Memories linger
Memories lapse
What was it I did
What was it you said
Anyone's guess
Is as good of a guess
Weren't we once friends
Or just acquaintances

We see different angles
In what we believe
I once listened to you
You once listened to me
In search of the truth
Is how it used to be
Now all we do
Is fume as we scream

Who is the child
And who's the adult
Bombarded with lies
On every front
Isn't it time
We all stood up in want
Of the goodness that's due
In what once was the norm

After all these many years
It's only natural
For a fire to dim in flame
Doesn't mean it's going out
Or even for the ride
To shift to lower gears
Doesn't mean the love has died
After all these many years

After all these many years
There is still that loving spark
To keep the flame alive
As we're both still in this car
With the gear in drive
In the front seat side by side
Slowly as we steer
After all these many years

This is the hardest thing I've ever done
Attempting to write a non rhyming poem

MAN!!!

The most difficult thing I'll ever do
Is write a poem that doesn't rhyme for you

CRAP!!!

I'm not ready to give up just yet
Somewhere there's no rhyme in my head

ARGHHHH!!!

Oh... just forget it!

Heard they're getting ready to close
Down the high road
As no one they know
Uses it anymore

In desperate need  
Of major repair
Because no one out there
Really much cares

A once solid road
Well traveled on
The shoulders now soft
The pavement worn down

And with the low road
So easy to take
Just don't read the signs
That point out the mistakes

Heard the high road
Is soon to be closed
With no one they know
Using it anymore

There's a motel just down the street
Notell is the name on the marque
Flashing lights of vacancy
At the Notell Motel

It's a place where couples go
Hiding things they'd rather others not know
Where they reach the heights of the lowest lows
At the Notell Motel

Those that visit there seldom care
That the atmosphere is less than savoir fare
All they're craving for is a secret lair
At the Notell Motel

The front desk is not only where you pay the price
In the room you also pay with a piece of your soul inside
And from there you have no place to hide
At the Notell Motel

I have a face in mind
I think would suit me
The perfect one that
I'd like to see

If I think long and hard
This face I believe
Would form itself
Mysteriously

Then I'd take my new face
All over town
Using it in different ways
Different smiles, different frowns

Soon people would recognize
The new face that I wore
Out at the shopping mall
Inside the grocery store

A face so exciting
People would hang out with me
No longer the boring one
My old face used to be

This new face in mind
I know would suit me
Make me more exciting
Fit me to a "Tee"

I am no more than an Courier
A wanderer through life
Words are what I choose to cling to
Purveyor of the times

Spending forbidding moments in the desert
Just to watch it bloom at night
The chilling winds that blow the stinging sands
Help create that which I write

I look for answers in the greyest of skies
Where there's no limit to the powers that be
The howling wind changes the shape I'm in
That only the darkness it can see

The river that flows freely from my soul
Starts out where this life fails to end
And when it reaches its destination
The tide will rise again...

Leaving the warmth of the womb
Bright light of the delivery room
Life forced on the young to soon
           *...i cried

The very first scrape of the knee
Wanting but not knowing the need
Youthful planting of seed
     ...i cried

Love found and love kissed goodbye
Emptiness that could fill up the sky
Times discarded by the wayside
                                ...i cried

Life that gets in the way
Never with the right words to say
Where happiness once ruled the day
   ...i cried

Through blurred vision it all fades to fast
What once was the future, now is the past
Fingers to nimble to grasp
                         ... i cried

What's left before is the grave
Friends to late to save
Tomorrow come what may
                                                           *...i cried

Daddy somebody shot that man
I heard this eleven year old say
I didn't really understand at the time
I just knew a man was dead

But with the years that followed
I came to learn how much he meant
To this world in its great need
And how well that time was spent

He preached of equality he preached of peace
As he spoke of man as one
He marched his way down city streets
Facing adversity with the face of love

He was done with all the hatred
That fills so many lives
To him color was a vision
Of equality in his eyes

A life so young a life cut short
By the wicked in us all
Will you stand with me and follow him
Will you heed his righteous call

To call every man your brother
The way Martin Luther King Jr. did
To keep the vision of this visionary alive
A reality in which all mankind should live

The path that God has chosen for me
Is not the one I always take
Yet He is still there
Holding me in his care
Knowing how this child will stray

That's why I have to trust the Lord
With this my wandering heart
Never forget to pray
These times when I stray
And confusion runs through these veins

The Holy Spirit then lifts me up
Daily from the strain
When I am faithful to pray
He is faithful to save
As my troubles are miraculously lifted away

i say hey more than i need to
hey is what i say when i'm talking to you
not trying to come up with just any excuse
but hey, it's what i do

hey, what's the big idea
been saying hey since i was a kid
hey makes its way, past and present said
hey, have we ever met?

