I had it all in my hand
Still I did not understand
How cruel this life could be
When it took it all away from me

Now I am nothing but a shell
Of what I once knew so well
Among the lessons that I learned
How quickly life can turn

So don't count upon tomorrow
Live life for today
Make the most of every moment
Love life along the way

For what may come tomorrow
No one here can say
Make the most of what your given
Then give it all away

Thought I'd start off with a clean slate today
Completely clear my mind
Sit in a darkened room
Give it a little time

See what there is inside of me
Digging deep what I will find
Grab a hold the poet soul
Spend the extra dime

I found I like it better here
Without the fuddle of mankind
Just me, the darkness, and my mind
In the deeper meaning of the rhyme

Every little seed that has been sown
Every little secret ever told
Be assured and you will know
Is worth its weight in gold

Every time you stare into the sun
Every time you say the words I love
Every time you feel you've had enough
Never ever think of giving up

Every little tinder slice of life
Every little question into why
Look close enough and you will find
Another case of do or die

Every time you think you can't go on
Every time you feel like loosing hope
Every time you're sure you really know
Do you really know

Every little tiny grain of sand
Every little slip of time through hands
Every time that life throws its demands
Just remember that you can

Why do we judge from the outside in
As if that has to do
With the fact, the way we act
When our looks don't give a clue

You could be a crook with the best of looks
In a three piece suit
Or a millionaire with unkept hair
In a line for soup

We need to realize it's the eyes
That so often decieve
And from the start look with the heart
If we're to truly see

And not bat our eyes at the outside
But instead look deep within
After all a person's soul
Is not made up of skin

Mr. Sandman
please take my hand
Guide me through the hills and valley's*
of distant dream lands
Keep me safe from nightmares
whenever you can
If it's not to much trouble
could you bring extra sand

Can Sleepwalker
please come with me
I need a close companion
as I float through my dreams
Through the landscape
of the nights make believe
He could even carry
all my baggage for me

Could you please leave
the Boogie Man home
With his satchel of nightmares
filled with seeds he has sown
I hear that it's best
to leave well enough alone
What's the saying?
it want hurt him if he doesn't know?

Mr. Sandman
could you do this for me
Could you include
one or two fantasies
It would make it all
a bit more interesting
Mr. Sandman
*could you do all this for me

The more I deal with you
The more I see the truth
In what I've found as time rolls round
That I'm not good enough for you

When I sit back, relax, look at the facts
They only stir me to think
Do you love me for the man I am
Or just for sympathy

With either way I'm okay
Though we still both know the truth
After all this time there's no sense in lying
I'm not good enough for you

With you being the beauty
And me playing the beast
I once again go back to where I was at
Why are you still here with me

Cause we both know the secret told
Is not the best of hidden truth
As I have seen and still to this day believe
That I'm not good enough for you

Why Yes, I DO realize...
I'm **** naked in the middle of the road
And NO Officer, I DON'T know how I got here
NOR the whereabouts of my clothes

The last thing I DO remember
I was heading to work and all was fine
Wait a minute...now that I think about it
There was this bright light?!

At the moment I was inserting my key
Into my heap that I sometimes call a ride
My friendly neighbor was waving to me
On the row of hedges from the other side

There was a strange humming sound from above
Both of us looked up in awe
Then I remember bright lights shooting down
That's the very last thing that I saw

NO, I HAVEN'T been drinking!
NO, I'm NOT insane!
It's only 9:30 in the morning!
Of course I have no idea what day?!

WHAT?
You want me to get in the back seat?
And tell the Judge what it is that I saw?
To tell the truth Officer, I'm not sure I can sit down
For some odd reason my butts a tad bit raw...

I've got my head in the clouds
With my thumb in the air
I know that that's not allowed
But who really cares

I got the brightest idea
To buy some shoes with a lift
Now I'm head over heels
And that's got her miffed

When a ride comes along
I do a quick flip
Land straight up on my feet
After a gentleman's dip

Take the comfort in back
Feel the breath of fresh air
With a twitch of the lip
I see that were outta here

Now I'm humming along
Down goodbye highway
Guess I'll see you around
But it won't today

Here we sit...

