We must be living in the future
As far as the future goes
The beginning of the end
Of all that we have ever known

All of the past memories
We crammed in our heads
If it were up to me
I believe we should have kept

Instead of this Artificial Intelligence

We shot ourselves in the foot
Instead of for the moon
Not sure why we hired these cooks
Spinning crazy spoons

If we keep this madness up
There won't be much of nothing left
We've learned to trust the science
Just not the scientists

And their Artificial Intelligence

Break the beaker Brandon
We'll take it from here
Changing definitions
Won't make it any clearer

They keep on pushing buttons
Hoping for the best
Hold tight to your muffins
They're cooking up a mess

With this Artificial Intelligence

Few could say they've had it all
That's exactly where I was before
But where I was, was in the world
And I'm not there anymore

The constant struggle to stay on top
Close to the edge, afraid of the drop
The moving and shaking that never would stop
I'm not there anymore

Counting rungs on the climb to success
Falling up would be my best guess
Lost in thought over the constant quest
I'm not there anymore

Lucky to some but unlucky in love
To gain it all, I ended with none
Fought too hard to hardly have won
I'm not there anymore

A lightning bolt hit me by surprise
Tore my heart, turned my sight
Away from the world to all that is right
Now I'm working for the Lord

Because I'm not there anymore...

Seems we’re slap dab in
A down spin in our wisdom
We’ve lost all semblance of difference
Between that of women and men

Completely forgetting who owns
Which set of chromosomes
Crossed our will’s with want’s
Lost our do’s and don’ts

I find we’re in crazy times
Woke folk out of their minds
With thoughts short of a dime
Could someone please hit rewind

On the back of this caboose
There’s more than a few screws loose
That’s what you get when you
Hold the tracks together with crazy glue

Putting us smack dab in
This downward spin in our wisdom
Losing all semblance of difference
Between that of women and men

I had hoped things would be different
Different model, different make
But when I look deep in the mirror
I see that nothing much has changed

Inside this constant battle
Always fighting to be free
No stronger foe have I met
me against me

A war that has been raging
From the day that I was born
Always misbehaving
A soul tattered and torn

Poking along with prodding
Why can't I leave me be
Always in the midst of plotting
me against me

You'd think by now that I'd found out
All the lessons to be learned
The tables to be turned
On the trouble that I've earned

How have I made it out this far
Into this knee deep
In the pulling of myself apart
me against me

If I could go back
To the day that we met
You know what I would do

I'd still say hey
Tell you my name
Then say that I love you

Why take up the years
It took to get here
To come up with that truth

Now that I've thought it out
Beyond a shadow of doubt
That's exactly what I would do

The day I said hey
And told you my name
I would tell you that I love you

Could things be any easier
This life born on a breeze
With the wind to my back there’s nothing I lack
As the hand of fortune guides me

Not a single step have I stumbled
With every path straight on the way
Nary a **** this side of the street
Come what will, come what may

Every ship on my sea is smooth sailing
Every mast that I raise flying high
Every move that I make is a piece of cake
Taking this life for a ride

Yes I think this is a keeper
This life I have born on a breeze
No need to ask with nothing I lack
As the hand of fortune guides me

A pretty bird born free
That feels beauty is for others

What her mirror sees
Are the blemishes undiscovered

Has a set of wings
Yet keeps them folded under

Born to loudly sing
But took on self doubt as her lover

Lives her life as is
She has never known another

Sitting on her perch
In the cage she's built around her

Another year, another Father's day
Too long since mine has passed
Still holding tight the memories
Of the man that I called Dad

He did with me the best he could
Teaching me what he thought was right
Never turn your face to evil ways
When it comes to justice stand and fight

Always respect your Mother
Loving her the best you can
And when you see those with little hope
Lift them up with the kind word of friend

Valuable lessons that my Daddy gave
I can't begin to tell
He is with my other Father now
In Heaven where all is well

If I could be half the man my Father was
Remembering all he thought was right
Like being the best Dad for his kids
Then I will have served out well my purpose in life

Took hold this life
Hand in hand
Through all the promises
And demands

With the years
Being good to us
Through it all
We walked in love

Took the up's
Shook the downs
Never lost
All that we found

Sharing with
Our family
To have to hold
To always keep

Took it to
The very end
And if we could
We would again

Take this life
And it's demands
A promise made
Hand in hand

some walk fast
some walk slow
here and now
on the go

some walk straight
some with a limp
some wonder at
what that i meant

some walk circles
around others
hand in hand
with their lovers

walk forward to
walk backward from
single file
one by one

some walk right
some walk left
some don't know
where they are at

and yet they walk
where'er  they go
some walk fast
some walk slow

They just invented a reason
For all the things we do
From burping out in the public square
To keeping animals locked in the zoo

