Is there nothing they wont do
The depths that they'll sink to
Moral hypocrisy they'll let loose
Underhanded that they will use

Just to get elected...

Lies that they perceive
Putting ***** in the ***** deeds
Nothing at that they wont sneeze
Open Hell's gates and set them free

Just to get elected...

Tell us what we want to hear
Playing off our biggest fears
The headlights to our road deer
Always sounding so sincere

Just to get elected...

Tell us that they do but don't
Tell us that they will but won't
All in hopes they don't get caught
Never ever taking fault

Just to get elected...

Digging up the buried past
20-30 years at best
Never giving it a rest
Is this what we're left with

Just to get elected...

It's not like we have not been warned
They're the early birds and we're the worms
As they tell us no need to be alarmed
They mean us no physical harm

Just to get elected...

Remember this is the dating game
What you see is the well behaved
All I've got to say is just you wait
There's a big difference between do and say

With the elected...

Everywhere I go
My rear is there for me
To give comfort when I sit
Should I decide to bend the knee

I take my wife's advice
And keep my cheeks pinched tight
So everywhere I go
My brains don't spill out on the floor

Just 10 minutes a day
could bring about a change
Instead of the 10 minutes that I waste
giving it away
With the tick tock of the clock
the time is getting late
When just 10 minutes a day
could bring about a change

Yes, it is best to take some action
instead of just complain
Time is just to precious
to waste it all away
Many things can be accomplished
even in the rain
One big change is to finally find
Joy after deep pain

Just ten minutes a day
could change another's life
Wouldn't that be a better way
to learn to pass the time
If someone gives you a nickel
give back to them a dime
Because just ten minutes a day
could turn around a life

I visted with a good friend today
It has been such a long while
I pulled up a bench, reached out my hands
And gave her a comfortable smile

She has never questioned my intentions
Nor asked me the reason why
After so many years I would leave her alone here
As much as she fulfills my life

For when we are wrapped up in each other
A sweet melody so often plays
I caress her ever so gently
Just the two of us as the world fades away

I never realized how much I miss her
Without hesitation she takes me back again
What we have is so far from over
My lover, my friend, my baby grand

God made the heavens with the stars in the sky

Man made the sin so we all must now die

God made the earth and all that's within

Man made the moment in which we all flinch

God made the air that we all breath

Man made pollution so the air we could see

God made the animals to live off the land

Man made the zoos to keep them all in

God made the oceans and all the sea life

Man made the notion to always ask why

God made the flowers and God made the trees

Man makes a mess out of all that he sees

God made the mountains and God made the sands

Man tears it down with progress at hand

God sent the rains to water the earth

In mans complaints there's always a thirst

God made a promise to always be there

Man took that promise and left it somewhere

God said take care of the land and the sea

Man made excuses and lost memory

Out of his love God sent us his son*

I ask of you what has man ever done?

Why do things right
When you can always do it wrong
Me and the right way
Well, we've never got along
If you do it right the first time
The second time would be all alone
Why do things right
When you can always do it wrong

If you always did it right
They'd expect it all the time
Then if you made a mistake
Somewhere down the line
They'd all be flabbergasted
That's the best way to describe
If you ever got it wrong
Instead of getting right

So...

Why do things right
When you can always do it wrong
Me and the right way
Well, we've never got along
If you do it right the first time
The second time would be all alone
Why do things right
When you can do it wrong

What ever happened
To the apology
Where did it go
When did it leave
Did it go with the right
Because we're never wrong
Did it not see the signs
Caution...falling souls
What ever happened
To the apology

What ever happened
To the I'm sorry
We used to give it away
Ever so freely
Now it only comes out
When we are caught
Beg, steal or borrow
Because it's never our fault
What ever happened
To the I'm sorry

Yet, if either were given
Could we forgive
If it was truly heartfelt
Would we believe it
We question the motive
As explanations are made
Never accepting a word
They have to say
If either were given
Could we ever forgive