On the front porch swing rusted
The two lives that we've trusted
All these many years

We have lived...

The best of what life had to offer
The only thing saved up in our coffers
Is the joy of our tears

We've got our dreams...

And the young'uns that surround us
From the years of love that has found us
And still hasn't let go

So it seems...

We've still got much more living
Never taking, only giving
That's how we know

We've made it through...

Rough seas as they tossed us
Holding tight whatever the cost was
Each others life preserve

Lord only knew...

All these years were meant for each other
Best friends, husband, wife, lover
Living life for all of its worth

Reflecting...

On the front porch swing rusted
The two lives that we've trusted
All these many years...

Lydia loves the Lord...

Sees no reason not
Takes him at his word
Through battles being fought
The Spirit in her testifies
The God of Love
Is the giver of life
And that is why

Lydia loves the Lord...

Still sometimes she's afraid
Of the world that's just outside
And what it would make her give away
People speak in whispers
But she won't answer in kind
To make it through this life
And that is why

Lydia loves the Lord...

Knows it's worth the fight
Wise beyond her years
Beauty holds her tight
In and out is clear
A blessing she is here
As clear as day and night
And that is why

Lydia loves the Lord...

Thurston started off easy enough
With the simple slurping of Sippy cups
But soon enough moved on the the bigger stuff
When Sippy cups didn't do the job

He constructed a straw three feet long
Though Thurston was thirsty he wasn't that tall
So he could reach the kitchen sink
As Mom did the dishes Thurston could drink

Soon the sink was not enough
So Thurston moved on to the bathroom tub
You would think that that would be too much
As Thurston rub a dub dub'd and drank it all up

From there he moved to the aquarium
As he watched the fish around him swim
As they watched their world go sinking in
To the glass reflection of Thurston's grin

With an inch of water left he left them alone
As he spied outside the retention pond
That's when Thurston's thirst came on strong
And he dropped everything he had going on

Once he had the pond drunk dry
Thirsty Thurston heard the waves nearby
Dare he even give the ocean a try
His answer was yes to the question of why

Though Thurston did give a pause
Along with a bit of a thought  
Before he left he went out and bought
The makings for a longer straw

Woke up this morning with the brightest idea
That I took with me to a busy street corner today
I didn't carry a sign to waste any time
I just stood there all day and I waved

I waved to the cars, trucks, and busses
I even waved to a homeless man pushing a cart
I waved so much through out the day
My wave it became expression art

Many passersby honked their approval
While some with a finger said I was #1
I waved and I waved till late in the day
And yet felt I still wasn't done

I had waved to all the daily commuters
But what about those that only come out in the night
Just because they sleep late doesn't mean they should miss a good wave
If you think about it that wouldn't be right

So I stood there under the glow of the street lights
Giving the night owls a taste of my wave
Letting them know they're just as special
As those that hang out in the day

When my last wave said goodbye it was over
I packed up my hand in my pocket in style
I believe I'll come back to the corner tomorrow
But this time I'll just stand there and smile

On a hot August night in Memphis
At the tinder age of forty two
Behind the gates of Graceland
America lost its tune

Gather round the throne room
The king is sadly dead
On the cold linoleum floor
Is where he last laid his weary head

Fought so many battles
In the star filled lonely life he lived
If you're keeping score this is one war
That he lost the battle in

His scepter it was golden
His voice it was the same
He just lost his soul is all
Somewhere along the way

With papers read the words they bled
Out on the written page
Tears that poured as the world all mourned
And still  do to this day

So bow your heads the king is dead
Elvis has left the building after all
Although long gone there is still the song
And he still is the king of rock and roll

He has the need to be free
She just needs someone to hold her hand

He's always looking for a way to leave
She believes she has found her man

He has a case of the wandering eyes
She only has eyes for him

He goes out wearing a thin disguise
She stays at home with mascara on waiting for her man

