Dear Friend...
At times I am afraid for you
That your hiding from the truth
In the words you constantly use

Dear friend...
You dig deep in your soul in what you say
Instead of giving the pain a home
You need to give the pain away

Dear Friend...
If you'll permit me here to say
Your worth so much more than "the you"
That your poetry portrays

Dear Friend...
Hold up to the light the words you wrote
Try and shine a line or two
With a tiny ray of hope

Dear Friend...
After that is done I think you'll see
That what you thought was lost
*You only set it free

this town knows by now
i ain't too proud to beg
when there ain't nothing left
of the life that you once had

from the tractors to the trailers
from my daddy's passed down farm
and you know those crooked bankers
they see nothing wrong

when a man finds himself
a few payments behind
next thing you know
he's standing in the bread line

with the kids holding his left hand
and the wife holding his right
this ain't the way i pictured it
my later lot in life

watching t.v. on the whitewashed wall
as the lying politicians proclaim
everything is running smoothly
and the economy is going great

maybe they should step out
of the bubble they're living in
unless they've heard the rumors
of a mass lynching

while they're at those fancy dinners
i'm standing in this line
with this empty sinking feeling
over the bitter taste of swallowed pride

when i first heard the saying
ain't too proud to beg
i had no idea years later
this would all land in my lap

It speaks deep to the heart
Tenderly to the soul
Tells of the many wonders
You'd love to know

In it's single mission
Spreading of truth
But what good is a love poem
If it wasn't written for you

As it tears at your heart
Swipes at your tears
Bringing to the surface
Emotions you haven't felt now for years

Telling you things
You only wish that you knew
But what good is a love poem
If it wasn't written for you

With the tightening of chest
The shortness of breath
The shedding of light
On what you could only guess

The tug on your heart strings
That won't leave you alone
But if it's not written to you
What good's a love poem

My poems today decided
They'd grown tired of my rhyme and verse
All at the same time, purchasing Samsonite
They took a trip across the universe

Stopping by other sites before the flight
Of poems they converse with day to day
Who'd also tired of their poets pen
And in them had grown dismayed

Then it was off to a cafe along the Milky Way
For dinner and a show
Afterwards took in some late night Saturn dancing
With a few sonnet's that they know

Spent a day catching rays on Mercury
Skied the Alps of Neptune
Drove bumper cars on the planet Mars
Relieving dreams of youth

Later a stroll along Jupiter's shore
Skipping rocks off it's many moons
Thinking they would have left years ago
If they had known there was so much to do

Out of all their seasoned travels
They have yet but one regret
And that being, they might be missed
Because they're never coming back

Everything I have to say
I say it with a nasel twang
Mixed up with a Southern draw
Cause that's the way that I talk ya'll

Slow at walking in my gait  
To make a friend won't hesitate
A stranger I have never met
By the grace of God, Southern Bred

The food I eat I like it fried
If it ain't grits it's gravy on the side
My elders get a sir or ma'am
I tend to lend a helping hand

I'll listen to your point of view
Then go do what I want to
All apart of who I am
By the grace of God, Southern Bred

Early morning in the fields
Toil and sweat until it yields
Like my dad and his dad too
It's just what we're born to do

Praising God with every breath
Thanking him for all I have
All you see is like I've said
By the grace of God, Southern Bred

There's a big difference
Between love and hate
While one gives away
The other one saves
Using their hearts
Like most do a bank
In the deposit
Of love and hate

Love in its interest
Runs rather high
With not many willing
To pay the price
Though when banking on hate
Most people find
Borrowing from love
Would have been wise

Because there's a big difference
Between love and hate
Where the dividends
Of love far out way
Anything at all that
Hate has to say
So be wise
In where you choose to bank

Best friends forever
Always together
Looking for someone to blame

No need to be guessing
Not here for the blessing
Keep bringing up your name

In case you've forgot
They gladly name drop
Always ready to play

Both long time buddies
Swim water that's muddy
So close, could be one and the same