For the sake of the poem

You'd sell off  your soul
Carve out your heart
Let it all go
For that piece of the rhyme
To help with the flow
All this and more

For the sake of the poem

You'd give up the ghost
Before you even come close
To counting the loss
Giving it up
For one moment alone
After you're done

For  the sake of the poem

All you've ever known
You'd give it all back
As if it were a loan
Label the streets
Now as your home
All this and more

For the sake of the poem

You can hear it if you closely listen
That's the beat of my heart missing
What I wouldn't give right now
For a glimpse of Sarah's smile

So inviting, so wide open
Where there's beauty in the knowing
Wonder of the child
Inside of Sarah's smile

Corners turned up in perfection
Leaves no room or need for guessing
As you soon find out
Inside of  Sarah's smile

Bringing life to clarity
Giving them away for free
Love the only sound
Inside of Sarah's smile

There is laughter in the making
No time that is ever wasted
What I wouldn't give right now
For a glimpse of Sarah's smile

You've heard tell the road to hell
Is paved with good intentions
I've been on that crew and so have you
Do I even need to mention

I've held the measuring tape as you paved the way
The blacktop hot with sorrow
As we looked away in our Ray-Ban shades
Saying we'll worry about that tomorrow

Mile after mile pouring doubt
Onto the hardened surface
With our best guess, thinking we've got this
Life down pat with purpose

Not realizing that what our pavement lacks
Is a heart that truly listens
One reason we can't help that the road to hell
Is paved with good intentions

Dorothy can I borrow
Your Ruby Red shoes
I could use a vacation
From my state of blues

Don't care much where they take me
If you want truth or dare
Three steps over the rainbow
Or to Kansas somewhere

I feel those Ruby Reds
Are my only plan of escape
I hear that their magic
Can take me away

From this state of being
That I am stuck in
Oh by the way Dorothy
Do they come in size 10

And Dorothy I'll try not
To wear out the souls
As I make my way through
Places untold

So Dorothy what do you say
Can I borrow those shoes
As I need a vacation
From this state of blues

Love keeps knocking at my door
Just like a witness for Jehovah
Wanting me as its latest victim

It keeps trying its very best
In my face, so direct
Telling me I don't know what I'm missing

I keep peaking out the blinds
Hoping it'll go away in time
But love never seems to give up

Sometimes it comes with a disguise
Its true identity it tries to hide
But you can't fool me, I know it's love

I wonder how it found out where I am
For years now I've been on the lamb
It's almost like its carrying some sort of torch

While love's hanging out in front
Keeping up with its relentless hunt
I go and sneak out the back door

And once again I'm on the run
From the chasing down of love
It's all to familiar of a scene

But just when it is I least expect
Love steps round the corner, grabs my hand
Guess love was bound to eventually catch me

Every moment that is taken
Has a consequence inside
You can leave or you can take it
In the furtherance of life

You can hold onto your actions
Or let them take a hold of you
Water or drain your passion
Don't let regret be the path you choose

The time you save you give away
At some other point in time
If you don't use it then you'll lose it
Never again to find

With the time you're spending here
Consider it a loan
Write this on your epitaph
Don't regret the path you're on

Life is made up of choices
You either sit out or you dance
That one song may not come back on
To give you another chance

When life asks for volunteers
What are the words you'll say
Stand your ground and do it now
Don't regret your life away

I'm giving God the go ahead
To pull off layers in my life
All the ones that gunk me up
I've accumulated over time

The first one that he pulls on
Hurts but it's my pride
All because I think that it's
The easiest to find

The next one that he yanks at
Is my stingy layer of self
The one that thinks about only me
And leaves out everyone else

While it hurts to lose these layers
They're ones I can do without
That's when I hear the small whisper
Making me wonder what God's found now

The one I'm holding tight to
As anyone can plainly see
The very one I hate to lose
That would be my layer of greed

When that painful episode
Is finally lying in the dust
Here's God with a knowing nod
Pulling at my lust