He has a squeeze he sees on the side
She only sees the best side of him

He doesn't want to be tied down in life
She only feels free in life with him

He'll lie to get anything he wants
She truthfully feels all she needs is him

He's learned to manipulate the do's and don'ts
She lives to give him everything

He only gives and always gets what he wants
She's at her happiest when happiness to him she brings

He cant wait to get away
She can't wait to have him home

She has no idea as of late
He left her a long time ago

What your holding in your hands
Is a poem within a poem
Both far enough apart
But close enough to get along
Set within each other
So as not to be alone
This poem that your now holding
This poem within a poem

One poem rhymes it all in love
From beginning to the end
Talks of those new beginnings
And the giving within the giving
How love holds a lasting truth
And spreads it faithfully
This poem that rhymes it all in love
Then holds it out for all to read

While the other poem talks of the past
The what has and hasn't been
The artful way of looking back
And how it is now seen
What you gave up that you once had
That you wish you had again
This poem that brings up the past
A scent that's on the wind

Both poems similar in degree
But very different all the same
Both bring love into the notion
That you can have it once again
While they are relatable
In the way these poems both bleed
They both are very different
In their basics needs

So what you now hold in your hands
This poem within a poem
Is far enough apart from one another
But close enough to get along
Placed here both together
So as to not go it alone
This poem of the past and of the love
This poem within a poem

Sent out the invitations
Up and down the party line
With a tweak of the imagination
The party to end all times
If this don't get you misbehavin'
That right there would be a crime
So come one in fact come all, we'll help you spend your dime

Leave behind all your senses
And inhibitions at the door
Pull yourself up a lawn chair
All you drunks pull up a floor
This is the party of a lifetime
No one can ignore
And when it comes down to it, ain't that what a party's for

I knew there'd be a slight crowd
But I had no idea
That it'd be so eclectic
To include zombified midgets
Along with Henry the VIII
With a few beheaded wives and kids
That guy's a lady killer like nobody else's Biz

There's bearded circus lady's
Hanging off the chandeliers
Politicians kissing babies
Spreading a message for all to hear
The only problem is the message
Never is quite clear
Still the crowd stands on it's feet with the loudest cheer

I saw both the Bacon brothers
Eating a ham sandwich by poolside
As a plane flew overhead
Writing a message in the sky
The end of the world's tomorrow
You can kiss it all goodbye
Might as well continue partying if tomorrow we're going to die

At the stroke of midnight
Marilyn Monroe steps through the door
With a bag of party favors
And Elvis Presley in tow
No more need for the Disco ball
With his rhinestones all a glow
We hang Elvis high as the rest of us hang low

The party got so rowdy
The neighbors called the police
Who saw it as beyond control
So they called the local priest
The only ones that need saving
Are the drunks down on their knees
Ocefier arrest them then please help me find my keys

It's now the morning after
And everyone is gone
The biggest mess I've ever seen
And more out on the lawn
It's all one big blur to me
Of who, what, where was going on
But I best get busy cleaning before Mom and Dad get home

I saw my first killing
At the tinder age of thirteen
Two men fell outta the towns saloon
And commenced to fighting in the street

It was at that very moment
My Momma she grabbed me
But Momma couldn't keep me from seeing
What it is I seen

It broke my heart when Momma
Stood on that dusty street and cried
But I still went about my business
When she covered up her eyes

I grabbed the dead mans gun
That's when I told my lie
I told my Momma that I'd be home
Later on that night

But my Momma she never saw
Her young boys face again
'Cept on the wanted posters
Nailed up by many a lawman

Many a lawman lately
That's gunning for my hide
'N' to think it all got started
When the first owner of this here gun of mine died

My killing spree started in Colorado
Then went south for a spell
Every town that I rode up on
Became a living hell

A living hell that no one ever
Had the nerve to give me back
I almost feel sorry for the men
Who ever dared to cross my path

