his knees

one is staggering by the door
is he heading in or heading out
wait a minute, he just hit the floor
going to be a while before we find that out

another day at the bar
another night of lost memories
where they don't care where they
as they order up one more drink

Pick me up
Put me down
Walk away
Turn around

Tell me yes
While saying no
Hold me tight
Let me go

Please just make up your mind

Toss me out
Catch me back
Taking more
Giving less

What you give
What you take
Say you love
Show you hate

Please just make up your mind

I sometimes feel like...

A worn out stitch on a winter sweater
The last thought when you think you know better
The tear in the page of a glamour magazine

The far off sound of inclement weather
The nagging thought when you hear the word never
The discarded peal of a tangerine

I sometimes feel like...

The postage stamp on a Valentine letter
The fluttered path of a floating feather
What comes to mind when you hear indeed

The mighty swing of a grand slam batter
The super glue to pottery shattered
The first morning note that a bird sings

I sometimes feel like...

The moment when nothing is sadder
The other side of all the laughter
The skeleton in the closet you keep

The lost time when things really mattered
The last rung on a broken ladder
Someone that's never seen

I sometimes feel like...

A seven course meal that has been catered
A superhero the moment he saves her
The do in the doing

The now rather than later
The plus sign on a calculator
The remembrance of a dream

Most of what we ain't got
Is mostly what we need
And with that thought like it or not
I wish they'd leave me be

I've had enough to the point of giving up
Since this all went down
Common sense ain't common since
Common sense left town

It's like a day spent in the rain
Without galoshes on
And the puddles you make along the way
Follow you back home

With no thought at all in the slip and fall
And on your way down
You think common sense ain't common since
Common Sense threw in the towel

You thought it would sound real good
But there's an echo in your head
Was it in what you thought
Or was it in what they said

We're in too deep, wait for the beep
Try not to lose count
Common sense ain't common since
All of this went down

funny how we keep
things that we don't need
as if we are afraid
of tossing things away
it's like they have ahold
of our very souls
things that we don't need
that we seem to keep

There's talk on the street
Somethings happened to me
I don't look the same
As I used to be

I've got the same name
I've got the same face
But something about me
Has definitely changed

They try to figure it out
There's something about
On the tip of their tongue
There is no doubt

As they scratch their heads
Wondering just what it is
Either something has come
Or something has left

As they wonder what's up
It's starting to bug
They can't take anymore
They've had enough

I just sit here and smile
As they try and figure it out
It's as plain as the day
Let them squirm for awhile

Cause what it is that I've changed
Is my eyebrows I shaved
I now change my expression
With mascara paint

I can now look surprised
As my eyebrows I rise
3 to 4 inches
Above my eyes

Or I can bring them down
Into a uni-brow
Make me look angry
Give me a scowl

I lower the other
While lifting it's brother
Which raises a question
One way or another

There's so much you can do
When your eyebrows you lose
If your afraid to participate
Start with one and not two

But I must warn you
That if you do
There's only one expression you'll have
And that is one of confused

So as they keep on guessing
With insistent insisting
I keep doing my best
To change my expression

I'm stepping off this highway
That so many today are on
The shape it's in has about done me in
I need a higher road

One without so many potholes
And blind curves along the way
One where I can take my time
And say what I want to say

Without some passerby
Going into a rage
They need to stop over what others have got
And stay in their own lanes

With no heed or no warning
They keep changing up the signs
It's so hard to know which way to go
Which only adds to life's hefty fines

So I'm stepping off this highway
That leads to whoever knows
Cause the shape it's in has about done me in
And I'm in need of a higher road

With so many questions
Of who, what, where and when
But never any answers
That make any sense

What were you just saying
Where did the time go
And for those who want to know when
Then I'll tell you so

When Hell freezes over
Or when pigs fly
Who thinks dogs have souls
And where do they go when they die

What is the reason
For wish I may wish I might
And where can I find the best seasoning
For the sprinkling of lies

When someone kicks the bucket
Do you toss the baby and the bathwater both out
Or at least save the kitchen sink
For the next go round

And who was it that let
The cat out of the bag
Now that that has been said
Are there any secrets left

What seems only once in a blue moon
When it does come along
Who's left out of the loop
In the chasing of rainbows

When monkies finally escape
From out your screaming rear
Only then will you know
The who, what, when, and where

This road I have traveled on
From that to this very point
Knew just what to want
Knew where it was going