So now there's no need to question why
Aloha means hello and goodbye
Or they say keep your head when we lose our minds
Because now there is a good reason why

For when we sneeze and say achoo
All in the crowd exclaim bless you
The invented reason gives a clue
For everything that we now do

Like with two wheels it's called a bike
One a unicycle, three wheels a trike
The reason now is easy to find
Without overtaxing the overtaxed mind

But there's one reason eluding me
In all my years of reasoning
What took so long with this invention
And was there a good reason for the time it's been missing

Living in the shadow of Babel
Where nothing makes any sense
Confusion set in because of man's sin
Bringing with it certain death

We've built for ourselves a tower
Of media and government
Our innocence we've deflowered
Not holding to God's promise kept

Lost compassion and understanding
Arguments on either side
Tongues let loose spouting so-called truth
Last to realize it all could be lies

We look at each other dumbfounded
Wondering how this could go on
All the while over time we've allowed it
And now we are dry to the bone

All this in the shadow of Babel
Where the tower swings as it sways
It almost would be laughable
If we hadn't given our souls away

Living in Babel today...

I feel for those on the side of the road
Holding the sign of despair in hand
Is this what it's come to where all they can do
Is find a corner with what little they have left

You know the ones, the ones who never look up
Ashamed of where life has placed them
In the grand scheme of things the water is deep
You can see that without even saying

Where was the helping hand from the beginning
The lifeboat in their sea of doubt
Did we not see them gasping while desperately treading
Where all we have now is a measly hand out

When it comes to what matters aren't we all in this together
In this game of win or lose no one draws
Keeping the cardboard handy always at ready
Because holding the sign could be me after all

Why is it that the older you get
The less you seem to care
About all that the world collects
That only helps ensnare

Where don't you know a few short years ago
You filled your pockets with greed
With needless stuff you want and some you don't
Packing them tight selfishly

But age sometimes does us a favor
Of what seemed important then
No longer satisfies in its entice
And you find if you don't have it you'll still live

No longer concerned about the next corner turn
It's more about the here and now
And the happiness you get from that simple fact
Is now what it's all about

There's no need to plan the future
With living life one day at a time
And the older it is that you get
The less you're impressed with the find

It becomes more about friends and family around
And less about the junk in life
That we lined our pockets with just to have
Thinking that's what we needed to survive

There's freedom don't you know in the letting go
Of all the worldly junk you don't need
You've collected here that's muddled the years
That once filled your pockets with greed

I do not like the sound
of what I just found out
After all the aftershock
might just take me down
It's hard to whisper CANCER
when CANCER screams out loud
A sucker punch in the gut
to knock the breath right out

Leaving in the questioning
of how much time is left
Also in the wondering
of how you measure it
What is the first to give out
the body or courage
And is there a way that I can change
from out of this death mask

Pull the covers tighter
the days are growing cold
Feel free my love to tidy up
sweeping hair from off the floor
This isn't at all how
life was to unfold
Never thought being this young
would make me feel so old

I wish you could take this from me
and toss it in the trash
Digging deep at this disease
until there's nothing left
I don't know who to quote
but I'm sure someone has said
It's hard to whisper CANCER
with CANCER screaming in your head
MH

I've lost too many friends to cancer and have one right now fighting that battle

I used to gaze up in the sky
At puppy dogs and butterflies
That's what I saw as clouds passed by
And life it did the same

In skies of blue the poppie fields
Would share the dreams young minds would yield
Tender thoughts one day until
This adult got in the way

And now those skies hold thunder clouds
I wish somehow I'd not find that out
Collective sighs can't hide the sound
That disappoint makes

I've tried and tried and tried again
But who am I trying to kid
When you've cracked the lid of innocence
You've lost too much along the way

And life never is the same...

Never been so scared in my life
At what I'm about to try
But it's been going on far too long
And I feel now is the time

Hours and hours spent on end
In a constant mindless loop
Staring at this thing in front of me
A brainless zombie with no clue

I must muster up the courage
At what I need to do
Can't say that I'm not worried
To tell you the honest truth

Okay breath deep, one, two, three
It all will be okay
It's my only hope, set down the phone
And simply walk away...