As he knows this layer sometimes
Gets itself confused with love
God struggles with nothing
And believe me my layers are mighty tough

He also takes the envy
And rips it in his hands
Replacing in my heart and head
I'm happy for what they have

With each layer that God peals
I feel a freer man
Why do I so long tightly hold on
To all of this I can

I see this year will be a year
Of God pealing layers off
I know in the end it will be a win
And well worth any cost

michael dreams
of things that he sees
in his mind
at any given time
pulls out paper and pen
jots down again and again
everything that michael dreams

michael rhymes
all that he finds
everyday
then gives it away
bringing such joy
like the first day of a new toy
that is why michael rhymes

michael flies
all of the time
sets himself free
without any wings
plotting a course in his mind
through his dreams and his rhymes
that is how michael flies

I live in North East Florida
That's just a hop, skip, and a jump
From the land known as Georgia
Where "Honey Boo Boo" once held court with her mom

If'n you never knew "Honey Boo Boo"
You're in for a treat or more than one
She was a multi car train wreak
That you couldn't turn your bugged eyes away from

First let me explain the state of Georgia
So this family ya'll will understand
Not long ago they re-dirted both paved roads
Said progress was getting way out of hand

So with that said and done son
With formalities out of the way
Lets turn our attention back to our star attraction
And see what all she had to say

Her fame started out on Toddlers & Tiaras
Reality shows we all seem to love
From The Crazed Housewives to The Kardashion's
America can not get enough

And since it's on T.V. it's gotta be true
Did you ever try her drink sensation
Of Red Bull and Mountain Dew, she liked to call "Go Go Juice"
It'll put hair on your derriere for extra pad in relaxation

And who wouldn't want to see a six year old
With that kind of Hellacious Buzz
What went through my mind when I looked at it was
Ahhh, Redneck Motherly Love

So now do you redneckonize her
Where all I just said is quite true
A dolla used to make her holla!
I sure miss "Honey Boo Boo" on the **** Tube
As I'm sure all of you do too...

Button up your pants and tighten your shoes
I'm fixing to let this story loose
One that years ago, set this place on fire
And if that ain't the truth, you can call me a liar

It involves Willie Scruggs and sweet Ida May
On the day they both gave their souls away
A man was killed and buried forever deep
Down along the edge of Gooseberry creek

They'd both gotten themselves in the worst of binds
Trying to live on the high side of life
But that's like trying to chase down a runaway train
On a poor mans track in a rich mans game

That's when High Roller Johnny the Ace rolled into town
The day sweet Ida May laid her convictions down
Against Johnny the Ace the deck was stacked
To take away the cards he was playing and not give them back

Ida May took to Johnny and poured on the charm
Till Johnny was ready to saddle the horse plus buy the farm
Ready to spend the remainder of all of his days
Doing whatever he could to please Ida May

Johnny fell head over heels for that beauty queen
Right about the time Willie came on the scene
Pulled out his gun for the statement he wanted to make
Death smiled big was the statement he made that day

They buried the body, buried it deep
Just like I said on the edge of Gooseberry creek
Our young lovers are out there still on the run
Ida May, Johnny Ace, and Willie Scruggs gun

Where they are gambling whats left of their lives
Ever since the day that Willie Scruggs died
The day that they set this whole town on fire
And if that ain't the truth you can call me a liar

i've taken up finger painting
with self portraits my specialty
i have a hard time staying in the lines
with all the pinks, yellows, blues, and greens

never once have i used a mirror
i rely solely on memory
if i made my art any clearer
not sure if it'd look anything like me

i start off each painting with something in mind
so it's hard to tell which look fits me best
as my fingers swirl adding colors and curls
making each portrait different from the rest

First day out in L.A.
Hollywood Boulevard
People say what they wanna say
But we'd all love to rub elbows with the stars
I don't care who you are