hey, would you mind
if i brought hey up one more time
not in this but the next line
hey is here by design

hey makes its way into my vocab
ain't that great, ain't that fab
one last time to make it last
if you didn't know then, then you know that

hey, is what i said

She plays tunes under the moon
With her violin made from balsa wood
For the lightest of sounds you ever could
Hear in the night between timber wood

She plays Spanish guitar
In a dandelion field beneath golden stars
Where all the notes that she plays travel afar
From galaxies out, back to the strings of the heart

She daily beats on the wooden drum
From the first sign of light to the mornings beyond
Inviting us all, each and everyone
To her wistful tunes she shares out of love

The tambourine is all she's missing
To top off the sounds of her musical knitting
Drawing you close in hopes that you'll listen
To this her ritual of symphony

Palm trees weren't made for climbing
They were made for hanging hammocks on
That's why I live in Florida
And in my life what's going on

No I don't want to go out dancing
And movies I don't care to see
Right here is where I'll do my swinging
Entertained by the cool Southern breeze

If you'll excuse me while I take this call
From the gulls by the ocean shore
They're calling to remind me of the memory
Of why and what I'm here for

Palm trees weren't made for climbing
They were made for hanging hammocks on
That's why I live in Florida
And in my life what's going on

So put on some Jimmy Buffet
And I'll show you how I rough it
With island music flowing through my mind
It's how I like to spend my time

All this talking has worn me thin
If you don't mind I'll just close my eyes
And dream of nothing which in Florida is something
And how we live or lives

Cause palm trees weren't made for climbing
They were made for hanging hammocks on
That's why I live in Florida
And in my life what's going on

Newly arriving in the Ever After
I noticed up ahead a child holding a sign
That read left or right there's no in between
All must chose a line

The line on the left went on forever
With no end in sight
Yet there was not much of a crowd
In the line on the right

I must have looked somewhat dumbfounded
The child looked at me and smiled
Why would anyone not choose the path on the right
Instead of the left, which goes on for miles

Oh, the path has already been chosen
Back when they fulfilled their earthly desires
They had plenty of opportunity back then
To do that which was right

But you my friend choose wisely
Though you did stumble along the way
You still held firm to Gods righteousness
The path on the right you chose those days

For many years we've been together
At times I can lose count
Though I remember the first time I laid eyes on you
I had to find out what you were all about

The sparkle in your eyes
The smile that always held true
I now find after so many years my dear
I no longer love you the way I used to

From the days of our first dating
The spark I felt when we held hands
Is it too cliche to say
You were my woman while I was your man

The long walks we shared in summer
In the lovers month of June
Memories I'll always hold near
Even though I no longer love you

The passionate kisses in the moon light
The way our young hearts beat as one
The feeling I felt when I saw you
And knew nothing more than love

After all these years together
You still hold the key to my hearts door
I no longer love you the way I used to
I now love you even more

There's something in-between us
I'm not sure I can say
But I hope to put my finger on
Top of it one day

And on that day I hope that it
Shows itself for what it is
That something that's between us
We'll seal it with a kiss

Then take it out and show it off
That something in-between
All around will marvel at
What this something means

This something here between us
That so longs been festering
We both then will face the fact
It finally made it to the scene

That something in-between us
What else can I say
Without really letting on
Or giving it away

First off let's make it clear I ain't funny
And I don't start conversations out with bonjour
But there comes a time in every mans life
Where he needs a good Man-icure

When you hit the age of me on the same feet
It's time to give the old dogs a break
Empty out your calendar this will take all day for sure
And you don't want distractions in the way

Cause when the hair on your toes could keep an Eskimo clothed
And carpet his whole family's igloo
That's when you know it's time to call up your Bro's
And go visit a Asian or two

A pedicure for a man to remove the toe jam
Like they would weapons of mass destruction
But let's not call it a date cause that just sounds gay
Let's say outing or a manly luncheon

Like a kid in a candy store given chocolate galore
With no earthly thoughts of calories
Signed up for the 5 gold star plan soon to be a new man
Where you're bound to not recognize me

From hot wax to cream to all things in between
Why they even buffed my buff
From bottom to top they did the whole lot
And yes I liked it...thank you very much

As we went through the day the new me being made
Rolling me from dock to dock
Then came to the time we stopped short of a dime
When they wanted to give me a bikini WHAT?!?