What you should do
Is let them both loose
Don't even join in with their game

Whatever you've heard
Don't believe a single word
They are liars, both Guilt and Shame

I want love...

to take me out to dinner
to introduce me to her mother
to be my only lover

I want love...

to be the sweet fragrance on the breeze
to share her childhood memories
to smile when she sees me

I want love...

to bring about a change
in public hold my hand
to be the one who understands

I want love...

to be the warmth inside the sweater
the one to make it better
in any kind of weather

I want love...

to be that special moment
to know what I want
and when I want it

I want love...

to be the morning new
the glistening of the dew
the yellow sun in sky of blue

I want love...

...to be you

I pushed the red button
The one that said don't push the red button
And ended up on the other side
Of something out of nothing

I was in another world
Another space and time
Where I appeared to see what looked like me
As I, me, and mine all intertwined

My guess is this is the universe
If I ever had my doubts
Parallel as far as I can tell
Or somewhere there about

When suddenly I walked up to me
Mono to Mono, Man to Man
Since I am me and he is me
Should we hug or just shake hands

That's when I asked myself to dinner
Where we had a pleasant time
I found out through all of this
That I'm a pretty likable guy

He as me picked up the tab
And me as he paid for the tip
As I insisted through all of this
That I'd get all of it

We talked about what I enjoyed
And much to my surprise
Everything it is I like
So do I

As we were both eating our just deserts
This info happened about by chance
That this wasn't at all a parallel universe
But the Southern most tip of France

I was wondering while I was out with myself
Why he was speaking French
Now that I think about it
It all makes perfectly good sense...

You arrived at a time when the times were a-changin'*
Tangled up in blue, blowing in the wind
A simple twist of fate when the world needed saving
One more cup of coffee and your at it again

Like a slow train coming
Under the red sky
Holding back the wicked messenger
With God on our side

You gave us shelter from the storm
When life gave us buckets of rain
To this day you continue to warn
We're still only a pawn in their game

Hope to never say goodbye
On a night like this
*May you stay Bob, forever young

Pardon me your Honor
May it please the court
I'd like to present a case here
Much worse than first thought

It involves my client
A case I'd hate to lose
Forced onto this life of
Living out the blues

Pardon me your Honor
May I approach the bench
You know I don't do this often
Since I don't know when

My client has been set up
And he's tired of the abuse
That's why we're here seeking mercy
Way beyond the blues

Pardon me your Honor
I feel my client has been framed
He's given up his freedom
His happiness, his name

How he came to be here
He really has no clue
All he asks is that
I defend him from the blues

Pardon me your Honor
And jury of his peers
The man that stands before you now
Is innocent, that much is clear

My argument convincing
The evidence is true
You must find my client
Not guilty of the blues

My American Jesus

Is here to pour blessings on me
As I walk around the land of the free
As I lay me down to sleep

How can we not be his favorite
Look at how we're possession dressed
More than any other
Hands above the rest

My American Jesus

Comes wrapped in a little box
That I pull out from time to time
As an after thought

Can't help but be happy that
I'm not like the rest of them
Just please don't try and convict me
Of my many mortal sins

My American Jesus

I really don't care to share
To me he's way to personable
To let go just anywhere

I know there's stories about him
In the Bible I could find
And one day I may check it out
But at this moment I don't have the time

My American Jesus

I'm sure is Republican
No way would he vote Democrat
For that would be a sin

So lift your hands and praise his name
Help put him back into the grave
To pull him out on rainy days

My American Jesus

nothing seems to work out
the way i have it planned
when the crowd sits down
that's when i decide to stand

things always seem to go
a tad bit different for me
just a tick or two off
from what's considered life's normal beat

when they're no longer taking questions
that is when i raise my hand
when they ask for women volunteers
i stand up like a man

people often wonder
exactly what it is
that continually brings about
this life of quirkiness

my friends they ask quite often
is there a cure for what i do
9 out of 9 doctors surveyed
say they don't have a clue

guess i'll continue living life
the way it is i am
as long as i'm happy with it
i see no need to try and understand

Did You Hear The One About...