To me at times was never clear
As I wobbled through the atmosphere
From over there to over here
Through the laughter and the tears

Through the losses and the gains
In life's pleasure and its pain
From early time to those of late
Did not hesitate

Moved itself right along
Like a top 40 Pop song
When it didn't sing it hummed
This melody of love

Before the time I even knew
Or even had a single clue
This road knew just what to do
And ran me into you

Where we hit and miss
Is anybody's guess
Trying our very best
In search of happiness

It's a scratch and sniff
In all we hope to get
A turn around in circles
Ending with leg lift

It's a growl and a bark
It's a stake we claim
What we've done to this world
Is a dog gone shame

It's a willful wag
At the tail end
A well soaked training mat
Shared with all our friends

It's a cold wet nose
A best in show
Digging of holes
Burying of bones

It's a toss and catch
A retrieving game
What we've done to this world
Is a dog gone shame

You were the girl who guarded herself
So as not to trip like everyone else
Through some of the corners that you took
You should have stood and had a look

As life can leave little traps
Takes what you have and doesn't give back
But only a little at a time
So what you lose you don't seem to mind

Before too long you find you're stuck
In a rut like the rest of us
I hate to break it to you ***
But welcome to the club

It's a struggle, it's a constant fight
It's a battle between what's wrong and right
You've always thought of yourself as strong
Somewhere along the way you got it wrong

Because now you do what you don't want to
And what you don't do bothers you
Because you were the girl who guarded herself
So as not to trip like everyone else

When all is said and all is done
You swore you'd never be what you've become
I hate to break it to you ***
But welcome to the club

Have you ever had if you think about it
A major problem with numbers
They divide and subtract whenever they can
As they carry over

They multiple while playing it shy
To equal out the field
The problem I have of you think about it
With numbers is all too real

There's a time for love a time for hate
A time to apologize
A time for war a time for peace
To open wide our eyes

A time that is worth saving
A time to toss away
Just make sure the toss away
Stays down in the grave

There's a time to look within
A time to look without
A time for preservation
Beyond a shadow of a doubt

A time for understanding
A time to right the wrongs
A time to join together
Blending into one

There's a time to search the meaning of
A time that is well spent
A time to let it go
And not care where it went

A time to get a grip
That some things you can't change
What other people do
Sometimes along the way

There's a time for feeling up
A time for feeling down
A time you feel you've had enough
But go it one more round

There's a time you come to realize
There always is a time
In all you say in all you do
In all the time you find

BLACK & BLUE
are the colors that
you turn to
like the others that
he once knew
when he met you
and let loose

where you find
he is not so
nice a guy
truth or dare
it's a lie
every time
he'll apologize

promising
he will not
do it again
till he raises his
angry hand
low on promise
high on demand

still, you stay
with no plans to
run away
but will you
survive the day
his fits of rage
who's to say

where he leaves you
with no clue
every time he
backhands you
will you even
make it through
the next round of
pity you
BLACK & BLUE

I'm here to frame this story
In a certain frame of mind
Adding bits of glory
As I fabricate the lies

Tell a tale about myself
On this train of thought
Before I take a wrong turn
And end up completely lost

With the middle name "Adventure"
What else is there to do
Besides sky dive or Rodeo bull ride
On any given afternoon

When I'm not busy swimming
Waters infested by crocodile
You may want to have a seat
As this may take awhile

I make sure to save my fingers
For saving other lives
With me being a top-notch brain surgeon
...does that come as a surprise

In between my junkets
Out to Hollywood
Always playing the lead man
Being the only one who could

Yes, I lead quite the life
In this my frame of mind
Adding bits of glory
As I fabricate the lies

Whether Black, White, Yellow, Red
Or somewhere in-between
We all get butthurt over time
As both sides cause a scene

We have lost the art of humor
In this abstract gallery
If you need a hint, get over it
That's about as blunt as I can be

Why don't we find the funny
In funny anymore
Who turned us into whinny
Little boys and girls

I have a suggestion
Don't spin your ******* in a twirl
Get a grip, get over it
It's not the end of the world

Try your best He, He, Haw, Haw
Adding in a smile
You will soon see that it helps
When you can laugh at yourself

Can we all try and do better?
Not be so quick to bite?
Do our best to get over it?
And learn to laugh at life?

Huh, can we...can we, huh?

