how many times have you said
that your life is one big mess
and that the ringing in your head
tells you you're a wreck

although that thought may be true
here's some positiveness for you
take the negativity off your menu
and on this tidbit chew

keep those thoughts out of your head
although they're hungry they need not be fed
there's no need for them to spread
in the time that you have left

because if you weren't a whopping mess
how ever then would you be blessed
and in who would you find your rest
with that being said

accept that yes with great finesse
the one true God loves you no less
to him you are a beautiful mess
and he can handle it

one fine day
it all came true
like a piece of cake
every i love you
every knowing nod
every gentle nudge
as you count the cost
on every thought of love

one fine day
all the day could do
was to make its way
through its daily loop
with one end up
and one end down
being simple enough
with love around

one fine day
out of the blue
life ran its course
on a whistles tune
on a gravel road
under a quarter moon
to the simple truth
of i love you

The ocean whispers in mans ear
Come, dive into my mysteries
Where we will mix our salty tears
As we share in tragedy

Drown your sorrows in my waves
With the sailors of long past
Sailing to the end of days
Where the flags fly at half mast

Swim the depths of all the lives
That were lured in by the sea
Leaving orphaned children and widowed wives
Where what will be is what will be

The ocean whispers in mans ear
Drop what you have, come dive in me

She said...

Can I ask where your from
I said from over there
She then questioned me how come
I replied cause I don't care
At the risk of looking dumb
I just sat and stared
She was about the prettiest one
I'd seen anywhere

She said...

If you show me yours
Then I'll show you mine
Like a fly I was lured
Into her web of lies
When she said what's mine is yours
So let's compromise
Which seemed to be the cure
For these wanting eyes

She said...

We can get through this
Before it gets to late
I leaned in for a kiss
No need to hesitate
If there was any sort of list
It was one I'd wish to make
We sealed it off with that kiss
With nothing more to say

What has been my worth
While here on earth
Have I paid my way
Since my day of birth
Have I taken advantage
Of what's been given me
What has been my worth
In this my history

Where's my time been spent
In the black or red
If I had it to lend
Would there be any left
And if there's any left
Would it come back to me
Where's my time been spent
In this my history

Have I given enough
And asked none in return
Can I truly say
What I have is what I've earned
All that is around
Everything I see
Have I given enough
In this my history

Just got back from Venus
It's a secret, don't ask how
I really mean it
You know, government and all

I am going to tell you though
Most of what I seen
Oh, remember that fella Elvis?
Yep, he's still the king

With a planet full of women
Big, short, skinny, long and tall
Brunette, red head, black and brown
Don't worry guys, there's plenty of blonds

Most men would call it heaven
And give their right arm as a witness
Flying there at any cost
Which brings me back to Elvis

You see Elvis was never much keen on
All of that fortune and fame
He did it all with a purpose
Allow me here to explain

Being a shy kid from the country
For entertainment he'd read comic books
Read one once about the Women of Venus
And that right there was all that it took

He borrowed an old beat up guitar
Figured he could make a few bucks
He'd build a rocket ship out in the barn
And leave on the day it was ready to launch

But alas fame and fortune took him by storm
As his music and charm did us
Being caught up in it all for years to come
He'd just have to wait for his trip to Venus

Of course over time it got overwhelming
As his mind ventured back to the ship
Down on the farm still hold up in the barn
The only solution...fake his own death

And that's where today you'll find him
Viva Las Venus my friend
Elvis in a world of women
Where he still reigns as king

this is the last poem
that I'll ever write
the very last lines
i'll set into rhyme

giving the thoughts in my head
a much needed rest
with nothing else left
that needs to be said

this is the last poem
i'll pour out on page
any left over words
i'll give them away

maybe somebody else
could use them to say
a few of the things
they've been unable to say

the very last poem
to come from this hand
with all that's been said
no need to say it again

i've weaved tapestries
from beginning to end
now feel the need
to set myself free
and set down this pen

the whispering
tells me there's a wanting

the whispering
is soft and sincere

the whispering
is a finger held to the lips of a child

the whispering
adds to my fears

the whispering
gives away hidden secrets

the whispering
shows what's soon to be

the whispering
stands on the edge of the shadows

the whispering
keeps haunting me

I just love the scent
When imagination gets wet
It puts out a certain fragrance
That fills a poets head