That's where I drew the line there's just some things I find
That a Manly Man would never stand
We went back to the front, that's enough of this lunch!
THAT gold star wasn't in my plan

Would I do it again? All you gotta do is say when...
But next time round believe me
When it comes to the stars I'll stop at the 4
Which I believe is the boxer instead of bikini

when we are without our clothes
no one knows our rags nor riches
no one knows our highs nor lows
when we are without our stitches

when we are all naked stark
no one knows just who we are
nor do they know the part
that we play in life's shopping cart

you may ask what am i suggesting
perhaps we should all go naked
we'd then be on equal footing
and wouldn't that there be a blessing

Will you please pass the memories of the time that we spent
Chasing down each others dreams
Too many years of not sure where they went
Nor when they decided to leave

From out the frosted window I watched you wave
As I boarded this high speed train
I don't have to tell you how much has changed
Since you and I were seventeen

The park that we favored is now a parking lot
Progress took what we had and gave it away
Better to have what we had than to have had it not
Though since those days life hasn't been the same

This you'll never read for the fact that we lost our place
In the line that we used to be
Like I said before so much has changed
Since you and I were seventeen

Young love, young innocence, playing to the notion
That it all makes sense on any given day
We took it back then on teenage emotion
Now all that's left is the ache of separate ways

With the swirling of memories I'm in too deep
Nothing more to say on this still high speeding train
Except once more to note that nothings the same
Since you and I were seventeen...

If I should die before you do
Bury me in a suit of blue
Knowing well this as the truth
I would do the same for you

If we both go the same time
Crossing over that finish line
My hand in yours your hand in mine
Drawing deeply on the art of dying

Planting us in a field of green
A red sunset to highlight the scene
A yellow moon at night on which to dream
With a simple headstone for those to read

These two were poets in the best of times
Lived their lives inside the daily rhyme
And when the end did come both of them did find
The colorful pleasure in the art of dying

There is really no need
To try and figure it out
If you just look around
At the beautiful South

From the Carolina shores
To the mountain tops of Tennessee
There's nothing sweeter on earth
Than a Southern Magnolia breeze

It may not be heaven
But it's the closest you'll find
South of the border
Below the Mason-Dixon line

From Georgia's gorgeous red clay
To Florida's beach of white sand
You can see everywhere
God stretched out his hand

Kentucky's smooth bluegrass
Alabama's rolling hills of green
From one state line to another
And all points in between

Though it ain't quite heaven
It's the closest you'll find
This side of paradise
Below the Mason-Dixon line

Never miss out on Mississippi
Or lose thought of Arkansas
There's more to Southern living
Than you ever thought  

From Louisiana's mysterious swamps
With it's cypress and moss
If you ain't been down South
Count it all as your loss

It's the closest to heaven
That you'll ever find
And I ain't just whistling Dixie
Below the Mason-Dixon line

Straight from the heart of God
A servant to the masses
True to form the Truth in Love
His kingdom everlasting

Bringing into light on that cold Winters night
The Fathers plan set out to free us
Need only open your heart to do your part
Inviting in the love of Jesus

This age old battle already won
From where we stand to Kingdom come
With hope tied tight around  believers lives
Never to come undone

As you fan the flame of this Holy fire
Burning to the outer reaches
A love for all in who you now are
Giving all you have to Jesus

Drawing on His strength falling on your knees
The only way man can be saved
A helper sent to you in deed and truth
Leave it up to God to find the better way

As there is power in His Holy name
The name that's here to free us
From the heart of guilt to the face of shame
That name being Jesus

my friends all worry about me
as i can't keep a thing in mind
cause all that it's on lately
is You and me keeping time

they say i'm in on conversations
but can't remember what has been said
i try my best at explanations
that You are all that's in my head

all i do is think about You
that my dear's the honest truth
if i opened my mind and let loose
all my thoughts would come back to You

they could bury me deep in therapy
spend all they have on so called shrinks
after all this all they would know is
You're the only thing i think

as my head is filled with wonder
it's little wonder at what i do
big surprise that there's no other
thoughts i have that aren't of You

all i do is think about You
that my dear's the honest truth
if i opened my mind and let loose
all my thoughts would come back to You

They're out there on the streets
I can see them as I crack my blinds
They're passing by so silently
I'm to freaked to go outside

I know that if they catch me
They'll put me in an imaginary box
And keep me there till midday
Where they'll have my brains for lunch

Or tie me up with an imaginary rope
To an imaginary tree
And force me to watch them preform a rendition of Thriller
Like a bad episode of Glee

Yes, those Zombie Mimes are freakzoides
Long before they became the preforming dead
I've been uncomfortable in their presence
Could it be because of something they once said

Wait...now here they go
Pretending to walk against the wind
Will I ever be able to step outside
Will this silent madness ever end