All I see before me
Are rows of fancy cars
In fact if you look real hard
I think I just saw Bruno Mars

Taking his ladies out for a trip
Down on Sunset strip
If your familiar with the tabloids
Then I'm pretty sure this is it

Hungry for a bit of Chinese
And a gander at the dead's concrete prints
I'm caught up in complete surprise
At how small were Bogie's feet and hands

They always seem much larger
Up on the big screen
But meet face to face a few of the stars
And you'll know exactly what I mean

There's not a whole lot more to see
Inside this Tinsel town
After the tour of celebrity homes
Before society burns them down

So I step back on the bus
Back to my town...normalcy
Secretly hoping deep down inside
I didn't come away with some strange disease

That's where I'm sitting at now
Up on my front porch
Watching as the cars pass by
Was that a Chevy or a Ford
Driven by Mr. and Mrs. Jones

I hear the Earth as she laughs
In the flowers that I plant
It's like they are all tickling
As they bloom in early Spring

I see the Earth as she smiles
With her dimpled daffodils
She keeps grinning back at us
In a pink peony blush

I hear her chuckle in the breeze
To the delight of daylilies
With each laugh they all know
It brings new colors to their fold

I have often heard it said
Every time the Earth laughs
Another flower is set to bloom
I guarantee that this is true

Every time the Earth laughs...

Problem or solution
Which side are you on
The ones that clings on to the right
Or hangs on to the wrong

Marching to a different beat
Or part of the crowd
Do you huff and puff and stomp your feet
When your told that's not allowed

Heads up on the copper penny
Or tails when they let you loose
I can't help but wonder if any
Which one are you

Do you raise your hand in question
Or sit and bite your tongue
Do you come up with all the answers
Or are you known for playing dumb

Do you often back the system
Or flow along the party line
Are you in need of some assistance
Is life rolling along just fine

Are you a shut in or a shut up
Do you applaud what's new
Are you a wrinkle in the old
Which one are you

Do you stand up for injustice
Fight for lowly right
Or sit still inside your cubicle
And check you facebook likes

Do you watch the world around you
Or does the world watch you
If you were told enough times
Would you accept it as the truth

Do you take the half that's given
And use it to improve
Are you abundant in what's missing
Which one are you

the dusty sign
       in the ***** window
                         read
               paperback dreams sold cheap...

since i lost mine years ago
i stepped inside to read

            i found a book
  that held a name
          pages
dog
       eared
                     &
               torn

a binding held by
      duct tape
a cover
         clearly worn

what caught my eye
were the dreams inside

    blank     page     upon     blank      page

tear drop stained
  from
     years
  gone
     by

   disappointing      day     after     disappointing     day

i set the book
        down
        
                 on

                       the

                             floor

with the feeling...that's where it belongs

like my paper back dreams

                 i left behind
                       
                           a
                            long
                             time
                               ago

This here is a poem
About a boy and girl
How they met each other
And changed each other's world

It's a simple tale
One that stands up for the ages
When in love they fell
And turned each other's pages

Both of them grew up
On the same side of town
Though neither of them knew
The other was around

But as fate would show
To them his face that day
Peaking round the corner
To give itself away

In the middle of the soda shop
They caught each other's eye
Quickly looked away
As they both were kinda shy

That something quickly clicked
Deep inside their hearts
As whispers go the whisper said
This is where it starts

That was years ago
Give or take a few
Now the kids are grown
And their grandkids too

As they watch it all
From the rusty swing on the porch
Thinking of the day they met
That changed each other's world

We came together on a day in London
As you played to the werewolves howl
With a purpose to teach us something
Enjoy every sandwich now

You handed us your empty heart
Laid out on a bed of coals
Always in search of a shooter
So you could play it all night long

No amount of lawyers, guns, or money
Could hasten down your wind
You let nothing come between us
Looking for the next best thing

You always were an excitable boy
Accidentally like a martyr
To your good tunes it's goodnight my friend
See you in the ever after*