With colorful words made for rhyming
Keeping tune in perfect timing
A fragrance all its own
Poured out in the form of poem

I awoke this morning
To a fresh fallen snow
As the world basked in it's beauty
Showered in it's glow
There is nothing more calming
That I have ever known
Than waking up in the morning
To a fresh fallen snow

The children stayed home today
We made angels in the snow
Then all went back inside
For hot chocolate by the stove
No greater time together
In heaven or down below
As the children stayed home today
Making angels in the snow

We went out sledding
All the kids and me
Marveled at the majesty
Icicles hanging from the trees
Nothing could compare
That I have ever seen
As we went out sledding
All the kids and me

4 months later...

It snowed again today
Just like the umpteen days before
In fact it's snowed for four months straight
But hey who's keeping score
It's cold and it's wet
I can't take it anymore
As it snows again today
Just like the umpteen days before

With all of this snow
Not sure if I should flip or fly
Since early September
I've been stuck inside
Go ahead and make your funny comments
If you don't value your life
With all of this snow
Not sure if I should flip or fly

As it keeps on snowing
The kids keep staying home
What I wouldn't give
For one minute of sanity alone
I'm not sure who tops the list
Me or them when it comes to groans
As it keeps on snowing
And the kids keep staying home

It's been one long blizzard
I feel the need to escape
I can think of plenty stronger words
Let's just say snow I hate
I should have moved to Florida
But I'm snowed in and it's to late
With this one long blizzard
And no chance to escape...

i've got your picture
sitting on an empty shelf
it's been there for years
all by itself
i might  dust it off
every now and then
wiping at the memories
of the days when

i've got your picture
that sits by my bed
last thing i see at night
as i lay down my head
you'd think i'd dream of you
more often than i do
with all that i have left
being my dreams of you

i've got your picture
inside of my billfold
so when i'm out and about
i still have you to hold
it's a bit torn and tattered
much like my life
still i've got your picture
to remember you by

I spent my early life
Looking out from behind
The chain link fence on the turkey farm

There they fed me right
Fattened up my thighs
After all, what could be the harm

If it was up to me
I would never leave
It's where I prefer to spend my years

But alas will come the day
When all good turkey's have to say
Arrivederci...I am outta here

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          Unlike those sloppy pigs that live next door
          To be a tender turkey is my call
          And all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, you wanna eat me

They just took Turkey Jack
To the shed out back
Where we never heard from him again

Just like yesterday
With my friend Turkey Dave
Strange they haven't messed with Turkey Slim

Am I the next in line
Could this here be my time
My head placed on the chopping block

As I say my goodbyes
To all the gals and guys
I gobble to Mary Lou as an after thought

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          So delicious they're coming back for more
          Tenderized to the very core
          All they want to do is eat me
          
          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          A slap in the face to the Honey Ham
          To be a tinder turkey is my call
          Heavy on the gravy with a side of yams

Now that you know my tale
I hope I told it well
Enjoy this day with your family and your friends

So remember then
Don't leave the stuffing in
And dinner will go the way that it was planned

          *I was born to be a Butter Ball
          The highest honor of them all
          Into the open oven I must fall
          Cause all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, all you wanna do is eat me

Let us focus on forgiveness
Make it our word of the day
Whether it be of yourself or someone else
Sit back and watch what it creates

As it takes the heart of the hurting
Kneads and melds it into shape
You've never lived until you've learned to give
The bitter taste of bitterness away

Take hold of the hand of forgiveness
Leading you wherever it may
You will never go wrong with the path it is on
Where forgiveness is the best of all ways

Love is in...

in the middle of the day
in the things we have to say
in the way we give and take
in the promises we make

Love is in...

it's never out of style
try it on for size
it fits real snug and nice
I think that you will like

Love is in...

it's too hard to ignore
if we run low we'll make some more
in different flavors that's for sure
I'll share mine and you share yours

Love is in...