No matter how far or fast I ran
Death was always close behind
In his right hand he holds a flaming sword
On the handle engraved the name is mine

The name is mine
And he knows it well
Deaths one desire
Is my soul in hell

I was twenty one years of age
When a coward shot me in the back
Shot me in the back
Cause it was courage that he lacked

The courage that he lacked
Stopped my deadly run
As fast as it all got started
The day I pick up that dead mans gun

I woke up today
to a brand new day
The sun was gone
the moon in its place
They both got bored
and decided to trade
Figured it'd be fun
to do it that way

Before too long
the trade caught on
The East went West
and the West went along
Then they both disappeared
when here traded with gone
Though it all happened slow
because short is now long

Night went to day
and day went to night
Tried to trade back
but day was too dark to find
Decided to stay
when decision changed its mind
Sat back to relax
When it traded with time

The North went South
looking to trade
But who could blame
The South for staying the same
They took it out back
which is now front
Sat down to have dinner
when it traded with lunch

If you ask yes
it was a tradable day
If you haven't already guessed
in quite a tradable way

CURSING IS UGLY
CURSING IS FOUL
DOES NOBODY NO GOOD
NO WAY AND NO HOW

IF YOU CAN'T THINK OF SOMETHING
NICE YOU CAN SAY
DON'T LET 4 LETTER WORDS
GET IN THE WAY

UNEDUCATED
CURSING'S FOR FOOLS
MAKES YOU LOOK STUPID
TO TELL THE TRUTH

IF 4 LETTER WORDS
ARE ALL YOU CAN FIND
YOU'LL COME TO NOTHING
WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE

BECAUSE CURSING IS IGNORANT
CURSING IS VILE
DOES NOBODY NO GOOD
NO WAY AND NO HOW

True life is found in him and him alone
Blessing mankind with his favor
Life everlasting all for the asking
That is my Beautiful Savior

True peace is found in him and him alone
As we let go and let God
Leaving the past behind in his beauty we find
The peace that's held together in love

The difference between day and night, this life
We now share with our maker
Light of the world, lover of souls
That is my Beautiful Savior

There is no comparison to this new life
We now have in the One
Gently invited, no need to hide it
In love he asks all to come

From the everlasting beginning to the eternal end
All praise to the Creator
Forgiver of sins so we now can live
That is my Beautiful Savior

From Heaven to earth he stepped down
Leaving behind His royalty
The ultimate price he would pay so we may be saved
Sharing with us the locked door key

For the life that's less deserving
A passion he did savor
To give of his all, all for the Fathers call
That is my Beautiful Savior

We're all given a special medium
To display the art of life we're living
Showing off your life's work with each brush stroke
Whether in styles of Rembrandt, Monet, or Picasso

Perhaps sculpture is your pleasure
In how those works are measured
No matter the form do it with passion
Preserved through the ages of everlasting

In a world that is filled with the abstract
At times it's hard to grasp where your at
So take a deep breath to clear your head
And create your masterpiece with the time you have left

For each one of us are given a medium
To display the art of life we're living

You can smile the smile of perfection
Leave a twinkle in the eye
Move in every direction
As the camera hides the lies

You can take the shot over
Adding dark shades with the brightest of hues
Keeping off camera one thing or another
Hiding what blemishes you choose

Touch it up with Photo Shop
Dress for success in this life
Keep the negatives in the dark room
As the camera hides the lies

Put on an air of achievement
When you haven't really done a thing
Except pose and make love to the flashbulb
Bringing us all into your make believe scene

If we ever knew the real you
Would what your selling, we'd buy
One thing I know as the truth
The camera hides the lies

Me and Mary Lou
Were married right out high school
Her soon to have a baby
Me with nothing much to do

Didn't get much of an education
From the high school social scene
Life is now one big social frustration
If you know what I mean

Got a job on the dead shift
Down at the Jiffy mart
When Mary Lou went to labor
Emptying out her shopping cart

