This is it
The perfect pick
But where in the world do I flick it

Thought I had
This habit kicked
Here is proof that I didn't

Maybe if
I wear oven mitts
Then pointer finger would listen

Lately it's been
Hit and miss
With my daily pickings

I guess this is
Just what it is
As I go back to digging

Before there was you

There was no need for my love poems
The Robin had no song
There were far less rights than there were wrongs

Before there was you

The sun didn't shine as bright
The morning couldn't escape the night
What I lost I had no reason to find

Before there was you

All my colors were always blue
The old never brought on the new
There was nothing left with nothing left to do

Before there was you

Church bells they seldom rang
Never was there an inner child at play
Never was there a day

Before there was you

Nothing more that Ben and Jerry enjoy
Than Florida on Spring Break
Hanging out there at this moment
On this bright and sunny day

Swimming in the ocean
Just off the Southern shore
Waiting for a nice plump student
To dip his toes in and more

Nodding in agreement
They both would like that very much
After all what would two Great Whites
Rather crunch for lunch

Conversation rolls around to Daytona
Reminiscing of the time
Ben chowed down on four collage kids
While Jerry gorged on Nine

Yes, Spring is in the water
Where both the sharks relate
Nothing better in Florida when
You can sink your teeth into Spring Break

Your Daddy's voice sounds like thunder
Your Daddy's fists strike like lighting
His torrential rains pull you down under
Nothing to a child's more frighting

You shouldn't have to face the weather
As once again you brave the storm
No amount of sunshine will make it better
When you know what's still to come

There's also the worry these storms carry
From one generation to the next
And a coming storm that's left alone
Will level all that's in it's path
Until there's nothing but the pain of the storm left

I want what you have got
Because you have what I have not
And as an afterthought
You also want what I have got

Never are we satisfied
With what we're given in this life
When all we think of all the time
Is I want yours and you won't mine

Because you want what I have got
When I have what you have not
And then as an afterthought
I also want what you have got

I made a deal with the sky
Bought a cloud I saw I liked
After we agreed on a price
Paid a bit too much but I don't mind

I took my cloud and painted it
Silver lining with a golden tint
It gave my cloud a bit of lift
Down the road I'll be glad I did

Then I took it for a ride
On adventures soon to find
Reaching for new wonder heights
Across the forever sky my cloud and I

i took my time
and spent my dime
now i find
i'm past my prime
what little change
i held onto
i spent it well
before i knew
with pockets now
turned inside out
i wonder what
that's all about
at the height
i spent my life
like there was no
end in sight

There will surely come a day
When all of this shall fade away
Fade from mind and fade from view
When all that's left will be in you

No more worries, no more tears
No more regret of the lost years
No more pain from words been said
Where all is you in all we have

That day the captives will be free
To live in Christ's perfect harmony
The lion laying down with the lamb
Just the way God had it planed

On the shore of heavens bank
We will unite with all the saints
Who have ventured on before
In the Glory of the Lord

I am praying for that day
When all mankind will see the way
No more yielding of the sword
As we lift high your Holy Word

Yes, I am praying for that day
Where all of sin shall fade away
And all that's left will be to sing
Forever praises to our Holy King

The Sun it peeks out from the dark
Flicks its Bic, lights a spark
Thinks of itself as a star
As it makes its way
To a brighter day
With so much to say

Winks at the Moon to its left
Halfway hidden in a cleft
Bids good night tells it to rest
Until dark rolls back around
Where it can again shoot up the town
As the sun is going down

She dresses in paisley
Wishes on daisies
Falls asleep to the televisions glow

Drinks Calamine tea
The tea she believes
Brings about memories only she knows

Wears perfume on her finger tips
So when she points it smells like this
Lavender with a hint of ginger

She has a yellow bird that talks
A pink and purple frog
She dresses in mink come winter

Her shoe leather is patent
The only way she will have them
Her tribute to the 70's

She herself is a secret
Hoping that she can keep it
As she floats across the seven seas

I went to the deepest part of the forest
to seek the wisdom of the owl
Asked if he knew just where to find it
and if it was allowed
He said that he had no idea
where it was or what it means
So he sent me further on my way
down along the sea

I went to the edge of the ocean
and asked a dolphin passing by
If he could tell me where it was
and if he knew the reason why
He told me he's swam the seven seas
enduring all of life's inclement weather
The only advice he gave to me
go my friend and check the desert

So I ventured to the desert
what I found was a dry and dusty land
I searched for days in the suns beating rays
for someone to answer this one question
With a bit of luck I found a shady spot
underneath a Mastic tree
Where it was I sat down from my journey long enough
to find the answer to my question is "me"

Never will you get there
If you stay down on the floor
Life will get you nowhere
If you don't open up the door

Never have I been much
On giving out advice
But listen to what I'm saying
Cause what I'm sayings right