I don't know where they contracted the zombie virus
Or even how this all went down
I only hope and pray it doesn't infect
Any of the Circus Clowns

i look at you, the empty suit
and what you have to say
it makes no sense as your pretense
is always in the way

a moment in the making
another waste of time
i watch your program daily
blind leading the blind

you stand upon your podium
spouting your ideals
we the people serve you hand and foot
as you call out for meals

this life that you've created
for yourself and the downtrodden
you the onion in mid peal
we a people forgotten

as i gaze at you the empty suit
that called out for a change
i me and mine tin cup in line
another dismal day

Standing on the corner

Of what I thought it was and never will be

Gazing off into the distance

Of nothing in front of me

As the forever taxi pulls up

To take me to nowhere I need to be

I gladly pay the fair

For a chance to see what comes next for me

Once a week on Wednesdays
Round about high noon
The crowd falls deadly silent
As his presence fills the room

Is it out of reverence
Or is it out of fear
A rustling of feathers
As the Colonel draws near

He passes back and forth
In his Stately Southern  Swagger  
You can make out nervous clucking
As it certainly isn't laughter

Pointing out a few in the crowd
That's the last we'll see of  you
Until you're deep fried battered
And set out on a platter

That's when Henrietta hen
Noticed the paper in his pocket
In her slickest ninja move
Grabbed it fast, don't dare drop it

His secret recipe
Who would ever have believed
What he'd planned to dust them in
The chickens have now got it

They gave it to Robbie Rooster
Because he's computer savvy
Down loaded the app for eBay
To see who would like to have it

From the Ukraine to Japan
The bids started pouring in
Popeye and some Church
Were in the battle to the end

The Colonel's misfortune paid that day
The chickens bought themselves an island
Skedaddling themselves far away  
The coups now forever silent

Enjoying life drinking margaritas
Sticking it to the Man with golden tan
You can lick your fingers on that Sanders
As you'll never see them again...

I believe everything
That my T.V. is telling me
From my old time black and white
To the new color technology

From what all I should wear
To everything that I should eat
My television really cares
Never once would it lie to me

The way I should smell
What atmosphere I should breath
Helps me be myself
Fulfills my every need

It's here to entertain
Keep my life on track
Shows me what is in
Tells me where it's at

If you can't believe the T.V.
Who then can you believe
Based on fact not fiction
Never out of selfish greed

As long as there's still breath in me
I'll continue until I leave
Believing every single thing
My television is telling me

Ask how I am most anytime
I'll tell you that I'm doing fine
Whether or not that is the truth
That is what I always do

All my walls crumbling down
Shaky feet on rocky ground
Death knocking hard at my door
My day is fine, how is yours

Feet in the fire, heart on ice
Struggling just to get by
To tell the truth forget the facts
Doing fine now that you ask

What do I hope when asked by those
And do they really want to know
Don't they answer much the same
When they're asked how they are doing

Whether fried, boiled, broiled, or baked
I try not to give too much away
If you don't dive in too deep
I am fine if you ask me

My baby reminds me of rain
With the pitter patter of her tiny feet
A weather pattern that's hard to explain
Most days in the shade she's 90 degrees

My baby covers me up
A bank of clouds coming from the deep South
She's knows when I've had enough
And am in need of relief from this drought

My baby moves like the wind
In the direction that please me
With the force of a hurricane
My baby brings me down to my knees

My baby's as unpredictable
As the the weather pattern from day to day
Guess that's what it is that I mostly love
About this weather girl that I call my baby

.
                                                        g
   ­                                                  n           
                                                i
            ­                              t
                               ­      a
                               o
                            l
                          f
I feel as if I'm


              e         of          ma         ty
In  a  s      a           hu            ni

                      e        ow            bb
In a little  y       ll             ru          er  boat

With just you and me

Keeping it afloat through the years with our love

        
I view an island in the distance
I row us to the
                          s
                              h
                      ­              o
                                         r
                                              e

                          ra            wat         s
Away from  c         zy             er

Where we will swim no more

*No need for no others on our island of love

Could you imagine a time
Imagine a place
Where mankind is aligned
Living in peace

A world of no hatred
Or hunger per say
I'd love more than just ask
Could you imagine this

No more senseless wars
Between all the lands
Where peace by the score
Reaches its hand

Out to us all
In stunning bliss
Where not a soul is missed
Could you imagine this

Where every disease
And sickness is cured
With all of our needs
Met by the score

All of one mind
In all seriousness
Could there be such a time
That you could imagine this

i do my driving
in a parking lot
moving life along
from spot to spot

keep between the lines
in the parallel
universe i find
can be hard as hell

jockey back and forth
for an empty space
to park my car
and rest my case

then it's back to driving
the parking lot
moving life along
from spot to spot