Got the call at 2am
Telling me I had a boy
I went straight to isle 3
And bought him his first of many broken toys

Cause broken toys prepare us
For the book of broken dreams
That most of us later in life
Tend to sit and read

Got the call not that much later
Telling me Mary Lou had died
Pretty shortly after that
My boy let out his first of many cry's

I wish I could have been there
Though not much I could have done
Except to give last minute comfort
To the mother of my son

Still down at the Jiffy mart
Whats a man to do
With a now 2 year old by your side
Sitting on a stool

He loves to hear the stories
Of when his mom and I were young
But he always adds the saddest end
When he asks why she is gone

I tell him she's still living
Only now she's in our hearts
I'm not sure that he believes me
As that's when the tear drops start

But life goes on as always
Like the purchases that I ring
With both us boys missing Mary Lou
If you know what I mean

I never met a fool in love
'til the day that I met you
Believing in fairytales and wishing wells
in hopes they will come true

Yet I know that you accept it
and trust life works this way
You'll happily continue in your quest
for life's biggest ever cliche

So wish upon a star
a lucky clover from the patch
We know where you wish you were
a fool in love is where you're at

But if you discover the fairytale
and can prove that all is true
Please offer me, just once, a tinder kiss
so I too can be a fool

Yesterday I drank and smoked
Now today I surely don't

Yesterday I was bent out of shape
Today I'm lifting all kinds of weights

Yesterday gave into want's and needs
Today I'm setting myself free

Yesterday gave up the bad
Now today there's nothing left

Yesterday what I did
I swear today I won't miss

Yesterday the old me went away
All for the sake of resolutions made

**That was all a week ago
Back to downing drinks and smoking smokes

Doing all the things I always did
Didn't take long to ******* the list

I set down all of the weights
Except the doughnuts which I crave

Jumped headfirst back into want's and needs
As I missed them and they missed me

Made up with all I did that's bad
Not that they ever really left

Yesterday all that I did
Are back today in perfect fit

Resolutions to me are fine
If you keep yours and don't look at mine

God labored on his six day creation plan
On the seventh he took rest as a working man
For to bring into existence nature's many beautiful things
His magnificent mind had exerted its wondrous visionary springs

As God stood back and saw that it was good
Adding man into the neighborhood
Placing on him all of its worth
Fully in charge of this Mother Earth

Tending to the vegetation and grand rivers with a hand of responsible care
In the glory which God gave his flock a share
Being his custodians bought unto them an obligatory task
That in each new day they could brilliantly bask

But alas what happens when you put man in charge
The head on his shoulders tends to get rather large
Then you add sneaky Satan into the mix
And it's pretty much been a down hill run with his malevolent fix

A cursed torment he bestowed on the divine Earth's ring
God's people wandered from their sublime path of conserving
A shepherd's voice was needed to call them back to their reside
Where nature's best interests did preside

Something only God can to the least of these perfect
To carry his vision is a burden on mankind's back
But God's love shall turn the wrong doers defiant track
So the world can be beautified in blessed anointment

To get back to perfection that he's always designed
But this time to do it all through the Son of God acting as the undersigned
Sitting at God's right hand man's intercessor
Who'll ever be the Savior of the sinning transgressor

Listening to you talk
A great idea I chanced upon
With your mouth running 90 miles per hour
And the flapping of your tongue

If we could harness that energy
Hook it up to some device
I'm sure we could power half the world
At least for several nights

Perhaps we'd be setting our sights to low
There's always outer space
Not the one between your ears
I said outer not inner space

You could run the satellites
As they orbit around the world
Believe me when I say to you
I'd like to send you there now girl

It's time that I should leave
Although this has been fun
And just like that mouth of yours
It may not make much sense but I've got to run

I'm taking this feeling that I've found
And burying it deep in the ground
I'm doing this just
In case I fall in love

I'm marking the spot with an  "X"
I'm drawing myself out a map
This feeling I'd hate to lose
For when I run into you