I promise you
I used to be cute
Till the day ugly caught me

Where a wrinkle in time
Took a liking to my
Body, from head to feet

Like a top 40 hit
#1 with bullet
Ugly went straight to the top

From the light wisps of gray
What's left anyways
Where I accept what little I've got as my lot

And let's not forget the middle
There to catch all the spittle
Protruding past the point of caring

Only to be ****** in
The company of women
No need for the ladies to be scaring

And these spots that I've got
Like connect the dots
Brought on by too many years in the sun

Now the Doctor's tell me
To glob on the sunscreen
As this leather skin makes it's last run

I promise you
I used to be cute
Till the day...

Meeting Mark the day before
The day before the deed
Rumbling, stumbling, mumbling down
New York city streets

Incoherent at his worst
Troubled mind at best
Freak spew in the front pew
Who ever would have guessed

That the cold winter days of December
After a week would end in a permanent freeze
Where the world would all see first hand
The chilliest degree of insanity

As shots echoed out between buildings
Building on the end of a dream
It's not only John he was killing
But all of humanity so it seems

The day slipped away from the living
Along with giving peace a chance
Hello, goodbye John Lennon
The day that he and Mark met

you shuffle cards
read the signs
count the stars
up in the sky
line your palm
with low high fives
to make your case
of do or die

rama bowl
with crystal *****
gutter roll
long dead souls
you think you do
but do you know
how far down
this rabbit hole

sip your tea
while counting leaves
toss the bones
try to see
what good it does
to do all these
in hopes that you
set your mind free

Who went and made me judge
Sat me in the jury
Gave this need for the hanging tree
At the risk of perjury

When did I miss the point
In the pointing of these fingers
In this self-righteous path I am led
As the judgemental jury lingers

Judge, jury, hangman all in one
Guilt before innocence
This trail of errors is only won
By adding my head to the list

pigeonholed
break out in song
it's more what you do
than what you know

the way you behave
not what you say
all black and white
no shade of gray

try hard as you might
to put up a fight
prancing and dancing
to the devils delight

but you keep moving on
in the direction you're going
not sure where that is
with no way of knowing

the struggle is real
you've seen the signs
you know how it feels
being just shy of right

Nicki Minaj just woke up
And has the woke train clearly enraged
When all she said was use your head
And any decision you make to pray

Stepping out of bounds, riling up the crowd
Talk about crowd control
Everything  is fine as long as you walk the line
Sending out the dogs the minute you don't

If you disagree with the powers that be
The enemy you quickly become
So stay in your box along with your thoughts
The better you're kept with less oxygen

Go back to your rap and we'll call it a wrap
When you learn to accept what we say to do
Although we are bias when it comes to science
The science that says what we want it to

So be a good Nicki and stay looking pretty
Don't be so silly using your brain
Just put on your makeup and don't really wake up
Or utter a word about this again

With so many different paths we make
Along the way to take these days
In making sure you're path is straight
Say what you'll do, do what you say

Giving it all much needed thought
To do what's right and not what's wrong
Forward motion, moving on
No looking back to past problems

Although there's always up's and downs
Twist's and turns, round about's
Before too late you find this out
The miles, the means, no need to count

The way you move is up to you
Depending on your attitude
And which path you choose to use
Make or break, win or lose

i have this enemy
i'll kindly call me
we battle it out
continuously

not sure why i do
half the things that i do
i give up control
every time i let loose

i started out right
never crossing the line
till i selfishly caved
to i, me, and mine

now we fight back and forth
daily of course
while asking myself
could it get any worse

that's when i reply
with do it or die
with the things that i do
i keep questioning why

No need to show me anything
Especially if it's true
Ignorance is bliss
Here without a clue
Certainly don't need a different point
When it comes to views
No idea of where we're heading
When letting others choose

Point the way whom to hate
And who's rear end to kiss
Blindly doing what they say
Ignorance is bliss
Horses led to water
Chomping at the bit
All but drawn and quartered
In the way we live

Whispering, deceiving
The best secret kept
No one needs convincing
Ignorance is bliss
No need to show me anything
To get this cart upset
Oranges to apple's
Happily ignorant

Put it in a shinny bottle
***** the lid on tight
Ship it out in boxfuls
Pack it tight on ice

Give it a fancy label
Always under different names
Sweeten it with sugar
The taste is bitter just the same

Buying it like it's going out of style
The best thing since sliced bread
Being none the wiser
We keep on chugging it

Over time used to the taste
Not like we're loving it
Still not letting a drop go to waste
As we are daily fed