Life can lift you up
At the same time drag you down
Have you drink from its sippy cup
Then pour you all out on the ground

Life can be real rough
While smooth along the edge
Cook you up way past well done
Then deep fry what is left

Life can spin you left
Till you're not sure what is right
Like a genie in a bottle
Rub you wrong then ***** the lid on tight

Life can be a Sunday walk
All the way up to the end
Or a fairy tale where the frog
Never gets kissed into a prince

Life can be a breeze
That blows with ease or a hurricane
Choose any one of these
Life has your number and knows your name

I'm going back to basics
Tossing technology out the door
They say life is what you make it
I'm going to make it a natural world

The stars at night will be my candlelight
The open meadow my unmade bed
The Moonbeam will hold my calmest dreams
As I rest my weary head

When the morning peaks I'll have the mountain stream
To provide me with cool drink
And the berries from a nearby tree
Will be what I daily eat  

I won't have any more deadlines
To stress my life upon
The only time that I will keep
Will be the season of the Sun

I will move when in the mood
Will be my whole new attitude
And sitting back relaxing
Will be the hardest thing I do

I'll carry on conversations
With the animals of the wild
I'm sure they'll make a lot more sense
Than those, I've left behind

If you think you'd like to join me
There's no need to pack a bag
I guarantee you'll be happy
With the little that you have

Hard as a sudden fall
Cold as a winters wind
Things you don't know
Still can hurt you, my friend

Holding on tight
Until the truth bites
Don't know which is worse
The road or the ride

With focus kept
More on the past
Where we can't accept
What lies ahead

Take it all in stride
The slip with the slide
Kicking up gravel
The road and the ride

Windows rolled down
To beat the heat
The past in the mirror
Is smaller than it appears to be

You can pick up the speed
On new horizons to find
But you'll never be free
Of the road and the ride

Fact is fiction, fiction fact
Not sure we can get it back
Who's to listen, who's to laugh

Crazy has come up to bat

What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours
Unless we change our minds of course
Are we bored with the soup du jour

Crazy's knocking at the door

From reality have we lost touch
Queasy feeling in our guts
How many of us are out to lunch

Crazy is crazily twisting knobs

Not sure if we should flip or fly
Spinning left, twisting right
Trudging through these troubled times

Crazy lately barks and bites

Two to Tango, who to trust
Barely room now on the bus
When blowing bubbles who needs gum

Crazy has snuck up on us

Call it fate or a mistake
But I'm always running late
Whether it's in to morning work
Or out to nightly dinner dates

Never have I been early
At anything I do
Except to say that I'll be late
But that you already knew

It's been that way from the beginning
Starting with my nine and a half month birth
Inside of the womb, slept till way past noon
For all that I was worth

Still feel I'm in my teenage years
Late at growing up
But I must say the way adults act these days
Don't think I'm missing much

I may even be late for my own funeral
But would that be a crime
I ask who out there wouldn't care
If they missed their day of dying

So call it fate or a mistake
One or another, either way
All I can say is that to this day
I'm always running late

Years ago
I fell into this hole
Face down in a puddle of poetry

Splashed around like a kid
Till I learned how to swim
Footloose and fancy-free

Where every now and then
I would swim the deep end
Holding my breath as I go

Following along with the current
Knowing full well that it's worth it
When caught up in a rhyming flow

Yet there are those days
When all I do is wade
Only as far as up to my knees

Not wanting to get
My mind overly wet
In this puddle of poetry

Who would have guessed
Or have known this no less
Years ago when I fell in this hole

That this poetry puddle I'm in
Would teach me how to swim
Beyond anything I've ever known

Not sure what I did with it
Could someone help me find the BIC
Could be mine or could be yours
We need something to light this torch

We already have the mob
Angry bunch of sorry sods
Saddle the horses, grab the reigns
Riding out to place the blame

Playing off of the town's fears
Whispering into their ears
Our own version of the truth
What you don't know will not hurt you

Don our hats, the men in white
At least we are in our own eyes
No one is above the law
Unless it is us of course

I know somebody
That has a crush on you
They may deny it
But I know it's true
I've seen the way
That they look at you
When you do
Those little things you do

I know somebody
When they hear your name
They can not help
But feel that way
Every single minute
Of every single day
You're the single thought
They can't toss away