I'm running out now to buy the place
Where my buried feeling is safe
I would hate to one day find out
Someone beat me to it and built over it a beautiful house

So on the day that we both meet
I'll uncover this feeling and set it free
I can't wait for the day that I do
Hand over this feeling to you

I'm not 100 percent positive
But I think my girlfriend is a spy
You might be wondering where I got this idea from
Sit back and I'll explain to you why

She gets calls on her cell phone at the oddest of hours
Tells me she must take this call because it is urgent
Whispers into the receiver, then walks out of the room
So I'm pretty sure she's a secret agent

I ask her out for dinner on the weekends
She tells me there's no way, she just can't
I figure she must be going on a secret mission
Perhaps somewhere in the South of France

I've had plenty of friends tell me they've seen her
Out at different times with different guys
She'd better be careful or she'll blow her cover
As a top notch international spy

Out of curiosity one day I did follow her
When I called and she didn't call back
I saw her at the mall with another man
Whom I assume is her main contact

They were at a corner table in the food court
Sitting together up close face to face
They didn't want any other spy's hearing their secrets
As they make for us this world a safer place

Now that you've heard all the evidence
You now know the reason why
I've come to the only conclusion
That my girlfriend is a spy

I think I'm in need of new ***
This one I've worn slap down to the bone
Its thoughts and its deeds no longer suit me
Now that I've gotten this old

I think that it's served out its purpose
Slowing down as it's nearing the end
Not losing all hope yet letting most of it go
As this body's no longer my friend

It'd take too much time to iron out the wrinkles
Best if they were all just replaced
With new and improved fancy free and foot lose
Feel free to start with the face

From there we could go any direction
Once down the front or twice round the back
Putting this body out of its misery
You can take that and chew on the fat

If there's someone out there who could help me
Blink twice or just give me a nod
Not looking here for man of the year
Just in need of a bit better ***

find me on dead end road
that is where i make my home
a cul-de-sac all alone
that is where i'll be

with the shades drawn down tight
in the yard a broke down bike
not another soul in sight
that is all you'll see

weeds are growing in the ditch
only thing that seems to live
don't ask cause there ain't much sense to it
along with not much need

cracks and holes line the street
much like the asphalt heart in me
something else to make you want to leave
the insecurity

if you'll look ******* dead end road
that wretched place i call my home
a cul-de-sac where nothing grows
that's where you'll find me

while it is true
that i am not you
and i've no idea
where you've been
or what you're going through

i know the race
we are in is human
and we can run it together
no matter the color
of skin we're in

we all have a desire
that clearly beats from the heart
to live in peace
and harmony
whoever you are

and one day we will step
over the finish line
one people
hand in hand
all color set aside

Keep me running where I'm going
Keep me looking straight ahead
Keep me always facing forward
Never looking back

Keep me focused with a purpose
Keep me reaching for a goal
Keep me in your loving arms my God
Never let me go

Keep me moving in what I'm doing
Keep me on a solid track
Keep me dreaming of tomorrow
And not dwelling on the past

Keep me forever in your shelter
Where you alone fulfill my needs
Lord all I have is all I ask
That you please keep me

I've got a Bobble Head Buddha
That nods on the dash
Some guy named Gideon
Whose Bible rides in the back

Rainbow covered Rosary beads
Hang from my mirror with ease
I've got all the bases covered
As pretty as you please

Have my cassette of Hindu chants
Where I hum along
Shaved my head for Hare Krishna
In case I get it wrong

Holy water in my reservoir
So when my windshield wipers wipe
I have that added protection
Never knowing what might

A Yarmulke from a Bar Mitzvah
In the seat next to me
With a case of Watchtower in the floorboard
I pass out for free

No cigarettes or coffee
Like a good Latter Day Saint
In case Jesus comes back a third time
Who's to say that he ain't

With all my bases covered
I feel pretty safe
Guess I can now crank the engine
And start out my day