The lonely circus clown
Who painted a smile over his frown
A man can't hide the fact he's feeling down
Even if he is a circus clown

Did You Hear The One About...

The man who went to war
With no idea of what he was fighting for
Perhaps to even up the score
Of the men who sent him off to war

Did You Hear The One About...

The greedy politician man
Who in his greed for power was caught playing Uncle Sam
Never to revel the cards he held in his hand
Sounds like any other greedy politician man

Did You Hear The One About...*

The homeless man who spoke the truth
Who tried his best in life to change the hearts of youth
Crying out in the streets in hopes that all men knew
The simple truth that this man held on to

Whatever you do don't encourage him
Don't give him the comedic room to breathe
He'll take that last breath to go for a laugh
The slightest bit of room is all that he needs

Try your very best not to look at him
As his mind churns for something to say
Turning bad jokes into art, just doing his part
To bring that daily passion into the play

Don't smile, don't giggle, stand perfectly still
What ever you do don't even blink
Don't give him the out to open his mouth
Don't give him enough time to think

Whatever you do don't encourage him
Don't thaw that crazy from out of deep freeze
Cause you never know which way it will go
And it only helps to feed his off the wall needs

My prayer is mostly this
Dear God I do insist
That I see all of life
Through your righteous eyes

That you take this shattered man
Doing with me all you can
And what's been lost I hope to find
Through your righteous eyes

That life I may endure
In all of this and more
Where Salvation of mankind I find
Through your righteous eyes

May blessings not be missed
As I hold on tight to this
Fast the ties that bind
Through your righteous eyes

I have heard talk of us
Moving to the planet Mars
To keep this Human race running

When it's clear our saving grace
Is to come face to face
With the idea of brotherly loving

We need to learn to accept
Instead of packing up our bags
And moving to a new Planetary System

As it goes with the heart of man
Chances are we'll do it all again
Bringing our daily problems with us

With a major change of heart
We can stay here where we are
Getting along the way it was intended

Before all this selfishness
Knocked on the door to live with us
And everything we touched needed mending

We don't need another planet to rule
As gigantic galactic space age fools
We just need to straighten this one up

And how we proceed to do that
Is with the heart not just the head
Turning to each one of us in love

So whether here or on the planet Mars
We can change just who we are
Getting rid of the old worn out platitudes

We don't need little green men
To tell us how or where to begin  
What we really need is a whole new change in attitude

hand me a secret
i'll give you a lie
say that i'll keep it
till the day that i die

whatever you say
is safe with me
until the moment
that i set it free

when you tell me a secret
i could explode
i'll drum roll and beat it
till everyone knows

strike up the band
call the dogs home
bend a few ears
polish the crome

tell me a secret
i'll never confess
that i'm soon to share it
with everyone else

as soon as i have it
in my hot little hands
i'll let go it, they'll know it
throughout the land

With the turkey out of the way
It's time to do some shop and save
Black Friday...here we go again

I am up at three o'clock
So I'll be at the door on the dot
Shopping like a mad whirlwind

Pulling up to Walmart
Grab myself a fresh shopping cart
For when the doors open up at five

Like a horse out of the gate
Your own fault for being in my way
Just count your blessings that you're still alive

Beat the crowds straight to the back
For a little ****** and grab
Gotta have the newest wide screen T.V.

Blue hair had my T.V. in her cart
Took her out with a karate chop
Sorry granny it's either you or me

Next set my sights on this kid
With no clue of what he did
Or how he ended splayed out on the floor

In the remote car shopping isle
And it may take that kid awhile
To remember who, what, when, or what for

I next wildly veer off to the right
For that set of Ginsu knives
That I use to hold back the forming crowd

With it being the only set left
I Samurai it over my head
Which  quickly clears out the entire Ginsu isle

With my shopping about done
I sweep shelves into my cart on the run
Figure I can sort it all out later

At times it's hard to pick and choose
With the attitude of I hate to lose
Anyways I figure they owe me for all my labor

When I get to the front of the store
There's bookoo bunches of crowds galore
I've never seen such a long drawn out line

So I clear the path in front of me
Taking people off at the knees
They'll surely think twice the next time

Before getting in my way
And my day of shop and save
Already planning for next year my friend

Satisfied I head for the door
But I tell you not before
I turn and say Happy Holidays and Good Will Towards Men!
Cause that's just the way I am...

