sights that
entice
toss a line
take a bite
wish you may
wish you might
not held
so tight
too late
you find
wasting of
your time
beware
don't dare
it's best
you don't go there
still you
take a dip
just a pinch
no more than an inch
no one
wiser
used to it
secrets kept
with that done
with that said
call off
all bets

My mind often conjures
Up sweet memories
From days spent in youth
Beneath Loblolly Pine trees

With feet in red clay
Blue Carolina skies
If you catch me in daydream
That's where you'll find

Running through fields
Of tall Johnson grass
Rolling down hollers
Powered by laughs

Not a care in the world
Old or brand new
Kids being kids
Whistling Carolina tunes

My Papaw's old store
With worn wooden floors
Old men sitting round
Telling lies longer than yours

Fishing and hunting
Sport my memories
Keeping alive
These Carolina dreams

Have you noticed that
My fat bottom lip
Is about twice the normal size

When it gets to a-yapping
And starts in on its flapping
A safe distance would be wise

Because all the dribble
Meets in the middle
Using it like a diving board

And when the spittle is sent
You're bound to get drenched
From my lips to yours you've been warned

With everything I ever write
I do not know how not to rhyme
Do not think I have not tried
But never does it feel quite right

Extra time it may take in the search
To set to rhyme the perfect of words
But once that rhyme does occur
It's well worth the pain I had to endure

So right out of the starting block
I take all of the words that I have got
Simple line by line, grueling lot by lot
To never have rhymed, I'm thinking not

He's a one hit poetic wonder
Where this one rhyme is all that he has
He feels no need to go any further
Since he's already given his best

He about sold his soul for this one piece
Blood, sweat, and tears in every line
So why in the world would he need
To try and do it another time

He has no problem with being known
As the one hit wonder, he is fine
For what took him only the one poem
Others have been striving for, for life

This is a repost of a repost I once posted
Just to get somebody to read
As I'm quickly running out of ideas
In the relm of poetry

My hopes is it's far enough back in the pack
Where the first repost has faded from mind
Along with the fact originality I lack
At this moment in time

I might add an extra line of rhyme
That didn't come to mind the first, second, and third time
In case it looks too familiar
When brought out in the light

Then with this repost of a repost I once posted
No one should suspect a thing
Although they may have their suspicions
In its rhyming and its ring

Sometimes I figure if even I can't remember
Myself writing out this poem
Then I have no worries as we all read in a hurry
And no one will ever know

All day long all I do is shake my head
Over all that can and can't be said
That's okay, but mind you never that
If it wasn't so sad perhaps then I could laugh

Insanity wears a worn out mask
With everybody being Politically Correct

With feelings now we're trying not to hurt
So bite your tongue before you blurt
Do you need more training down at work
With sensitivity being the latest word

Know what you can do and what you can't
With everybody being Politically Correct

Don't call someone by preference or nationality
It singles them out for all to see
And it could hurt their feelings very badly
And feelings should always be bad feely free

This is not a secret that should be kept
As everybody is Politically Correct

If you're out in a crowd and don't know what to do
Call up the  P.C. Police and they'll explain it to you
Take their thoughts and chew them as food
So you don't come across as being rude

You don't want them all to say what the heck
As everybody is Politically Correct

So watch yourself when you open your mouth
Be careful with what comes pouring out
The world's an angry cat to this lowly mouse
My hope is you never find that out

The common sense window is now closed on all bets
As everybody is Politically correct

I'd like to fly this life
By way of the bird
Feather free in finding time
Instead of life in a blur

I'd like to sit atop a tree
Rest in peace unfurled
Feather free in my own keep
By way of the bird

I'd like to take this moment
to apologize
For the mess we made right out of the gate
and the world we'll leave behind

But of course when it was given to us
it was already in a tail spin
Without a shadow of doubt closer to the ground
than we could have ever dreamed

Soon enough to own it in a matter of moments
being first to the crash site
So fasten your belts as it quickly goes south
with us all franticly waving bye, bye

When you feel that you're worn
Slap down to the bone
With no earthly way
That you can go on

When you feel you can't face
Another day
When the troubles of life
Seem to get in the way