It's the big day of the big yard sale
Where every thing must go
There was much to much to haul out to the front
So I opened up the home

There were gobs of people everywhere
Wandering around with arms packed full
I'm making money hand over fist
This idea was really cool

You see my neighbors came to me with their front door key
And asked if I'd watch Binkie their cat
While they spent a few days away, I said sure what the hey
So they showed me where everything Binkie was at

While they were gone Binkie got bored
He missed his masters who were out of town
I thought a yard sale would be just the thing, Binkie purred that'd be neat
And of course it brought Binkie's good mood back around

Now before you start thinking bad thoughts of me
And wonder how anyone could sell everything they had
I want you to know I had a slight twinge of guilt
Right before I sold Binkie the cat

I may not be the sharpest lead in the pencil
Or the brightest jewel in the display case
I also may not be one learned in higher degree
But I do have common sense in its place

My brains blade may only slice warm butter
And the Gummy bears in my thoughts a bit soft
I may only have, street smarts to lean back
But I know the difference between right and wrong

I'm certainly not the deepest layered lasagna
Or hold the brightest bulb in my head
But I know without a doubt that you struggle without
The first hand knowledge in common sense

There's no better friend in life
Than a brother or sister in Christ
One that's there to give a hand
For the times of trouble and strife
A friend with an ear to lend
When you need to unload on life
Not to be your judge
But to lift you out of the mire

There's no better friend, can I get an amen
That you can count on
One that will be there to the end
And then take it beyond
The very reason they're in
Is out of God's love
There's no better friend
Than one that has their sights on above

There's no better friend
Than one that holds your feet to the fire
As the Bible points out
Iron sharpens iron
Knowing what it's all about
To become more Christ like refined
There is no better friend in life
Than a brother or sister in Christ

Getting crusty round the edges
Like a slice of day-old bread
From the bottom of my twisted toes
To the top of my balding head

Dehydrating like a side of beef
Jerky tough to chew
Not much of me is worth the keep
With nothing hanging that is new

Eyes that once were crystal clear
Now no more than a blur
Please speak loud so I can hear
The meaning of your every word

The lines I blamed on laughter
Aren't funny anymore
Ask me what's the matter
Long ago stopped keeping score

You can take this slice of day-old bread
Remove most of the mold
But when all is done and all is said
Man, I'm getting old

i started out this morning
determined to remember the things i forgot
and those things in my life
that I could not
turn off the bitter cold
that resides within the hot
that's how I started out this morning
to remember the things I forgot

as the day progresses
i travel to where it is i've been
stepped into the revolving door
and revolved around again
back out on the inside
where it all began
that's how the day progresses
look at where i've been

as evening participates
bringing with it a knowing surprise
so as not to give it away
i close my one open eye
living for this moment
like a man who has just died
that's how my evening participates
is anyone surprised

this day has been a wonder
as i wonder where i'm at
counting on my fingers
to see what i have left
as i slide through this life
leaving out what has been said
this day has been a wonder
as i wonder where i'm at

If you see her will you tell her I said hello
And that things haven't changed that much
I'm still alone down here in Jacksonville
And yes I'm still in love

Will you tell her I cry most every night
Because things haven't been the same
Since the wind blew her into my life
And that same wind blew her out again

If you see her will you tell her how hard I tried
To move beyond what it was we had
Perhaps I would not have given my all
If I had known it wouldn't last

You can tell her if she tries to look me up
I went and changed my name
I'm no longer Mr. Happy Go Lucky
I'm now Down In The Dumps Again

You Know What...