You'll never amount to nothing
If you don't stand up for a cause
Your nothing will always be something
That forever will be lost

Never have I been much
On telling wrong from right
But I can guarantee the wrong
If you don't take this advice

There should never be an option
But to always tell the truth
If you stand up for it
It'll always stand up for you

That's about all I have to say
Unless you need to hear it twice
Then start back over at the top
And jot down this advice

In my one pocket
I keep a selection of words
In my other
Different thoughts that accure

At times I'll sit down
Pull them all out
Mixing freely
Random thoughts to my words

Where they seem to go
Together with ease
My words and my thoughts
That in my pockets I keep

I have this Coin here in my pocket
That I pull out when there's a need
If I told you it was magic
At that point would you believe

It's been passed down from generations
Hand to hand, smooth and bright
A ceremony few have witnessed
And now the Coin is mine

I don't abuse the Coins good fortune
Wishing for that which money can buy
There's so much more that is important
That the Coin's used for in life

The Coin warms up in my pocket
When I get close to where I best can serve
Fulfilling the Coins purpose
In a simple action or kind word

Is the Coin really magic
Or just a reminder to do what's right
Do you have a Coin in your pocket
That you count on like I do mine

When I am old and gray like my Father
I will pass the Coin to the next in line
So it will continue to bring forth justice
To those less fortunate than you and I

if you are looking for a victim
just look in front of you
and since i see you in front of me
you must be a victim too

no one here gets justice
in this our modern age
we are all but victims
giving our souls away

no need to look any further
in your daily sacrifice
or pretend to play the victim
as we are all victimized

need i...

explain away the pain

the misery that i see

through tears of acid rain

i ask of you the bitter truth

the last thing i'll ask sane

after all who placed the call

and who has more to gain

could it not grow without
the seeds of doubt

you planted in this man

the ones that i helped water

with tears of acid rain

I promised myself I wouldn't think about you
I promised myself I could live without you
That's a promise I made, only to be
A promise I never intended to keep

I promised I wouldn't let you into my dreams
I promised if I did, I would ask you to leave
I found out last night that my promise is weak
Because it's a promise I couldn't keep

I promised myself I'd no longer love you
A promise I made that never came through
A promise long ago before I could see
That was a promise I never would keep

they walk the paths
into the light
in how they do
in when they die
leaving us
the rest to cry
as the dead
leave sorrow behind

much too late
to change their minds
with table set
on which they dine
letting loose
the ties that bind
as the dead
leave sorrow behind

some leave too soon
in the scope of time
with no time left
for long goodbyes
yet no one said
that death was kind
as the dead
leave sorrow behind

You look at me I look at you
Seeing very different views
Gripping tight to not let loose
On what we both feel is the truth

With bloodshot eyes open wide
Opposites on either side
In our lives we wonder why
Differences as day and night

We fuss and cuss in our righteousness
Throwing hands up in disgust
I wonder what is wrong with us
And where went brotherly love

In values face we generate
What has become so much hate
We need to learn how to relate
Bring that love back into play

One of us has misconstrued
You're thinking me, I'm thinking you
Delirious in our own views
Of what we both think is the truth

I see this going nowhere fast
Without a chance to even guess
With the little in common we have left
We need to give that love a chance

It's not that men are totally blind
It's just that we can't see most of the time
Focusing mainly on I, me and don't forget mine
In our mess of a head it's so hard to find

What it is that women really do want
With all of the does along with all of the dont's
Maybe what we really need is a special font
To help us clueless men move right along

In the right direction so we don't have to guess
Then life wouldn't be such a crazy mess
You'd get much more out of us than much more of less
Avoiding much of the misery of your P.M.S.

Now that I being a real man have brought it up
Spilling the wine out of the loving cup
Haven't you heard that idea raised way to much
From most of us men that don't know enough

Well I want you to know that your not alone
P.M.S. once inside tends to grow and grow
Just try your best to let it go
Because...
P.M.S. for those not in the know
Is short for Pre ****** Syndrome

This is a poem
That comes straight from my heart
Bypassing my brain
And all other parts
From there to my pen
In writing it down
This poem in your hand
That your holding now

This poem breathes into it
It's very own life
Brings its own tears
If there's a need to cry
This poem has it all
With a need for no more
This poem that you hold
This poem straight from my heart

This poem comes with no title
With no need to explain
Something so simple
As a given name
All that it has is all that it is
This poem from my heart
Is all that it gives

You say that you are Catholic
What exactly does that mean
That you eat fish on Fridays
Instead of red meat?