I know somebody
Where you are all they think
And the crush on you
Has them in a vice-like squeeze
The thought of you
Will not leave them be
I know this to be true
Because that somebody is me

when we are young
we dream of this life
fame and fortune
everything right
from top to bottom
side to everlasting side
youthful endeavors
we have in this life
as we grow old
with the passing of time
reality steps
in in its prime
gives us notice
with the dimming of light
makes the truth
easier to find
the push and the shove
with all of its might
the dirt on the glove
that used to be white
the joy you once held
the dreams you once dined
life came along
and opened our eyes
now we just try
our best to survive
in what we have
left in this life

i try and keep him out
while he brings me down
always is around
the fool in me

not about
to shut his mouth
must love his sound
the fool in me

no lessons learned
while he takes his turn
with nothing earned
the fool in me

always first
with the dirt
but not the cure
the fool in me

like a hound
chases his tail around
too many times to count
the fool in me

runs his mouth
with no thought about
what comes out
the fool in me

I woke up this morning
Before the rooster started crowing
Without even knowing
What the day held out for me

Turning on the lamplight
Wiping sleep from my eyes
Waving my bed goodbye
As the floor reached for my feet

Two or three cups of coffee
I'm thinking ought to do me
Right about now justly
As I ready myself to leave

With the keys in my left hand
The right attitude of yes I can
Take this world on like a man
Just you wait and see

I bring with me my 'A' game
It's a lot like 'B' but less lame
Otherwise they'd both be the same
Which doesn't make sense to me

I stumble out to my car
As I no longer walk that far
Used to but not anymore
The age of modern day conveniency

Into traffic I merge
Under other drivers select verbs
Most of them 4 letter words
That cause my ears to bleed

Make it to the job on time
Earlier than expected I find
Somewhere along the line, lost my mind
As it is Saturday

you're the figure in the window
with secrets hard to keep
double paned fogged over
turning up the heat

makes it so hard
when you can hardly see
all that you have done
why do you do this to me

you would think that you'd know better
with your reflection glimmering
that it really matters
in word and in-deed

life isn't always
always what it seems
a fault line runs through dreams
why do you do this to me

in way too deep
with my own company
with friends like me
who needs enemies

closing of the curtains
so even the fog you can't see
in charge of my own keep
why do you do this to me

Did you just think what we think you thought
What we think we thought you thunk
Well you, my friend have just been caught
Thank you very much

As we go through what we know of you
When you're awake and when you sleep
You might have made a grave mistake
We shall see say the "Thought Police"

Did you think to do what you shouldn't do
Then in the Queue change your mind
At the slightest clue, we let the Hell Hounds loose
You'll think better when you think next time

We're reigning in the cranium
Flatfoots on the beat
Try and think that thought again
You'll think twice around the "Thought Police"

When you think to think you better think
Long before you do
With us nearby monitoring
We've got ears and eyes on you

Have you ever thought to turn yourself in
Tell us what you think
We're bound to find out eventually
After all, we're the "Thought Police"

there's a broken love poem
lays beside my bed
won't leave me alone
dreams of words unsaid

i wake every hour
inside every wakening hour
to its constant whisper
with its need for closure

this broken love poem
will not leave me be
this broken love poem
that whispers in my sleep

There will surely come a day
When all of this shall fade away
Fade from mind and fade from view
When all that's left will be in you

No more worries, no more tears
No more regret of the lost years
No more pain from words been said
Where all is you in all we have

That day the captives will be free
To live in Christ's perfect harmony
The lion laying down with the lamb
Just the way God had it planed

On the shore of heavens bank
We will unite with all the saints
Who have ventured on before
In the Glory of the Lord

I am praying for that day
When all mankind will see the way
No more yielding of the sword
As we lift high your Holy Word

Yes, I am praying for that day
Where all of sin shall fade away
And all that's left will be to sing
Forever praises to our Holy King

You say your not religious
Well neither my friend am I
It was man that made religion
It was Christ that came for us to die

He came to earth with a purpose
And that purpose was to set us free
From the guilt, the sin, the daily shame
All chains of captivity

It was the religious leaders of his day
That used their power as a tool
It was Jesus that came to do away
With all the man made rules

Rules that held the people down
The same as they do today
Invite Jesus into your heart right now
And let freedom have its way

You say your not religious
Well neither my friend am I
It was man that made religion
It was Christ that came for us to die

words are made for keeping
best you write this down
figuratively speaking
unique in their sound

colorblind in black and white
spilling off the page
different as day and night
on what words have to say

words, when they join forces,
go from door to door
charting out their courses
in the use of words

My body is way bent out of shape
From years and years of abuse
That I might just make my own wake
If I don't soon enough figure out what to do