That's when there's a clear
Word from the Lord
The race is not long
Run hard

When the encouragement you need
Seldom is seen
And the courage you have
Escapes from the melee

When you have no more strength
In which to carry
When turmoil and strife
Is all that you see

That's when there's a clear
Word from the Lord
The race is not long
Run hard

When you find that life
Has both a bark and a bite
And you're not sure anymore
That you're able to fight

When most of your time's spent
On wobbly knees
And you come to the point
Where you give up on your "me"

That's when there's a clear
Word from the Lord
The race is not long
Run hard

I'm pretty sure I know their ***** little secrets
With Big Brother watching over me
And what I know you know that I can't keep it
Remember this in case tomorrow I'm history

U.F.O.' s are flying past my building
I see them wink, little men of green
It's time to foil up all my outside windows
Keep the gamma rays from infiltrating

And of the mailman I'm more than a bit leary
Letters and bills are not all that's in the post
A very good reason for most of today's junk mail
Is in the hiding of tiny microphones

When I head out to the grocery, people are awful friendly
Asking how I am, checking up on me
Pretty sure every one of them is a Russian agent
With that English accent down to a tee

When l'm alone at home doing daily dishes
I often hear strange voices gurgling from the sink
I'm always very quick to close the refrigerator
The other day I caught the honey ham glazing back at me

And all of this because I'm privy to their secrets
How do I know, my source's tell me so
If I told a few to you, you never would believe me
But then again there's just some things the common man should never know

This is this poems maiden voyage
The first time that it has set sail
Since its early morning creation
Through sweat, tooth, and nail

It was built upon the idea
That hard work and persistence would pay
The way we used to do things
Way back in the day

Each line was painstakingly measured
Followed the plans down to a tee
Sanded smooth all of the verses
So it'd be worthy when set out to sea

This poem holds deeper meaning below the waterline
Than could ever be seen on the deck
On the starboard bow is where it's read out loud
For you land lovers that's the opposite of left

So glad you could make it for this poems Christen
As we're lined up four deep on the dock
To see this poem off in it's poetic mission
As we all wish it Bon Voyage

The sun came down
Kissed the Earth good morning
Huged it with a warming
To help it on its way

Gave a gentle nudge
To guide it in it's spinning
Whispered here's to new beginnings
Calling it a day

Mother Earth shines in her beauty
Her makeup being the meadow green
The mountain tops keep her shapely
She pulls her tears from out the sea

Mother Earth brightens every morning
As the sun shines on her cheeks
The massive valleys of the desert
Only add to her physique

Mother Earth's hair blows ever gently
In the coolness of the breeze
Keeps her warm in winter, cool in summer
The way she styles her Northern trees

Mother Earth has held her age well
As Father Time's been good to her
With Springs cover she's looking younger
That's the beauty of Mother Earth

this poem explains the state i'm in

from humble beginnings to bitter end

haphazardly it might be a bit

but haphazardly is how i live

it's here to show you both my sides

from the heavy to the light

you'll have to wonder how i survive

or at least how i get by

painstakingly i'll add to it

all the crooks and crannies, every stitch

nothing will i dare omit

an open book i'll title it

it'll read just like a comedy

with it's share of tragedy in between

a real page turner for what it is

but that's just how my life is lived

i'll leave nothing out for you to guess

nothing more and nothing less

call the priest i must confess

for some of this they'll have my head

but after all is done and said

an open book i'll title it

I see you've got one
I've got one too
Came with instructions
Along with a tube of Elmer's glue

I like to take mine
Do you take yours too
Out for a Sunday drive
Or a plane flight to Timbuktu

I like to keep mine
Safely by my side
You know how these things
Can get sidetracked in life

Since I only have one
And you only have one too
If I ever find another one
I'll gladly share with you

If there is anything
That I could promise you
It would be my love
Until my days are through

Until you feel my breath
Leave my dying chest
The love I have for you
Would be the last thing left

And then when
I am dead and gone
I will have the wind
To carry my love on

To gently toss your hair
Plant kisses on your cheek
To let you know my dear
The wind is a caress from me