You say that you are Baptist
Never smoke, drink, cuss, nor dance
But what else do you try otherwise
Given half a chance

You say that you are Muslim
And pray 3 times a day
Does what you love outside the Mosque
Make it all okay

You say that you are Jewish
And only Kosher touches your lips
Is that as far as the thoughts of God
Rumble in your head

Please believe me sincerely
I'm not trying to put religion down
Just the thoughts and practices
That we have let slide to far South

It's when we say we are okay
Is when we ought to worry
As we try and find heavens lights
Always in a hurry

We take the path of least resistance
In our forever foggy minds
All along insisting
With God we're doing fine

Basing our salvation
On what it is we do
In our work relation
Instead of on the truth

So whether it is you eat fish
Or pray 3 times a day
Only let Kosher touch your lips
Don't dance the night away

Remember religion serves a purpose
In what at times we need to find
But God himself is what it's all about
And His great love divine

I'd like to write a simple poem

Simplify my life along

With the words that make their way

Onto this blank white simple page

Try my best to relax a bit

And with that said, get over it

Whatever is stringing me along

Keeping me from this simple poem

Lifted up and then put down

Far too many times to count

A simple rhyme before too late

The right words needed to say

To open wide the flood gates

And simplify my life away

Is that too much to ask, too much to want

A simple life, a simple poem

If it wasn't for Facebook
I'd have no memory
Of what all I've done in the past
And the many things I've seen

From most of what I do
To all of what I say
From my stretches of the truth
To the come whatever may

Memories pop up frequently
Like a slap in the face
Screaming do you remember this
From the good old days

Yes if it weren't for Facebook
My boring life would be extra dull
Since on my own I haven't a clue
As to what is going on

The main problem with this is though
I don't remember when
While all my family and friends say
Please not this again

I just wonder what I did before
Facebook kept my memory on tabs
Since I don't remember having a memory
Of a memory before that

I have had this question
I've been meaning to ask
Where I feel now is the time
Before there's no time left

I'll be a gentleman about it
As this really needs to be said
If you wouldn't mind me asking
Could I borrow a kiss

If  you lend me the kiss
I promise to give it right back
I guarantee to do this
With no need to ask

So if you wouldn't mind
Before this time is missed
Take this for what it is
And please let me borrow a kiss

If you'll pucker my way
I'll return it post haste
Even add a bit of interest
If you'll let me borrow a kiss

if you count all the days
from here to there
minus the ones
that you just sit and stare

the haves and have not's
the never got's
on waves have been tossed
forever lost

the good you have done
when not counting some
they say haste makes waste
when diving in love

and on that note
i clear my throat
and proceed to float

in every beginning and end
there's a middle to them
an overgrown path
that life is lived in

standing around
to say the least
the beauty within
is marked by the beast

before we say it's over
then attempt it again
this looks too familiar
where have we been

*and on that note
i clear my throat
and proceed to float

We are nothing without love
Ships lost at sea without their sails
With life's bitter storms soon too come
We need love above all else

We are nothing without love
Too steep the hill too hard the climb
Too late to grasp what is to come
As we succumb to life's mudslides

We are nothing without love
An empty train on a dead-end track
At the end without reverse
With no way to make it back

We are nothing without love
An unmade bed with no rest
Those that are left, toss and turn
With only dreams of love instead

We are nothing without love
Abandoned buildings, emptiness
Demolition soon to come
We are nothing without love

Just when I think I've seen it
All throughout this  land
They went and upped the anti
On the classic can of Spam

Those with the higher power
The ones that run the show
The Spam men of the hour
In a bunker buried way down low

Have added different flavors
To this meat of mystery
From Teriyaki to Tocino
That's bacon to those who don't speak Philippine

They heat it up with Jalapeno
Helps to liven up the slime
Those bunker boys as they're fondly known
Have really out done themselves this time

Aloha from Hawaii?
Imagine Spam in a Hula skirt
As they pull out the Leis and go all the way
Adding pineapple to those Spam burps

Wait a minute!

Now they have pumpkin in the can of Spam
To spice up the feeling of Fall
Those that don't see Spam as a delicacy
Might be at a loss

Exciting rumors even have it
They're in talks with Oreo
There's no place in this universe
That a good slice of spam won't go

The only thing they need to work on
Is the dipping in the milk
They have yet to solve the problem
Of the massive oil spill

Yes they've taken what the rest of us
Never thought could be improved
Just goes to show what ingenuity
And a touch of crazy genius can do

So don't knock it till you try it
And try it if you must
But remember my friend always save the lid
For afterwards scraping of the tongue

one step forward, two steps back
that is how most of us live
in our daily circumstance
one step forward, two steps back

progress made is progress spent
wondering where it all went
always late to the main event
one step forward, two steps back

running right while leaning left
taking back what we've been given
what we lack in our goals met
one step forward, two steps back

Do you ever get thirsty
With a cup that's half empty
Instead of a cup half full

Do you ever wish
There was much more than this
And think of life as only cruel

Where it don't fit your needs
Or hold your beliefs
Till you don't know what your going to do