If you see her tell her I said hello
And that everything is fine
That I've been living life so care free
She's not even crossed my mind

If that appears to make her saddened
It might just break my heart
Because my friend you and I both know the truth
I've not been the same since we've been apart

The pigs want a part of this action
No way are they going to oink this alone
They don't know  how but they're going to make it happen
The only draw back is the lack of thumbs

How in the world did those cows hold the hammers?
Where did the sheep get all their ideas?!
After all it's the goats with the brains!
Them and all of their kids

They don't need that big of a rocket
Room enough for a bucket of slop and a couple pigs with a grin
Asked how many were in the mood for adventure
Not by the hair of their chinny chin chins

Some of the little piggies were off at the market
Some little piggies would rather stay home
To eat all the newly purchased roast beef
Which left the other piggies with none
But most of the piggies would rather just wee wee at home

I guess when it comes to the pigs
And adventurous spirits they seem to have none
They find enjoyment on earth in the back yard
Laying around wallering in mud

I often hide behind
The poetry I write
If you only knew
What I was going through

You might not come to grips
Or even come to like
This poet here
That keeps on fooling you

In and out of seasons
This reasoning of mind
Who's to say
What is false or true

Warmer comes the weather
Colder stays the heart
With straight face
No one has a clue

As I press pen to paper
In another roundabout
Way of making
Rhyming words for you

This whole time hiding behind
Theses simple words I write
Where no one has a clue
Of what I'm really going through

This old house...
was built on love
Now with the peeling of the paint
there is not enough
To keep the peace in this house
and the appearances up
When this old house
was built on love

This old house...
ain't what it used to be
The walls are cracked and fading
the floorboards worn and creak
With the shattered windows
all facing to the street
Yes, this old house
ain't what it used to be

This old house...
has certainly seen it all
From the cold of the basement floor
to the cobwebbed upper loft
From the front door slam
to the walking off
This old house
has certainly seen it all

This old house...
was made of sticks and stones
Plastered together with hateful words
along with broken bones
Now it stands as a testament
as it now stands alone
This old house
was made of sticks and stones

When we look back on this moment
Will we be saddened or amused
Thinking of this moment
Did we do all we could or intended to

At any given moment
It could all come to an end
So let us take this moment
To do all that we can

We will see what is important
In the scheme and scope of time
Cause there will never be another moment
Like this moment in life

I live my life free and easy
Taking it one day at a time
It could be described as cool and breezy
Living this way in time cause it's my dime

I don't follow any pattern
Making it all up as I go
Whatever bed post I hang my lantern
Only at that moment in time will I know

It's not like I don't really care
There's just not a lot that you can do
Rolling down the hill of life you'll eventually find
What ever it is you've got coming to you

And don't you just love surprises
The not knowing of what's coming next
I'm the first to take my on advice as
I toss into the wind all that I have

Cause I live my life free and easy
Sort of floating through this life
It's nothing less than cool and breezy
Living this way in time cause it's my dime

What comes next
For the hedonist
When the pleasures in life are gone

When happiness
On its own behest
Quickly moves south in the pond

When all but your name
In life tends to change
Replaced by the aches and pains

Where what used to be fun
All comes undone
And is barely remembered in dreams

What happens when
They lose the bet
On how long happiness sticks around

When they open the door
On no more than bored
And they are handed a rusty crown

When the pinnacle of pleasure
Is feeling under the weather
No longer on the A-list

Where you thought all was fine
Till the day of your dying
Goodbye fun to the hedonist

So...I asked this girl out on a date
No money had I made of late
With no job prospects for quite a while

Had her drop me off at the grocery
Proceeded to stuff sardines down my jeans
We were going to picnic it up in style

The whole time I had security
Keeping a watchful eye on me
Nabbed me as I stepped out of the door

Even grabbed the girl who was my date
She might have made a grave mistake
They say she was driving the get away car

We went before the hanging judge
Who wasn't much into showing love
Gave us each thirty days in county

I convinced them she was the master mind
I was a fool in love, didn't deserve the time
So they locked her up and set me free

Though it was our first date
And didn't seem to go the way
That it was I had it planed

I think that when she gets out of jail
And if she doesn't look like hell
I just might ask her out again...

finding no rhyme nor reason
trying not to give in to fear
is this just a passing of season
the reason you're no longer here

only faint memory graces these pages
long gone song filled our hearts and our minds
time slipping away with the ages
lost alice...i'm still hoping to find