What is the color of day
The color of night
Sometimes a hardened steely gray
Others soft as candlelight

Red skies in the morning
Sailors need take heed
With no need for a warning
If red skies at night the day proceeds

No better the sunny weather
That makes my mornings shine
But then you can't beat the cool air treat
Of a star filled sky at night

The skies of blue never do
Have the blues per say
And the blackest night mood feels just right
When you give the blues away

What is the color of day
The color of night
Whatever color they choose I've news for you
The color is just right

I keep wondering over here
Whatever happened to Van Gogh's ear
The one he cropped in a fit of love
And was that before or after a few beers

Did he send it out in the post
With a return address
Did she at one time say Van lend me your ear
Did he exclaim I can do that

Was it red and gooey inside
Like a Valentines day surprise
When she opened it up and saw it was an ear
Could she belive her eyes

I myself am not a romantic
But I'm pretty sure this is not how it's done
At least not on this side of the planet
No matter how madly in love

Now that the ear of Van Gogh looks like escargot
Feel free to chew on that fact
Which brings me back to haunt my original thought
I wonder where the ears now at

The simple things in life
Come pretty easy to me
Like tying my shoes
Or knowing when I should eat

I have no problem per se
In rolling out of bed
Or in the combing of hair
That sits on top of my head

It's being an adult
That has my hands tied
No matter how hard I try
I just can't seem to get it right

I can sit in front of the T.V.
Give it my best binge
Watch the world collapse around me
With remote still in hand

I am fairly adept
In the realm of color schemes
So I rarely need help
When it comes to dressing me

And never have I forgotten
How to ride a bike
But being an adult hurts my noggin
As I can't seem to get it right

I'm a pro at teeth brushing
And keep them pearly white
And no longer feel the need
To use a night light

All of this and more I can do
Finding it easier than said
Oh and before I forget
I can even make my bed

Walking tall amongst it all
With sturdy legs enjoying the ride
But apparently this adult thingy's not for me
As I can't seem to get it right

I will remember the moment it happened
I will remember the pleasure and pain
I will remember the far off direction
As well as the color of rain

I will question all mans excuses
I will question birds in mid-flight
I will question the late along with the early
As well as the color of why

I will talk of the young in the whispers
I will talk of the bond before it lets loose
I will talk of the tear that brings on the storm
As well as the color of cruel

If you'll show me the reason for falter
If you'll show me the point of enough
If you'll show me the given back taken
As well as the color of love

One day the world
Started spinning fast round
Becoming a blur
Laying tall buildings down

What wasn't nailed tight
Flew off in the sky
People were ducking
With cows flying by

The dog on the corner
Barked his last bark
With tail between legs
He shot for the stars

The cat that watched this
Meowed with delight
Until he lost all
9 lives in mid-flight

All the empty cans
Along with broken glass
Paper, plastic
And all other trash

Stuff that never made it
Out to the dump
Went flying past fast
In one big ugly chunk

A rather strange scene
If you know what I mean
One minute it's here
The next history

Those left behind
Held tight in the breeze
Those that had time
Glued themselves to their seats

As fast as it came
It slowed down the same
All went back to normal
The way things had been

With less clutter around
To get in the way
I guess the world just needed
A good cleaning that day...

If you were told you have one week
Before the end of life is reached

Tell the truth,  what would you do
Would this news change your attitude

Would you try your best to find
All those you have known through life

That have helped you to this point
Before that last heartbeat is gone

Thanking them for the helping hand
The selflessness on which they stand

Would you then make amends with
All the ones you have offended

And how many times would the word love
In conversations be brought up

I'm thinking that it might be best
If we all lived like there was one week left

I asked for all your blessings today
So I could give back to you
All the fortune and fame known to man
Not sure how it is I could use

I'm sure I'll think of something Lord
If you'd just give to me
I'll be sitting right here on my couch
Waiting patiently...

...I'm still here waiting
Not quite sure you heard
Don't want to be a bother Lord
So I wont speak another word...

Okay...one more word
Then I'll hold my tongue
Right after this last request
I'm sure I will be done

Perhaps I can do without the fame
But the fortune would be nice
I'm kind of in a hurry here
So could you please pick up the pace...