January 24, 1947- September 7, 2003

I had this poem
I'd been working on
All about forgetfulness

Then made the mistake
Of setting it down one day
Now I've no idea where it is

I've looked out, I've looked in
All the places that I'd been
On this endless search to find

I've looked high, I've looked low
Places I frequently would go
In the hopes of jarring this simple mind

Because this poem if it's found
Might just turn my thoughts around
Though I can't remember why that is

So in this quest I'll continue on
In the search of the poem
That I wrote about forgetfulness

I think what I think
But why that way
Is it because of me
Or the way I was raised

Are my opinions factual
Or just what I've been told
And the standard I use
Is it tin or gold

Why do I try
and change your mind
When maybe
you're the one that's right

Why fuss and fight
Why kick and cry
It's not the end of the world
Nor is it do or die

We can dig and dig
Till it all caves in
Then dig our way out
To do it again

Why do I try
and change your mind
When maybe
you're the one who's right

Do we not want what's best
For all of us
And when it comes down to it
Shouldn't it be done in love

Love
Is how peace is made
Hate
Is a slap in the face

Why do I try
and change your mind
When maybe
you're the one who's right

I seen yet another tragedy
A people born in the land of free
A proud people to this day
Here before the white man came

A nation tossed on the funeral pyre
Cut down in life by angry sticks of fire
Only want was to live in peace
Run down hard by mans own greed

Softening of once callused hands
No longer welcome in their land
No relative, this Uncle Sam
Nothing left of what they once had

I seen lessons that we never learn
I seen the pain, I seen the hurt
It goes by different names but I seen it strike
The snake that takes the bite of life

There's a whole lotta nothing
That can be dug from the grave
Of life's buried problems
Of our past mistakes

You can chisel the tombstone
Make room for the dates
Of the didn't go the way we planed
That now lay to waste

You can call in the Pallbearers
To shoulder it all
To help carry the burden
Of where you left off

Hire professional mourners
To cry for the loss
But can you really afford
Such an extravagant cost

When all is said and done
The last word the preacher will say
Is there's a whole lotta nothing
That can be dug from the grave

Does God know me
The way that I know him
Is he in my heart
Or only in my head

When I work for him
Is that all it is
Proclaim his name
With a Judas kiss

In all I do
In all I seek
Is it for his sake
Or my glory

Do I raise my hands
Do I shout out loud
Do you see what for God
I am doing now

When I get to Heaven
Will I be upset
When no banner's raised
For my accomplishments

Something ain't right
When it comes down to this
Something ain't right
Like nobody's biz
With all of the what's
And all the what if's
Something here just ain't right

Something ain't right
Feels like make believe
Shows itself clear
Then suddenly takes a leave
With the dot of the "I's"
And the cross of the "T's"
Something here just ain't right

Something ain't right
With the do's and the dont's
Something ain't right
With the will's and the wont's
With the lifting of up
And the letting of down
Something here just ain't right

Something ain't right
With the planning of this
Something ain't right
Like a sloppy kiss
If we line up our sights
Perhaps next time we won't miss
Something here just ain't right

Why this day of all days
Was the Wizard out of town
When Dorthy and her three friends
Decided to roll around

They came in search of wisdom
And asked for my advice
My only hope in all of this
Is that I steered them right

To the Tin Man I told him
That he already has a heart
That it's made from pure gold
And shines as bright as a star

He may not always feel
It beating inside of his chest
But you can see in his love for others
That it's in there none the less

And the Cowardly Lion
To him I kindly said
It takes tons of courage these days
To even get out of bed

And when it is you fall and you will
Pick yourself right back up
That's the kind of courage
That I'm speaking of

Then came time for the Scarecrow
Who felt the need for a brain
So I told him that intelligence
Does not always a brain make

It might help solve some problems
But does not always think
If you want true wisdom
Take that from off the street

Then there was sweet Dorthy
Who in truth felt all alone
Needing herself a place
That she could call a home