I've got a Tin Man heart
Wound up nice and tight
Goes off when it falls in love
Lets me know when the time is right

Instead of on my chest or sleeve
I hold it tightly in my hand
So you can see its ringing needs
And help fill its demands

Though shiny on the outside
The pretty parts that can be seen
A past mix of dust and flakes of rust
Sometimes grind the gears beneath

If ever it gets broken
It easily can be fixed
I have a friend who is a Wiz
When it comes to things like this

I've got a Tin Man heart
That beats to be free
You'll often find me wind it tight
Hoping to never lose that beat

Okay...

I've just finished another masterpiece
I go and hit submit
This shouldn't take very long now
Before the comments come rushing in

Okay...

It's been a couple minutes now
And I haven't gotten one
Is there anybody awake at this time
Can't they see what it is I've done

1) Do you think that they still like me?

2) Do they even know I'm here?!

3) Did I post my poem at the right time?!!

4) Did I make the writing clear?!!!

5) Could the site be on the blink?!!!!

6) Are the worlds computers down?!!!!!

7) Did I miss the second coming?!!!!!!

8) Is there anyone around?!!!!!!!!

         ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  

Okay...

I'll check it once again
Is this the third or thirtieth time
My mind can not comprehend it
Are all these people blind

Okay...

Now I'm on the check it 30 second cycle
It's a crazy loop I'm spinning in
Pretty sure I wouldn't be here though
If someone would please comment

I can't play this charade any longer
It's the cherub sitting on my shoulder
That's been feeding me the rhymes
This whole time

Whispering line by line in my ear
All the poems you see written here
I know now you must think of me less
Who would have ever guessed

It's been going on for quite awhile
From the beginning to the present now
There's never been an original idea
That's come from this thickened head

It's been the cherubs rhymes and poems
In which you have grown so fond
I just needed to get this off my chest
To this charade I now confess

There's a sweetness
In the presence
To the Glory
Of the Lord
Come and taste
All that he gives us
The sweetest taste
You've ever known
The taste of mercy
And forgiveness
No bitter taste
On the tongue
No better taste
Sweet satisfaction
Come and taste
The Lord is good

You don't have to be pretty
On the outside
To draw a crowd

Those that we should pity
On the inside
Pouring ugly out

There are far too many
Who don't have any
Idea what life's about

And if there weren't those with beautiful souls
How would they know
Or figure out

Winter sent Summer a letter
My bags are all packed, I'll be there in September
You need to start winding it down
The cold are I are both coming to town

Seems eons since I've been away
Just enough time for the Earth to bake
Knowing that it could use a rest
We'll be there soon before there's nothing left

I'll cover it in a blanket of white
Give it the sleep it needs till the time is right
Before Summer wakes up from it's slumber
With the singing of Spring like that of young lovers

I'll take time out to frolic and play
In the cool of the nights with the chill of the day
Telling cold jokes to all of the trees
Whether or not they find them funny

Then is when I'll pack up my bags
Taking with me what little cold I have left
Until the day we both meet again
In the heat of the breeze on the cold of the wind

When asked what I do for a living
I say that I am a poet
When asked how I make a living
I say that I don't, don't you know it

It has nothing to do with the pay
But more about all the pleasure
In a nut shell all I can say
Is that right there is beyond any measure

I stood beside of you and promised
Forever yours, forever mine
That I'd be by your side for all of this life
All the way to closing time

As we balance above the chasm
Holding hands on life's thin line
I want you to know I'll never let you go
That I'll be here till closing time