It' been more than a few days now
And I'm still here on my couch
I now know that you took your time
So I'd have time to figure out

That if I do nothing but sit around
And never venture out
The only fame I'll see is on my T.V.
And the only fortune...
The loose change that's in my couch

Told him and warned him,
if he continued to hit me
Told him and warned him,
just what I would do
Swore on his life,
he was willing to bet me
That was one bet,
he would willingly lose

Told him and warned him,
but he didn't believe me
Told him and warned him,
he had no clue
Of the gun I kept hid,
on my side of the mattress
Guess he never figured,
that I'd follow through

Told him and warned him,
still never saw it coming
Told him and warned him,
of this raging storm
Apparently,
he didn't believe me
Of this promise kept with no regrets
wasn't like he wasn't warned

as far as yesterday goes
nothings the same
as it waits for today
to take it away

as far as yesterday goes
count out the change
offered tomorrow
no matter the day

as far as yesterday goes
it can not delay
what it will to lose
for tomorrows gain

We tried something different this year
A Thanksgiving day buffet
I really like the leftovers though
So I lined my pockets with cellophane

To justify my actions
As I stood in line
With the twenty bucks I was paying  
Would a little take out be such a crime

Being a master of illusion
I pointed and said is that Santa Claus
While everyone was looking
I filled my back pockets with cranberry sauce

Things were running rather smoothly
As we moved along
I was stuffing everything from giblets to gravy down my drawers
As if there was nothing wrong

With tomorrows lunch now in my pockets
I went back to the table to dine
Forgetting the cranberry sauce in my rear as I sat
I squirted the lady behind me in the eye

Her husband jumped quickly into action
He was a mountain of a man
We'll just call him Everest
I didn't have time to catch his name

He picked me up and started shaking
That's when my stuffing's came flying out
Tomorrows meal went everywhere
Splattering the entire dining crowed

There was quite a ruckus
As we chased around the restaurant
It's going to be hard to get my leftovers back
Now that I've lost my air of nonchalant

As we were knocking over tables
I got the idea to grab peoples plates
Not wanting to be a spoiler of the holidays
Out the door I hollered back...

Have A Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Love spends the day
Wherever it likes
Out in the open
With no need to hide
Making its way
In pure delight
Sticks to the path
Where it's easy to find

The problem we have
That of mankind
Being lost in the woods
For most of our lives
So we struggle with love
In our hopes to find
As love spends the day
Wherever it likes

I never have really said
That I have had regrets
But if I had the chance
I'm sure some things I'd do different

I might slow down long enough
To enjoy some of what I've done
Not take too much so serious
Have a bit more fun

But the one thing if I could again
Out of all the things I'd do
Is I would make sure to fall
Sooner in love with you

There's only so much time
That we have in this life
Whether we get it wrong
Or whether we get it right

I'm just blessed to have the best
All for the count, hands down
And if given a second chance
I'd go another round

But the one thing if I could
Out of all the things I'd do
Is I would make sure this time
To fall sooner in love with you

It's not the way you look at me
Or how your hair blows in the breeze
It's not how you smile like a night on the town
Or the skip of my heart when you are around

It's not in the way that you beautifully dress
Although I am always beyond impressed
It's not any of those although they're nice
It's more of the fact that you are mine

It's not in the shine of your radiant glow
Or how to me your love is gently shown
It's not in the fact that you're all I need
Or the softness of touch when you hold me

It's not that you take my breath away
Or the way you make it all okay
It's not in any of those things I so often find
It's more of the fact that you are mine

When promises made aren't promises kept
And the rash of the day fills my troubled head
When the freedom I thought I had runs out on me
Putting a taste in my mouth more bitter than sweet

When the truth that is told is more of a lie
With time moving on in the passing by
When there seems no way here that I can pull through
Lord, I lean on you

When the mountains I climb are much to high
And the surrounding darkness threatens to put out the light
When in the belly of the whale is how I mostly feel
Daily served up as a three course meal

When the world looks at me and bears its angry teeth
Finding myself once again in way too deep
When I no longer know what I can do
Lord, I lean on you