So pass around the bottle
Shake it up real nice
Hold our hands in coddle
As we let the snake oil bite

Masterful at magic tricks
With nothing seen up your  sleeve
Slight of hand always in the mix
Every time you up and leave

No band of gold could hold you down
Or mirror revel the truth
This ancient secret can not be found
You're that good at what you do

Is it in the do or in the say
This slight of hand that's come to light
No matter how your wand is waved
You will never quite escape my mind

You could up and saw yourself in two
Then go this way while going that
I must confess this simple truth
I have yet to check behind your back

You do your best to levitate
In the up, up, and away
To broken hearts you can't be chained
All of this your best forte

Hard sometimes to see the signs
The hand being quicker than the eye
Pull back the curtains and you will find
You will never quite escape my mind

we pledge our allegiance
to a God we believe
begging forgiveness
fulfill our needs
and then we move on
to do as we please
no change of heart
no dirt on our knees

used as convenience
to combat our deeds
as fire insurance
as guilt relief
and then we move on
paying no heed
memory gone
no dirt on our knees

to show that we mean it
on cue we weep
take it or leave it
one day a week
and then we move on
with dead lines to meet
no hope in our growth
no dirt on our knees

just when you feel it's over
just when you think it's through
just when you get wind of
there's nothing you can do

every storm that you take
are a few drops of rain
put it in that frame
you can make it one more day

just when you lose all hope
just when you can't decide
a reasonable way to cope
under which rock you can hide

if you're looking for a sign
pointing to a better place
keep this thought in mind
you can make it one more day

this little ditty is not about you
unless in it you see yourself
the camera might not catch the whole truth
but count on the rest from everyone else

if it's brand new and it's shinny
screaming loudly look at me
it's all about the timing
where every niche and stich fit perfectly

when you focus on the fashion
doing your best to hide
all that you are lacking
where it all counts, on the inside

you hold the crowd back in wonder
as they all stand to their feet
trying your best not to blunder
in the showing off of your personality

they made you and they can break you
take you to the top then toss you off
where there is no one there to save you
no one there at all

when you focus on the fashion
doing your best to hide
all that you are lacking
where it all counts, on the inside

Lord, I want to thank you
Through all the good and bad
For the times that I have had
And the times that I have left

I want to thank you
For the promises you've kept
Those that you have met
And the many that are left

Thank you
For providing daily bread
Every hair that's on my head
Till my last dying breath

Lord, I want to thank you
That I've learned to accept
Everything that I have
As this life is a gift

I want to thank you
For I am deeply in your debt
And with that being said
I want to thank you once again

Thank you
For you are the Great I Am
For including this broken child in
To your perfect plan
When you called me friend

Okay, who stole my body
I had when I was young
It was never in the best of shape
But far better than this one

Semi smooth and silky
Not a wrinkle on the lot
I feel I fell asleep for a century
And this is how I ended up

I now have wrinkles on top of wrinkles
With wrinkles on top of that
Could someone point me in the direction
Of where my body could have been left

It had fingers that worked without aching
Steady hands that knew not of shaking
A memory that...I'll get back with you on that
And a face you wouldn't mind dating

My body had knees that were noiseless
A smile that wasn't so toothless
A libido that you could rely on
Instead of the one I now have that is useless

My other eyes were filled with wonder
Not these made dull and steely gray
If anyone has seem my body
Could you kindly point me in the way

I'd like to take this moment
to apologize
For the mess we made right out of the gate
and the world we'll leave behind

But of course when it was given to us
it was already in a tail spin
Without a shadow of doubt closer to the ground
than we could have ever dreamed

Soon enough to own it in a matter of moments
being first to the crash site
So fasten your belts as it quickly goes south
with us all franticly waving bye, bye

The closer I draw to the end of it all
The more I reflect on the is and the isn't
Humming along in the blaming of all
And my insistence on ignorance

Try my best to do the best that I can
Relying on works more often than not
Like I've said with what little time is left
It's best I put it in the hands of God

I know I'm no more than a foolish man
This flesh and bone being finite
You never know where a soul will go
Or at what time it arrives in the afterlife

A little bell keeps ringing in my head
Could I be wrong on what I think is right
And with that said I'll stick with the promise kept
And leave it all to Jesus Christ

In the undertow here I go
Constant battle inside of my mind
On a cold North wind this leaf is blown
Landing in an empty field most all of the time