Do you wonder why
Your such a downtrodden guy
And everyone's happy but you

Do you see that there's more
But it could never be yours
And you see that as cut in stone truth

Well listen to this
In case it is you missed
It's all in the right attitude

You'd be surprised
At what ahead lies
If you'd bid the old you adieu

So raise your glass high
Half full to the sky
And start this day off in the new

Will the youth of today
Carry the weight of tomorrow
With the heavy burdens we've left behind

Will they cry at the wake
Being held for the sorrow
That has filled this generations lives

As they take a deep breath
Giving into the longing
So often played out in song

With what is left
Will they carry tomorrow
When tomorrow is never that long

There's something going on
Between me & the poem
A reason to rhyme
A notion to float
Was it something I read
Something once wrote
That's spinning the time
Between me & the poem

As things continue to grow
Between me & the poem
Call it second sight
A perfect pitched tone
Where it has lead
Or where it's still going
I'm sure we will find
Between me & the poem

I'm holding out hope
Between me & the poem
That I'll find in time
What I already know
In all that's been said
Inside of the fold
With the shedding of light
Between me & the poem

We all come dressed
In our Sunday best
Expecting to be wined and dined

We're then taken to task
Without being asked
Which has happened so many times

We live and we love
Till we've had enough
Then go searching for something more

We might take it to heart
But never to far
As we are so easily bored

We reach for the heights
But get burned by the lights
Blinded to where we can't see

We bring our own bags
From relationships past
Ready to burst at the seams

We carry the weight
Of our ball and chains
Thinking it good exercise

We fall for the spiel
When they tell us it's real
When all it is is really lies

I should have known better
Slap back to warmer weather
Again with no diet and exercise

Where all that I have
Is this winter flab
To balance out my thunder thighs

With all of that said
It's my  pigeon chest
That makes me look less of a man

As I step out in the sun
Blinding everyone
Should have at least somewhat indoor winter tanned

Where I brave my way
At the beach for the day
Amid all the fainting and screaming

Stepping into the water
Did the balance of nature just totter
As the Oceanic world was seen quickly leaving

Might just be too late now
For this land and sea cow
As I promise next year to do better

In taking care of myself
With my  flab and everything else
Better prepared for next year's warmer weather

I don't need happy times
I don't need the sun to shine
All I need are these tears to cry
If I don't have you

I don't need the birds to sing
I don't need diamond rings
Can't think of anything I need
If I don't have you

I don't need a day of bliss
I don't need a moving kiss
I don't need any of this
If I don't have you

I don't need a star filled night
Nor do I need romantic moon light
All I need is a room to hide
If I don't have you

I don't need skies of blue
I don't need my dreams come true
I don't need the earth to move
When all I really need is you

a throw away poem
is easy come, easy go
after it's had its say
pack it up toss it away

the meaning isn't deep
nor vocabulary wide
a throw away poem
will never tax the mind

a throw away poem
is not meant to torment the soul
is easy on the eyes
feels almost like home

brings nothing to the table
except for rhyme and flow
that's as far as it will go
a throw away poem

From America's coast to coast
Along all it's cities streets
Is the country that I love
From sea to shining sea

From the beauty of the Blue Ridge
To it's vast Kentucky grass
I love the New York City sky scrapes
As much as the Rocky Mountains pass

There's no more beautiful of a sight
As the Atlantic's morning sunrise
Or standing by the Pacific
Watching as the sun says its goodbyes

I love the mystery of the Bayou
Down Louisiana way
As well as the shinning beauty of
All of Minnesota's lakes

All the way to the mountain tops of Washington
To the open sky of the Mid-West
From Chicago and its urban blues
To the jazz played in Memphis

Whether up and down the Eastern seaboard
Or along the coast out West
All that's seen in between
Nothing more and nothing less

Is more beautiful in all the world
God has truly blessed America
Home of the Brave, land of the Free
America, my country

Some have a hard time in drawing
From the experience that life has given
Always in need of help whether bold or pastel
In interpreting the art of living

Being a sign of the times in grand design
Trying to hang the picture perfect life
As they're craving their niche or taking brush strokes to it
A happy medium they have yet to find

Not patient enough most just give up
At the opening of their life's museum
With empty frame that bares only a name
In interpreting the art of living

i wonder if i ever

let go this pen

and no longer gave

the words their say

would that freedom

reshape the man i am

would i rue the day

that poetry

doesn't have a hold of me

the very thought

makes me afraid

it would be like

letting go the hand

of my closest friend

that always gets her way

yet there seems to be

comfort in this cancer

pleasure in its pain

am i truly looking

for an answer

would i listen anyway

to the contemplate

of the letting go

of this pen

i tightly grip a hold

my friend my lover

i at times loath

is something

i may never know