I told her to have courage
And follow through with her heart
And if she truly thinks about it
Home is right where you are

My new friends they all thanked me
And went along their merry way
My only hope is I did a good enough job
Of playing Wizard that day

Stepped out early this morning
The screen door slams onto the porch
As I commenced to toss my worries
Out into the waiting World

I know the World in it's spinning
Could use them better than me
And now that it has a hold of them
I can finally be free

They weren't much of nothing
Simple bills and state of my health
Most all the other worries
The World has for itself

With cruel man's *******
And all the civil unrest
There's the feeling it's losing
Most of itself at best

Not to mention pollution
Of both its land and its sea
Yes I think the World has
A lot more worries than me

So what's a few more tossed in
From my screen door opening
As I step out this morning onto the porch
And toss mine into the wind

I'm being bombarded by technology
But instead of bringing sweet relief
It seems to have a choke hold on me
Does anyone else find it hard to breathe

Standing in self service lines
As the machines nickel and dime
Me from my change and from my mind
The mind being the item it rarely can find

And with my smart phone continually
Finding different ways of out smarting me
Where at each red light I turn to see
We are all enthralled by this enemy

To get where I need to be, there's G.P.S
Your almost there but not quite yet
Take a right, no wait...that's a left
Will I ever get home again is anyone's guess

With no such thing as the news at six
We want it now and we want it quick
As my left and my right eye continue to twitch
My hand's lost control of the on and off switch

Modern technology has taken from me
And brought out the worst for all to see
Who could have known, who would ever believe
That this would be our legacy

Here we are going nowhere now
Faster than ever before
Not sure of when nor even of how
We bit into this rusty lure

Today lives seem to blow in the breeze
Through branches of rotting trees
Somehow I feel the greatest of need
To repeat the branches of rotting trees

Take the pickaxe and dig up the grave
Unmarked is the one in which we play
No sense in holding it in
Well dig it up then fill it all in again

We all want certain things in life
Standing in line with the question why
Hope against hope not what we deserve
Don't think about it nor whisper a word

Most times find our heads stuck in the mud
No way to move and here comes the flood
Thought at one time if we just let it be
Have I mentioned the branches of the rotting trees

If we cut at those branches, strip off the vines
The fruit it still rots before it's time
And here we are still standing in line
Again with the question of why

I'm here to bust wide open
The hidden world of poetry
Some of the things I've witnessed
Most of the things I've seen

It goes deep beyond measure
Even deeper than I fear
In the laughter of its rhythm
Through the rhyming of its tears

When you take poetry to the heart
Like a literary worm it burrows deep
Listen close when I say it's so
I know cause it's happened to me

Where it works it's way into the brain
So it's all you think about
Listen my friends as I tell you all this
Beyond a shadow of a doubt

I'm not trying to say to stay away
Just a warning to be mindful
In this day and age that's so close to the edge
It never hurts to be extra careful

While some may call me a traitor
Letting go secrets that shouldn't be known
I'm standing strong and refuse to run
I just felt you should be warned...

Hello Common Sense
I keep wondering how long it's been
No idea of where you went
Sure am missing you my friend

Did you have enough of us
Catch the nearest goodbye bus
See you later, wish you luck
You're going to need it very much

Common Sense is it to late
To try and correct the mistakes we've made
Any way to way lay
The darkened day you went away

Now here we are out on our own
Feeling the pressures of all alone
Common Sense could you please come home
We're not doing so well since you've been gone

I talked with a poet friend
On the phone today
Can't say I didn't find it all
More than a little strange

The conversation went quite naturally
No bleeps, burps, or dead air
Funny she should call me
Me being here, her being there

I understood her English accent
Her, me my Southern draw
We both got a good laugh in
Isn't that why she called after all

This is something I have dreamed of
By chance to one day meet
Some of the special friends
That I have made through poetry

So this day I will remember
In my diary, pencil it in
That poets have real voices
They don't all just talk with pens