To fill a need seems to be my only need
This hypocrite not yet caught
Through the came and went I know time's best spent
Giving all of these thoughts over to God

The West is best when it's caught doing less
Striving for democracy
With the sun going down long before it comes out
Giving way to the East with ease

There's massive disorder at the Southern border
Lifting the latch on the flood gates
Now has us all climbing the wall
Where I fear we're too late for sanity's sake

Why are we only now finding this out
What should have been a piece of cake
No room left on the platter for happily ever after
All from this gang that can't shoot straight

Who cut the line on our pumps in prime time
Whispering Joe stopping the flow
It doesn't take a decoder to see more "dis" to the order
Tell us something we don't already know

We might be short on gas but not on face masks
As our handlers muzzle us up
You're either right or left, jabbed or un-jabbed
Just shut up and take your shot

Why are we only now finding this out
What should have been a piece of cake
No room left on the platter for happily ever after
All from this gang that can't shoot straight

I'm standing up to all they've got
And putting my foot down
To the out of control this crazy world holds
With all its enticing sights and sounds

From the mess of the rich and famous
Who really have no idea
That the call for applause is deafening to all
The moment you take that dip

And the feeling you get when you feel this is it
Which really isn't it at all
With time and a word we easily get bored
Long before we reach last call

I'm no longer giving in to giving up
Too often now the thought of the day
With needless arguing, I've had enough
Two wrongs do not a right make

I'm putting my phone on permanent hold
No more of its control over me
I'll now communicate with friends face to face
And keep my eyes from off of the screen

Yes I'm standing up to all the worlds got
And advise you to do the same
This may be our last call to turn it all off
Today now before its too late

I enjoy a good cartoon
As much as anyone around
But can't remember when I moved
Into the middle of Cartoon Town

People now have about Mickey Moused
Everything to death
Don't have the nerve to say it out loud
So for now it's underneath my breath

It's hard to keep the daily Goofy
Out of the public square
Where once it was my duty
I'm now out to lunch like Yogi Bear

Is it that I'm just used to it
Exit stage left numb
Sufferin' Succotash Sylvester
Smack dab in the middle of Cartoon Town

Being quite the colorful array
Of 2D insanity these days
Where Fred and Wilma Flintstone
Are not the only ones to cave

With Bozo the Clown and his friends around
There's too many now to count
Every character you see you care to meet
In the middle of Cartoon Town

i struggle with my yesterdays
in the realm of remembering
as names and places fade away
never to be seen again

holding on to when i was young
shows a degree of sympathy
as this run is almost done
time plays out in front of me

with the mirror full of lies
its reflection hard to see
the glimmer once held in these eyes
blinking back in disbelief

what can this be all about
who pulled the wool on what i see
daily as i lose count
on this change of scenery

this fade away is not okay
nor this drum of different beats
as names and places make their way
far away from me

There are some running from
Others running to
Some from what they have done
Others what they plan to do

More than some jump the gun
Others barely move
Some have done more than enough
Others think they're born to lose

There are some making much
Others hold change loose
Some with luck don't give up
Others done before they're due

More than some make a run
Others slowly cruise
Some will hunt the perfect one
Others do what they're told to

There are some having fun
Others yet to set the mood
Some of them will fall in love
Others never chance to choose

i took my time
and spent my dime
now i find
i'm past my prime
what little change
i held onto
i spent it well
before i knew
with pockets now
turned inside out
i wonder what
that's all about
at the height
i spent my life
like there was no
end in sight

We'd been running this race in hopes of first place
With backs against the wind
While some would say we're far too late
Losing our chance to win

Would time have proved wrong had we kept going on
If we'd kept the steady beat
Something we'll never know as stories go
Changing horses in midstream

What once was dry land is now tear soaked mud and
The previous parties prints hard to find
The majestic horse that ran this course
The owners to this day still pine

Plans set to seed on this dastardly deed
No cheat too extreme
With loosened saddle straps and few morals left
Changing horses in midstream

No secret kept to how this horse was whipped
Feeding the crowd into a frenzy
Some follow along with what they've been told
Only took a few to fool the many

They may rue the day it all got away
Thinking a dead horse you can beat
But what can you say, should have let it lay
Changing horses in midstream

we come and go
stay and leave
while some get stuck
in-between
the modern age
social scene
all misfits
if you ask me

you do it too
i do believe
make a pact
with secrecy
test the water
see how deep
all misfits
if you ask me

take the blame
to some degree
some if none
with hurt feelings
how many here
have earned their keep
all misfits
if you ask me