              ...lost alice
        once stood on this corner

                                   ...lost alice
                                laid open her scars

   ...lost alice
threw caution to the wind

                          ...lost alice
                  do you know where you are

you stood in your whirlwind of poetry
often letting the demons give you a ride
did they come back to pick you up
are they now in the front by your side

"this is what happens when i step off the path"
the last words you tore from life's page
if i knew what door i'd let you out
or are you lost alice...the rest of your days

They grabbed me again tonight
With paper and pencil in hand
Being forced to sit down and write
At the latest poems demand

With both my hands chained in rhyme
Needing desperately to break free
As they slap me in and out of line
Tied to this chair of poetry

As the door to my mind creeps open
I let out the slightest of whimpers
I'm hoping against hope this ain't all she wrote
And it's not the poem with the pliers and snippers

I'm not sure I can write anymore
But his technique always brings the poetic screams out of me
He knows how to take me right to the edge
But no further into insanity

Of course I spill my guts under the pressure
Telling them all it is that I know
As they hand me the paper and pencil
And once again the rhymes start to flow

Mike H. Excuse me, didn't we already do an interview?

Me. We did and although I asked some really hard hitting questions I feel your answers weren't up to par. Have you lost your edge?

MH. Lost my edge? Are you kidding? We spent hours on the interview!

M. Yea...that's kind of a ******.

MH. What are we going to do now?

M. Well personally I'm going to ask the same questions, your just going to have to up your game...

MH. Then should we get started...again?

M. Mike, I thought I'd never ask!

MH. Then take it away Mike!

M. So Mike it seems to me and I'm you so that would be us. Well we've been curious why every year in January you disappear from Hello Poetry.

MH. Well I like to take the time to refocus...

M. Epppp!!!

MH. What? What'd I say??

M. That's why I scraped the last interview....BORING!!! This is the new millennia and we're really not that interested in the truth.

MH. So should I talk about my being on the run from international spies?

M. Perfect!

MH. Or how while I was away I jet setted around the globe giving interviews to all the magazines about my world renowned poetry.

M. Do tell!

MH. And after that I was on a jungle safari and was kidnapped by that tribe of pygmies only later to be rescued by a jungle man calling himself Tarzan of the Apes?

M. You have been busy!

MH. But none of it is true!

M. Uh...your starting to bore me AND our mega readership again.

MH. Well after all that I canoed my way back across the ocean and here I am!

M. You know at times I truly amaze myself...

MH. Don't I though.

M. You know we should do these interviews more often. Hanging out with you otherwise can pretty much one...big...yawn.

MH. Did I mention the sharks?

Tom Thumb got caught peeping
Now his life is on the run
Little Bo Peep lost her sheep
On a gambling junket she was on

Little Miss Muffet is having to tuff it
Out these days in jail
Selling ecstasy to undercover police
And now can't pay her bail

Little Jack Horner took him a corner
Of the Mafia drug trade
Once you are hooked on the **** that he cooks
There's no way of escape

You think that's bad you ain't seen nothing yet
That even comes this close
Since  Mother Goose started hitting the juice
And ended up down on skid row

Humpty Dumpty's more than broke
But not from any fall
He couldn't pay his ******
And his legs were first to go

Baa Baa Black Sheep  
Where forced to sell their wool
To pay for all the damages
While they were in school

Jack pushed Jill down the hill
When he caught her cheating with Little Boy Blue
Now he's paying her doctor bills
Which has left Jack blue too

You think that's bad you ain't seen nothing yet
That even comes this close
Since Mother Goose started hitting the juice
And ended up down on skid row

They tossed the golden ring I never caught
Whether or not it was my own fault
Right here, right now is where I'm at
As life gets set for another lap

I can clearly see what's in front of me
Being this close to the dead end street
Miles ago I'd hoped for a cul-de-sac
But imagine that, there ain't no turning back

I'm tired of what these times have done to me
Bent so long you knew I'd break eventually
Which makes me even tireder still
The bend and break of a man's beaten will

At what point did I lose my belief
That the grasp I had would help me to succeed
Did I let go at the last bump in the road
With so many potholes we may never know