When it's been too long and much too late
And far too often that I've felt this way
When the aches in my bones want to give up all hope
And my mind doesn't know which way to go

When the peripheral door is locked with no key
Losing  precious sight of what's in front of me
When there's nothing left and I need all that is true
Lord, I lean on you

I remember when it all went wrong
When the waitress said your order's up
Our fill of love wasn't quite enough
Inside heartbreak resturant

She had handed menus to the both of us
No pictures there and rather sparse
We both knew we both had come
To wine and dine on the best of love

While the cooks in back mentioned the fact
At the appetizers we started with
And that the hunger pangs were built to last
If that's all that we planed to have

As the night went on we more than fought
As the table turned on lessons learned but never taught
Order's up, all for naught
Inside heartbreak resturant

I'd love to live down by the ocean
My bed, the grains of sand
The stars at night, my candle light
As I lay down my weary head

The open sky would be my blanket
The cool sea breeze my ceiling fan
As swaying palm trees lull me off to sleep
With no dead lines and no demands

The call of morning gulls my alarm clock
Who's company makes sure I'm not alone
As I spend my days with the calming waves
Relaxing in my ocean home

You may not like the place you're in
But it won't go away
Till you stand for your convictions
Believe in the words you say

You can have the best intentions
And still wallow in the mire
Stand firm in your decision
In the changing of desires

You need to look within yourself
To figure it all out
That is where the change begins
Beyond a shadow of a doubt

Once you decide to do that
You'll find it paramount
With the place that you're now at
How'd you ever do without

It's a sad scene
Your eyes of green
That are so often blue
From what you go through

Wish I could help
You figure it out
Try something new
What's there to lose

Maybe try this on for size
I think that you might
Find this to be true
That my love looks good on you

Once given a chance
And you let it sink in
I'm sure over time
Love will be what you like

With open arms
What could be the harm
I'm thinking that it
Will be the perfect fit

Slip into this
Start with a kiss
Feels good brand spanking new
My love looks good on you

I have no doubt
It'll never wear out
Spring in its color
Warmth in its Summer

Like a ray of sunshine
Tells the night that it's time
To give the darkness away
That is why I say

To try this on for size
I'm sure that you will find
This all to be true
That my love looks good on you

I'm sure that if you're like me
This poem that you are about to read
Is at this moment on a phone that's smart
Secretly wishing that you were

You make it through the first couple lines
Enjoying the cadence of the rhyme
When it all comes to a stop is when you look up
To see who just got onto the bus

A young mother with a couple of kids
Going back to the poem you just left
Though it really has nothing to say
You enjoy the vibes it sends your way

Earlier you started your day on the back porch
A cup of coffee, a cigarette that you just torched
As the first hint of birds start to sing
Out comes the phone with its poetry

You take a sip of your morning brew
As both it and the rhyme relaxes you
The birds in the background continue to sing
As poetry flows to their sweet melody

With the sleep from your head fading away
You stand to ready yourself for another day
Taking with you your phone back inside
Where soon both you and it will take that bus ride

When did this problem come along
As we divide ourselves while subtracting souls
There is no plus to any of this

What one and one used to do
Equalled out to the count of two
That must have been the old arithmetic

Now one and one are on their own
Finding it hard to add things up
When mostly now life is just a guess

Used to be as easy as one, two, three
Then we add in this minus society
And the problem that we have is with the math

Who bangs the drums of war
Our so called leaders in search of more power
That insatiable itch that can't be scratched
Off the broken country's back

Who bangs the drums of hate
Dishes out decisiveness onto our plates
Server, cook, and maitre d'
Yet leaves the trash for the least of these

Who bangs the drums of deceit
Making us all out as enemies
Tells us do this while they do that
Through backroom deals and secrets kept

Who bangs the drums of fear
To keep us on edge year after frightful year
Just when we think we've had enough
They pull something else out of the box

Who bangs the drums that keep us off beat
Takes the steady out of our feet
Won't leave us alone until they're done
There's more than one that bangs the drums

I love you more than ever girl
At the risk of the cliche
I'll love you more than you'll ever know
Permit me to count the ways