If things get a bit off kilter
Or we join in on the daily grind
I'll do what ever it takes with our love to make
It all the way to closing time

When the twilight years come aching
To dim our once youthful light
I'll remember the promise that we started with
As we draw near to closing time

And when on the wind we both are taken
As we leave it all behind
It will be with confidence we know that we made it
All the way to closing time

He keeps a locket of her hair
Folded up in an envelope
From the days she was there
Before that's all she wrote

He pulls it out from time to time
Finding time to reminisce
About the time they shared a life
Along with a kiss

And just as fast as all that
He slides it in the envelope
Thinking back to the time
Before that's all she wrote

I've had it wrapped for some time now
Ready to go out in the post
I just needed to find someone
Who could use it the most

It is a bit damaged
Never said it was new
But if you'll be patient
I'll overnight it to you

I'll put a note on the package
Please handle with care
The contents are fragile
It's my heart that's in here

So expect in the morning
To be a knock at the door
Oh, I also put in a return envelope
So you can mail me back yours

It all started off innocent enough
To take a slight edge off the pain
Some days seem worse than others
So you take a few more I'm afraid

Before too long the battle is gone
You don't dare go back to the doctor
So you take to the streets to meet demanding needs
With no option of over the counter

As all addictions do they stop working for you
And eventually bite like an ungrateful dog
The only reason you know is your friends tell you so
In your shipwreck of a drug laden fog

You try and think back on the life you once had
Before you first swallowed this hell
But with a mind that's not clear to point you anywhere
Your past is too far back to tell

You pray for normalcy but never down on your knees
Afraid that you might get your wish
Not sure you could let go the only comfort you know
In this cruel world of hit and miss

Still if you could go back you'd jump at the chance
To not have given your soul away
In the form of a pill that doesn't care what it steals
Leaving behind death in its wake

I have this friend
In the Queens brigade
Lives a fur piece from me
I won't say her name

Couldn't say the day
We became close friends
Though it seems we always have
And we've always been

No I don't remember when
That day that something clicked
But when it did it said good friend
And that my friend was it

Though we often talk
Our voices we've never heard
And if it was we ever did
Not sure we'd understand a single word

I've tried to keep this short
It would take to long to fill you in
On how it is I truly feel
About my English friend

The friendship that we have
It's hard to explain
Okay I'll tell...
"Louise McKay" is her name

This poem is writ
In opposite
So you know I don't love you

And over time
Your bound to find
That statement as being true

I can not see
You and me
Being together forever

I say that love
Is never enough
And throw in a whatever

The day we met
I still regret
And how those days have passed

I would leave
In a heartbeat
And give up all we have

Hope you can see
What I really mean
Is the opposite of what I've said

And the opposite
Of what I said
Is what I really meant

For so long I've had this deep desire
A need to write the perfect poem
One that will bring a tear to the driest eye
Brighten up the darkest soul

Hold the answers to all the questions
Man has ever cared to ask
Starting many on their journey
To a future free of their past

Giving hope to all the children
Those that have gone astray
Helping out the hapless pilgrim
That's been lost along the way

A poem that will bring to mind the best of times
When it was love that ruled the day
Making us want to give all we have and more
A deep desire for all to change

Is that to much to ask for
Too far out of reach or out of sight
A poem to change the very heart of man
The poem that I desire to write

The dog ate my homework
When I turned around
My humor was stolen
By a circus clown

I was abducted by aliens
Is the reason I'm late  
To pick you up
For our dinner date

I dropped the ball
With the sun in my eyes
Are a few of the excuses
And the reason why

I either do or I don't
Do the things that I do
So I'll stick with them all
As my excuse

I must have forgot
There was a time change
As my clock stopped
On the very same day

I lost my wallet
With your number inside
This would be the truth
If it wasn't a lie

I ran out of gas
So I had to hitchhike
I made a left
Instead of a right

I either do or I don't
Do the things that I do
So I'll stick with them all
As my excuse