It's hard to see through the crack in the windshield
These bitter days what is fake and what is real
As the crack continues widening in its gap
Until the day there won't be any protection left

I'm tired of the same old grind from day to day
And the optimistic crowd that says it'll be okay
I'm tired of this as much as I'm tired of that
Tired of the life that fits all of these facts

You say I'm just feeling sorry for myself
But if I didn't I wonder then who else
Seems I'm stuck inside this all alone
This house I've built that'll never be a home

Which brings me back to the golden ring
Where all I've ever been is a working machine
Taking my fingers down to the bone
Which makes any grasp that much harder to hold

I'm tired of the ups that only let me down
The promise of much that's never ever found
Any fool can see where I'm clearly at
And those that don't well I'm even tired of that

When you stop to think, would death be better than life... Then you know you're tired

Where does the night go to cry in New York City
Whose finger print is that upon the moon*
Who kisses the stars and shows them pity
To the forever distant tune

Whose selling souls in the land of plenty
Backing out on promises they've made
Buying the beggar off with no more than pennies
While spitting on the unmarked graves

Who gives a voice to the silence
Where does memory turn when it forgets
When the strong ones fall who picks up the pieces
Where do the dying place their bets

If the fool reaches for the hand of wisdom
At that moment does he cease to be a fool
If the night could hear, would it even listen
*And would it stop crying if it knew

I often wonder why all the anger
Over a God that to you doesn't exist
Who now is swinging the righteous hammer
On which side is ignorance bliss

I'm not here to try and persuade you
This simple rhyme won't change any minds
It may be forgotten as soon as it's read through
Laid to waste on the roadside of lost time

I'm really just trying to understand it
Why so much hate for something if it's not even there
And why all the constant demanding
Where what you have to offer leads to nowhere

Perhaps it's religion that's the root of your problem
But seriously haven't you religiously organized yourselves
I'm really just trying to get to the bottom
With your way of thinking that god is yourself

I'd like to thank you for this opportunity
To get a few things off of my chest
And could you please do me a small favor Ye Merry Gentlemen
In this time of Season...could you give it a Rest

I see you out there jogging
Around the block and back
In hopes of keeping healthy
Away from fat attacks

I hear you're eating better
I just hope it's not in vain
When this race is over
And you reach the final end

Have you taken time out
To work on your spiritual heath
Run with the true reason
Of what life's all about

Focus your attention
More on eternity
Make it your ambition
To build up your Godly needs

Then and only then
Will the race you're in be worth it
When in the end you hear God say
Well done good and faithful servant

So while you're staying focused
In your daily run about
Don't forget to be health wise
On both the in as well as out

There is a part that lives deep inside of me
That throughout  the day digs his way out
More often than not he likes to be seen
This part of me called "Self"

"Self" comes out when there's a problem
A problem with not getting his way
Which seems to happen quite often
At any given moment on any given day

He rears his ugly head
When he comes across an attitude
From someone else's "Self" that says whats mine is mine
And it's all about me instead of you

You see the problem with my "Self"
Is he's not the only one in the crowd
Not the only one vying for attention
Not the only one screaming out loud

Can't the people see it's all about me
All about me and nobody else
Why is it you think they call it
The art of pleasing "Self"

You would think that after all of this time
I would have figured it out by now
That in the end nothing good happens
When I give the reigns over to "Self"

I pray for all the sinners
I pray for all the saints
I pray for those that can
I pray for those that can't

I pray for all the boys
I pray for all the girls
I pray for all of those
That are living in this world

I pray for all the does
I pray for all the dont's
I pray for those that will
I pray for those that wont

I pray the will of God
In every life will be
I pray for all of you
I even pray for me

I pray for all the colors
That walk upon the earth
It really doesn't matter
We all have special worth

I pray for all the sick
I pray for all the lame
I pray for all of those
Whose lives are forever changed

I pray for those who hate
That they find measures of true love
More than they can stand
Over and above

I pray all eyes will open
And hearts will do the same
All of this I'm hoping
As I pray in Jesus name