I'll love you more than the here and now
More than all space and time
To tell the truth I'm loving you
More than I'm loving life

I'll love you from the beginning
I'll love you to the end
And if we die and come back to life
I'll love you then again

I'll love you like a masterpiece
That's hanging on the wall
If I had to chose from all of these
I love you most of all

I'll love you like I do the truth
On that I will not lie
I'll love you with fortitude
On that I'll stake my life

And if our love should travel
I'll love you there and back
I'll also love you from the first
To the very last

I'll love you more than love itself
And I promise you no less
If you bring the jury in
My love I will confess

I'll love you on the mountain high
I'll love you valley low
I'll love you wherever ever is
Just thought that you should know

Yesterday I pulled the lever
How I couldn't say
Had to go with blindfold on
With the choices that they gave

For those who care, I was more scared
Than a date with Freddy Krueger
Just hope after the fact I haven't backed
Another one of many losers

The one thing I'd done was promise mom
I wouldn't vote for Trump
A promise told I took a-hold
In being a faithful son

Still couldn't watch as I took the plunge
Pulling down the lever
Voting out of consciousness
As if these days that even matters

Can't help but sometimes wonder
Where it is that I'd be at
If I had turned to the right
Instead of to the left

If I had for that second
Took the time to hesitate
And the moment I was too meet you
I was running late

Would I now be here alone
If our lives they had not crossed
Would the memories I have of us
Be forever lost

What if I'd taken the elevator
Instead of that flight of stairs
Would we still have met somewhere down the line
Would you still be standing here

Can't help but sometimes wonder
If I would have ever had such love
If I had missed that opportunity
And there never had been us

They said that he's a genius
Called him a Wonder kid
Which made the whole town wonder
Why he did the things he did

Why he climbed the water tower
That early morn in June
After all what makes us all
Do the things we do

He took a rifle with him
A back pack full of shells
When he turned the town that day
Into a living hell

His mama always warned him
A soul is never free
That is why he sold it
To the devil that day for cheap

He'd always been the perfect model
From his early days of youth
Teachers thought that he was special
If you must know the truth

There was never any talking back
It was always sir or ma'am
No ones sure why or when he snapped
You'll get no answers from the dead

He packed himself a brown bag lunch
Expecting to be awhile
To quench his thirst a Capri Sun
As he sipped he smiled

His mama always warned him
A soul is never free
That is why he sold it
To the devil that day for cheap

His very first victim
He selected randomly
Never did they find out
What knocked them off their feet

As soon as the shots rang out
It was madness and mayhem
It took the town a little while
To find from where the shots they came

By the time it was that registered
At least fifteen were down
From mothers holding babies
To couples holding hands

From the central park to the school yard
And terror in between
He left a trail of pain and sorrow
Mixed with misery

Was it a curse or a blessing
When he suddenly stopped the way he did
With a back pack still full of ammo
He stood and stepped off of the ledge

His mama always warned him
A soul is never free
That is why he sold it
To the devil that day for cheap

I don't want to just get by anymore
There's so much to this life
We don't dare not afford
To lose what we were meant to do
In the striking of the cord
I don't want to just get by anymore

I don't want to spread myself too thin
I want to give all I have
In all I have to give
From this moment forward
A beginning with no end
I don't want to spread myself too thin

I don't want to just hope for a change
I want to be the one on top
Where this can be arranged
Though I don't have all the answers
I do have today
I don't want to just hope for a change

I don't want to breathe my last breath
Until all I have done
Is all that I have said
Then after all of this
I'll lay down my weary head
Sigh and happily breathe my last breath

I am a shipwrecked fool don't you know
battered by the ocean of you
how could I let myself sink so deep
where the depth of you will forever be my keep

later down the road, they'll find my bones
next to the chest of Davey Jones
hand in grip, heart adrift
a shipwrecked fool with nothing left

If I could go back
To the day that we met
You know what I would do

I'd still say hey
Tell you my name
Then say that I love you

Why take up the years
It took to get here
To come up with that truth

Now that I've thought it out
Beyond a shadow of doubt
That's exactly what I would do

The day I said hey
And told you my name
I would tell you that I love you