I've tried this and that, all the fads to be had
The hidden secrets to the fat burn
I've climbed mountain sides talked with gurus passing by
And still I've yet to learn

I'm setting all the wrong free as skinny keeps escaping me
It's a master on the fly
If only one time it would find time to light
Right around my inner thighs

I'm now thinking my fate is more Shake 'n Bake
Than that of long and lean
Any ideas please feel free to call on me
On my direct line down at Krispy Kreme

Some days I'd say
Life is a breeze
Other days
The breeze blows me
From what I've done
To what I've seen
Days they play
Hard for keeps

When what I hope
To be golden roads
Come paved in tar
For all I know
From borrowed times
To times I've bought
Days they play
Hard to own

Cold and windy
Days of rain
Feeling empty
Pretty much the same
From where I am
To where this began
Days they play
Hard to win

If you look up at night towards the bright city lights
I'll tell you one thing you might see
The Ghost of Kink Kong swinging along
Between buildings like jungle trees

In search of the girl who shattered his world
Before that world shot him down
Tossed in the Circus they chained him to work it
But this monkey wasn't clowning around

You might see him at night with gallon tears in his eyes
Crying for his missing babe Fay
This Monkey's Uncle refuses to let go
Swinging his way back from the grave

No way am I kidding when I say he was smitten
Haunting this side with the hope
That one day he will find her and the world will be kinder
To lonely Ghost of King Kong

I've had a good life
It's time to move on
The curtains coming down

Remarked the old man
Who sat next to me
In the park, in the center of town

So much life have I seen
In my share of up's
Along with my share of downs

I hear death's whistle blowing
His trains a coming
And there ain't no slowing it down

We talked of the past
The traps of our youth
All that we had done

The last words before he left
That he passed on to me
Slow down, Relax, Move on

So I took his advice
And slowed down in life
Relaxed when things went wrong

Now I look at this life
Through different eyes
As life keeps moving on

fragile heart...
battered, bruised, and broken
you've done your best to hold on
to who you wish you were

fragile heart...
love can be so fleeting
you took a brutal beating
when you tried to play the part

fragile heart...
excuses in the making
to overcome the aching
where X marks the spot

fragile heart...
daily in the dealing
with this constant empty feeling
hidden in the dark

fragile heart...
barely holding on
empty and alone
never really sure, who you wish you were

Ask how I am most anytime
I'll tell you that I'm doing fine
Whether or not that is the truth
That is what I always do

All my walls crumbling down
Shaky feet on rocky ground
Death knocking hard at my door
My day is fine, how is yours

Feet in the fire, heart on ice
Struggling just to get by
To tell the truth forget the facts
Doing fine now that you ask

What do I hope when asked by those
And do they really want to know
Don't they answer much the same
When they're asked how they are doing

Whether fried, boiled, broiled, or baked
I try not to give too much away
If you don't dive in too deep
I am fine if you ask me

Hold on my dear
To the tail of the years
Don't dare let them go

Although they will try
To wiggle outright
Do your best to tightly hold on

They'll slide and they'll slip
Right out of your grip
Before you even know

It will battery and beat
As it to and fro sweeps
If you're prone to blink don't

Your hair will turn gray
As the tail wags away
And it certainly won't be slow

So grab a-hold tight
Hold on for dear life
Don't dare let the years go

life can be
short or long
break apart
hold on strong
here today
tomorrow gone
you never know
what's to come

can win the prize
lose it all
climb the heights
stumble fall
pay your dues
learn from don'ts
all in all
move along

pay your tab
take your leave
come and go
shallow deep
sweet and sour
with both feet
in the end
life can be

I found a pair of Blue Suede Shoes
Behind the main gate
No need to say I just knew
I had landed in a state of Grace

I turned around and headed out
To where only the king knows
With every step up and down
Elvis tickling all ten toes

I walked around all over town
Stirring up the dust
Visiting all of the old haunts
Elvis must have loved

Even sat in the back of a pink Cadillac
Took the shoes off for the ride
Next to me is where they sat
Smiling the whole time

Saw a lot of Memphis that day
In those Blue Suede Shoes
I now see they were wanting me
To help set them loose

That's when the shoes turned and move
Taking me back to the place
Where I now stand where this all began
In the land of Grace

Took off the shoes just as soon
As I entered past the gates
Placed them there exactly where they could choose
Who next would take them for the day

God drew up the plans
and Jesus colored them in...